Homophobia-Free Zones Pop Up ‘Down Under’

I read with amazement — but not surprise — an AFP report this afternoon about the City of Sydney Council voting five-to-four to designate parts of the Australian city as “homophobia-free zones.”

The move is said to be aimed at deterring violence, abuse and harassment against homosexuals in the heart of the city’s bar and nightclub precinct, an area favored by gays and lesbians.  In reality, however, it represents yet another move down the slippery slope that began with passage of so-called “hate crime” laws.

Hate crime legislation, in general, attempts to do two things:

• Legitimize certain lifestyles by declaring them protected by law; and

• Chill free speech that criticizes those lifestyles.

Some other thoughts:

• How will evangelical, Bible-believing churches inside the zones be impacted by the legislation? and

• What signs and symbols will city officials use to notify citizens of the laws in these zones?

I’ll try to address these questions in future posts.

-- Bob McCarty Writes