Comments on: Gay men need to stop sexually assaulting women: Shannon Power

By: C.Moore Hardy

C.Moore Hardy — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 21:52:25 +0000

Brave woman ShannonPower. It’s amazing that you managed not to knee that man in the groin when he first assaulted you. (I would have, and I’m sure that’s because I took a Penny Gulliver self defence course years ago). I was assaulted during a Mardi Gras Parade once as I was heading toward the party at the end of flinders st., a man grabbed my left breast gave it a big squeeze & vanished. I was so shocked I went into a “shutdown” mode and just couldn’t focus for a while. I wasn’t drunk & I couldn’t think of anything afterwards other than to find a place to retreat to.
Your article reverberated for me, that some men’s sense of entitlement over a woman’s body, seems to override our rights as women.
There’s a trend of abuse & mysognistic behaviour by some men in our society, but I’m also pleased to say that you have addressed it in a way so that others can discuss it !!! Thank you CMoore Hardy

By: oliver

oliver — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 07:58:22 +0000

Obviously he wasnt gay.

By: Ari

Ari — Sat, 20 Aug 2016 04:11:59 +0000

This is the stupidest article I’ve read to date.
Firstly I’ve been working in gay venues for the last 8 years, I move around the venue throughout the night so I see what goes on.
I’ve never wanted to or asked a girl to touch her breasts but I can’t count the number of times girls have grabbed my hands to make me touch them or forcibly tried kissing me. I’ve NEVER seen or heard of a gay guy trying to touch a girls vagina. Most of the times a girl is being touched is because she’s initiated it. Gay guys don’t like girls… Get it?!
Does Shannon know the person was even gay? Maybe she should write about straight girls acting like sluts and sexually harassing gay guys? Maybe if she was sexually assaulted she should’ve immediately reported it, or even reported it the next day when she’d sobered up from getting drunk to the point she couldn’t look after herself.
This article should never have been published.

By: David

David — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 10:23:32 +0000

I think what you meant to say is that it is never alright to be sexually assaulted and some gay men do it and some straight women do it to gay men. However straight women need to stop writing articles overgeneralising behaviour to all gay men.

By: James

James — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 09:26:50 +0000

This isn’t relevant to gender or sexuality, I can say as a proud gay man that I don’t make an effort to grab snatch especially if I’m at a gay club. You obviously ran into the wrong person whether he was gay or straight.
As a ‘senior journalist’, I’d assume that you would have more common sense or simply respect to not generally state that ‘gay men need to stop sexually assaulting women’ based on your experience with one gay man. Don’t make assumptions, I’ve been groped by several women thinking that ‘it’s ok, he’s gay’. I don’t make that a generalisation, I don’t assume all women are pigs so why should you be allowed to?

By: Kyle

Kyle — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 09:14:31 +0000

In reply to Rabid_womble. She never said it was the male toilet. Easily could have been the female toilet. Or even a unisex toilet. That is unacceptable behaviour. And why gay man would want to feel a vagina. I'm sick thinking about it. Disgusting.

By: Garry Wotherspoon

Garry Wotherspoon — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 08:25:40 +0000

Gay Men? Or one possibly gay man? Clarity please.

By: Robert McCormick

Robert McCormick — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 07:07:33 +0000

Why were you in the Men’s Toilet in the first place? If you thought your Male friend was in there you should have asked another male, or better still, a Staff member to go in and check. The guy who grabbed you may have thought you were a transvestite and fancied you or a transsexual and wanted to know if you had had the “Final Cut”!
In Gay Venues when a person dressed, or looks, like a Female but goes into the Male toilet it is assumed she is Male.
Get over yourself, Shannon. Just as males – gay, straight or bi are not allowed to go into the Women’s Toilets – no female, no matter she be lesbian, hetero, or bi has any Right or Justification to go into the Male Toilets. Not everyone knows who you are and, doubtless, even fewer care. You are only a “celebrity'” amongst those who know you.
Why were you in a known “Gay Venue”?
Don’t you just love it when some uppity hetero woman, or man, decides to go to such a venue? BUT let any homosexual female come on to some hetero female or homosexual male come onto some male hetero and all hell breaks loose. That is what happens in homosexual venues, Shannon, get used to it or stay away.

By: ANDY

ANDY — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 06:27:35 +0000

I don’t think people should be Grouped at all!! Don’t care about there sexuality. Unless you have permission from the person your touching, keep hands off!!

By: Ant

Ant — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 03:11:45 +0000

I wonder how through only seeing someone in a bar toilet you knew this guy was gay? Not everyone in a gay bar is. If he was then as a gay man I even think it’s hideous! And it is not right from anyone!

By: Rabid_womble

Rabid_womble — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 02:41:26 +0000

Why do heterosexual women feel free to desexualize gay men and treat them as their property?

Had you been in a straight venue you would have asked a male friend/staffer to go into the men’s toilet rather than presuming you had free access. I get sick of women acting as though they own you (how many times have I been felt up by a woman dancing against me? I don’t care if its your first time ever in a gay bar, I’m not a prop for your experience).

Sexual assault of any kind is never justified.