Murder and Victim (Hood)
Two weeks ago, there was a brutal murder of a gay couple - Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. A 28-year-old police constable, Beau Lamarre-Condon, confessed to the crime and assisted police with their investigations. It is alleged Beau used his police service revolver to shoot the two victims. It was reported that Beau was a former partner of Jesse, but the exact nature of their relationship status is disputed.
Last week, the Board of the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras asked the NSW police not to march in this year’s parade. Their statement said, “Our community needs space to grieve the loss of Jesse and Luke, who, before this tragedy, would have been here celebrating with us at the festival.” “The board has taken the decision to request that the police do not march in the 2024 Parade." The NSW and federal police have agreed not to march (in uniform). A former director of the Mardi Gras claimed that “Cops marching in Mardi Gras is salt on open wounds.”
This is a complex series of events to try to make sense of. Several points are worthy of clarification. First, this was not a crime of gay hate. Rather, it is a crime of jealousy between former ‘companions’ and a new third party.
Second, the NSW police force has not discriminated against same-sex persons in this incident. They employed Beau, who was of homosexual orientation. And as the NSW premier said: "There are a lot of gay and lesbian police officers who are proud of their profession and proud of their community, and want to march…."
Some in the gay community may join dots between historic police abuse and this latest incident, bringing up feelings of old wounds. Yet there is something deeply ironic about a community that prides itself on being inclusive, as excluding others (some of whom are gay themselves) – others who have clearly done no wrong.
This week, the plot thickens. The ABC reports, “Australian police forces have a festering domestic violence problem.” Is this incident best understood through the lens of DV or LGBTI+ discrimination?
Our culture’s moral compass is failing us. We are schooled to spot the victim and then give voice and power. Here we have competing victims and a perpetrator who is a member of a victimised minority and a chastised authority. We have an authority (Police) that has apologised repeatedly, but inclusive gay leaders who seem unwilling to accept an apology and agree to a re-set.
By Rev. David Rietveld