A man is walking in a darkened park at 11:30pm on a week night. He is looking for some quick anonymous sex with a stranger. He is alone. He is far from any sort of help. He is vulnerable. He is at risk.
He walks deeper into the vegetation, more into the shadows. There is a figure coming toward him – he looks younger, stocky, strong, wearing a baseball cap and jeans. The anticipation of an interlude pumps adrenalin through the man’s veins as the figure gets closer.
Then in moments everything turns in on itself as the younger man aggressively shirt-fronts him and produces a knife pressing it up to his neck.
“Give me your wallet!†the younger man demands. He complies, the younger one flees and the man is left shaken, violated and distressed. Does he report this violence? No. He can’t risk anyone finding out why he is down here.
Beat violence is often a silent crime. Most guys that go to beats do not want their identity known and so violent incidents like the one described above are left unreported and unresolved. This one ended with little incident, but the outcomes can become much more dire and dangerous – bashings, arrest, contracting HIV and other STIs.
Guys’ motivations to use a beat are varied and complicated. They use them to meet other men for social and sexual reasons. Beats have always been a part our communities while guys feel they cannot behave true to their sexual identity. But, most of the guys that use beats are unaware of how vulnerable they are.
The Beats Project has been designed to help guys make safer choices and put them out of harm’s way. Beat Officers would visit regular beats, discreetly approaching beat users telling them of other options – sex on premises venues for instance – that are safer than beat use. WAAC is outreaching to guys at beats to help reduce harm and minimise the transmission of STI’s and HIV and to increase understanding around safe sex and safe communities.
Even though the key stakeholders may be coming from different directions with varying intentions – WAAC from a HIV harm minimisation and safe sex perspective; City Councils and WA Police Service from a community safety perspective – we are all definitely heading towards the same goal with this project – keeping everyone safe.
Visit the Project X website at www.projectx.net.au or contact Steve Fragomeni, Officer for Beats Project (Project X Team) at 9482 0000 or email sfragomeni@waaids.com.
This article appears courtesy of the Western Australian AIDS Council.
