By Laura Frykberg
Supporters of Wellington's gay community have protested tonight over a spate of vicious attacks on trans and homosexuals.
There've been four attacks within the Wellington region in recent months and tonight's protesters say homophobia is an increasing problem.
Organisers called it "the Queer Night march", but the message was straight to the point.
While the mardi-gras-like scene got bystanders interested, more than 300 people turned up for tonight's protest. They've been walking all over the road. Police have had to redirect traffic because they've been walking through the road and actually stopping cars in their tracks.
It's stories like Brendan Goudswaard's they're angry about. The 26-year-old thought he was stopped for a friendly chat while walking home in February but it soon turned nasty.
“One guy was like, hey! How is your night going? And I started replying and before I knew it he'd slammed my head into the wall. I had a laceration to the head, I had a black eye, I almost had a broken nose, I had a swollen face, swollen lips,” he says.
Police say victims of homophobic attacks are often reluctant to come forward.
“That's why we have diversity officers throughout New Zealand, but more importantly in Wellington to talk to about these types of issues,” says police Detective Inspector Steve Vaughan.
Organisers blame that reluctance on subtle homophobia everywhere.
“It's not just about getting beat up in the street. It's about people being too scared to come out to your family and friends. It's about being bullied in schools it's about being discriminated in the work place,” says protest organiser Kassie Hartendorp.
Tonight's march isn't the end of the homo and transphobia debate, with organisers holding a public meeting next Thursday.
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