Homophobic crimes are being excluded from the news agenda by the national media, claim Homotopia, the festival for gay, lesbian and trans-gender people.
A film about the murder of Michael Causer has been produced by festival director Gary Everett, who lambasted major journalism for under reporting the crime at the film's premiere in Liverpool during the 2009 festival.
‘Michael’s death was invisible to the London media. We must monitor how the media report these crimes,' said Mr Everett.
The Invisible Death of Michael details the horrific injuries sustained before his death and awareness of the crime becoming well known only through social networking and gay on-line magazines.
The 18 year old was attacked as he slept after a house party in Huyton, Liverpool, in July 2008 by James O’Connor, 20, who dumped the seriously injured teenager in the street. Mr O’Connor and his friend, Michael Binstead, 19, then claimed to police that Michael had been attacked by strangers. He suffered a fractured skull and died in hospital from swelling on the brain a week later.
Mr Justice Timothy King accepted that O’Connor’s motivation was not homophobic and gave a prison sentence of 11 years and six months for the ‘brutal attack’. Binstead received a custodial sentence of 34 weeks, suspended for two years and 200 hours of unpaid work in the community for perverting the course of justice. Merseyside Police, however, believe that this was a homophobic crime.
Marie and Michael Causer Snr said in an interview with JMU Journalism there may have been justice to match the crime had they not taken the advice from Merseyside Police not to talk to the press through fear of jeopardising the trial.
‘It was the sorriest thing I’ve ever done, but nobody approached us and I just wanted justice. I hope James Parkes gets the justice Michael never got,’ said Mrs Causer.
Trainee policeman James Parkes, 22, was the victim of a homophobic assault in Liverpool’s ‘gay quarter’ in October this year and the story was broadcast on national prime-time TV bulletins on the BBC and ITV. There has since been a huge response on Facebook, a candlelit vigil in Liverpool and a peaceful protest march is scheduled for the end of November.
At the film screening, Steve Hughes, 43, said: ‘Those events are really important for social acceptance. I went to the candlelit vigil and I think it shows people, gay or anybody won’t accept what happened that day. When the media report it as an outrage, hopefully people will realise that it is unacceptable.’
Mr Everett spoke about civil servant Ian Baynham, 62, who died in October after a homophobic attack in London. He told the packed theatre he searched various television news programmes looking for a report but ‘not one channel’ featured the story whereas news of the singer Leona Lewis being punched in the face at a book signing was ‘all over it’.
Professor Chris Frost, Head of Journalism at Liverpool John Moores University, said: ‘What must be made clear, and what we forget at our peril, is that the media is not a keeper of national records, it is there to present news it thinks will interest its audience. Sometimes these editorial decisions are, to say the least, entirely arbitrary.’
Homophobic crime increased from 123 in 2007/08 to 174 incidents in 2008/09 on Merseyside, an increase of 41%. In London, homophobic crime rose from 1,008 to 1,192 incidents in a 12 month period from September 2008, an increase of 18.3%. Homotopia are planning to show the film at both gay and mainstream festivals to raise awareness of Michael Causer’s death and homophobic crime.
Chris Bradley
