Queer Crime

*** I am closing Queer Crime but I will keep the episodes published so we do not lose these tragic stories. As a thank you for your support over the past two years, I'm publishing two Patreon episodes and one new episode. Good luck with everything and remember … be kind to each other. ***The only thing I can say about this man is that he is a monster. Support the show

*** I am closing Queer Crime but I will keep the episodes published so we do not lose these tragic stories. As a thank you for your support over the past two years, I'm publishing two Patreon episodes and one new episode. Good luck with everything and remember … be kind to each other. ***I have researched, written, recorded, edited and published over 30 episodes for Queer Crime. I have read about all sorts of people who are mad, people who are bad and people who are twats. The guy in this story beats almost all of those people. I hate being unkind about people, but this man deserves all the vitriol you can muster. A total wanker. A horrible bastard to his very core. Someone with no interest in anything except himself and his own pleasure. I don't know him … but suffice to say, I hate him.The man that I am referring to is Nathan Maynard-Ellis.  Support the show

Final episode number 1*** I am closing Queer Crime but I will keep the episodes published so we do not lose these tragic stories. As a thank you for your support over the past two years, I'm publishing two Patreon episodes and one new episode. Good luck with everything and remember … be kind to each other. ***Rotherham is a large town in south Yorkshire which has a rich history in cast iron, glass manufacturing, flour milling and, most importantly, coal mining. There were 24 coal mines in Rotherham over the decades and these coal mines gave people employment opportunities to people all over the United Kingdom.  One of those people who moved to Rotherham in search of employment was Patrick Cooney. He had travelled from Scotland and had spent 18 months living in lodgings in the Rotherham area. A hard-working and easy-going young man, Patrick was very well liked by all who knew him … so when he walked into a police station in Rotherham at 2pm on Saturday 1 July 1950 and told the police officer on the front desk that he had killed someone, everyone who knew him was stunned.Support the show

This is the story of when two people's worlds collided on the number 57 bus in Oakland, California.Patreon: patreon.com/queercrime Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.comSource: ‘The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives' by Dashka Slater.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/queercrime)

In the 1980s, in amongst the upsetting and tragic deaths of gay men who were being struck down with a mystery and seemingly incurable illness, another tragedy was unfolding in London for the gay community.  A tragedy that was partly caused by the mystery illness which was killing gay men.Patreon: patreon.com/queercrime Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/queercrime)

On 12 January 2000, the way the British military treated serving LGBT+ people changed forever. Prior to that date, anyone who was LGBT+ was banned from serving in the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy and the British Army.Before the ban was lifted, serving members of the forces lived in fear of being outed. They lived in fear of being themselves. They kept their head down and got on with their jobs.However, not all LGBT+ people who were serving at the time were kind souls who were secretly supportive of their other LGBT+ colleagues. One person in the Royal Navy was the complete opposite.This is his story.Patreon: patreon.com/queercrime Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/queercrime)

The gay panic defence or trans panic defence is absolutely abhorrent. It is a legal strategy that asks a court to consider that a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for a defendant's violent reaction … and this violent reaction can include murder.Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.com

Everyone knows the 1969 romantic comedy musical called ‘Hello Dolly!' which features uber-gay icon Barbra Streisand. This joyous, high-camp movie with its catchy tunes and long-lasting legacy of frivolity and fun … also has a horrible queer crime story attached to it which has been almost entirely forgotten.This is the story of Danny Lockin.Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.comPlease support fan of the show, Kyle, who needs your kind assistance to fund his top surgery. More information about Kyle's story can be found on his GoFundMe page. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-me-say-tata-to-the-tatasDanny and Billie-Jo's performance on The Gong Show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdE4j3l8p_M

Hi all ... just a brief update from me about my next episode. Thanks, Patrick. x

You might think that a string of murders of gay men in Sydney in the 70's, 80's and 90's, which may have had almost 90 victims, would have received international news coverage. You might think that this would warrant international condemnation … but it didn't. In fact, so little attention was paid to these crimes that the police barely even investigated them.Link to the Bondi Memorial https://www.bondimemorial.com.au/ *** The language in this episode may be triggering for some listeners. The derogatory homophobic and transphobic words that appeared in my research are the words that I have used as I feel these highlight the bigoted views of people at the time of this crime. No offence is intended by using these words. *** Twitter: @crime_queerWeb: queercrime.com 

At the start of 2020, the world was facing something truly unique, horrific, frightening and unexpected. The news coverage was relentless and almost entirely focussed on Covid-19. There was no time or interest in covering anything else. Crimes that would have ordinarily made it onto national or international news channels just didn’t get a look in.  The appetite for healthcare information was unprecedented as people tried to allay their fears. It meant that almost everyone missed this grisly crime which has been overlooked throughout the world. This is the story of Diogo Goncalves. Twitter: @crime_queer Instagram: QueerCrime Website: queercrime.com

*** The language in this episode may be triggering from some listeners. The derogatory homophobic words that appeared in my research are the words that I have used as I feel these highlight the bigoted views at the time of this crime. No offence is intended by using these words. ***In September 1958, a tour guide from Mexico called Fernando Rios was visiting New Orleans where he was leading a group of tourists around the city. At the end of a long day, he got dressed up for a night out. At the same time, three young men were planning their night out too.This is Fernando’s story.Twitter: @crime_queerInstagram: QueerCrimeWebsite: queercrime.com

*** The language in this episode may be triggering for some listeners. The derogatory homophobic and transphobic words that appeared in my research are the words that I have used as I feel these highlight the bigoted views of people at the time of this crime. No offence is intended by using these words. ***Hitler’s dictatorship persecuted, arrested and prosecuted over 100,000 German, French and Austrian gay men during the 12 years they were in power. Gay men were sterilised, castrated, imprisoned, and deported to concentration camps. While they were imprisoned in concentration camps, they were made to wear a pink triangle on their clothes and this allowed the Nazis to distinguish gay men easily from their fellow prisoners. The treatment of the men with the pink triangles was abhorrent and it is estimated that about 15,000 men with the pink triangles died in the camps.This episode explores how this was allowed to happen and stories from some survivors.Twitter: @crime_queer Web: queercrime.com 

On Christmas Eve 1985, Chuck Kleveland, a resident of a small village called Chester in Nebraska decided to get his hair cut for the Christmas holidays. He left work and made a quick detour by his house to pick up his shotgun in case he spotted any pheasant. As he travelled along a small dirt road, scanning the surrounding fields for pheasants, something bright in the ditch caught his eye…Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com 

At 1:10am on 14 May 1983, two Highway Patrol Officers observed a car driving erratically on Interstate 5 in Orange County, California. They suspected the driver was drunk and they signalled for him to stop. The driver pulled over and opened the car door, outrageously emptying the contents of his beer bottle onto the ground as he exited his car. The man identified himself to officers as Randy Kraft. They didn’t realise it at the time but they had just stopped Randy’s 12-year murder spree.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Could you imagine being a black trans woman in the 1960s? Could you imagine the relentless fight for equality and inclusion and the literal fight for your own safety that you would face? Could you imagine facing all of that … whilst still spreading love and warmth with a genuine smile on your face and acceptance for all people in your heart?This is the story of Marsha P Johnson.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Imagine being stabbed by a stranger just metres away from your home? Imagine screaming out in pain and terror within earshot of dozens of people who heard your cries for help ... but no-one did anything?  Imagine the lack of help that you received during your attack created something which became known around the world as ‘the bystander effect’ … and was also named ‘Genovese syndrome’ after you?  This is the infamous story of Kitty Genovese.  Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In 1533, King Henry VIII introduced an Act of Parliament called the Buggery Act. It was England's first sodomy law and it would have lasting repercussions for gay men all over the world.This is the story of the last two men to be hanged in England under the Buggery Act.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In March 2012, the President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, urged parliament to speed up the adoption of the law on hate crimes, which had been on the shelf for over seven years. In July 2012, it was signed by the President and came into force. The law is known in Chile as the Zamudio law, in honour of Daniel Zamudio.This is Daniel’s story. Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In May 1924, two children were playing near the Leine River in Hanover when they discovered a human skull. Two weeks later, another human skull was found not far from the location of the first skull.  Another two weeks passed and two more male skulls were found. All four skulls were determined to be males aged between 11-20 years old. These discoveries were just the start...This is the story of the Werewolf of Hanover.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Jennifer and Sarah Hart were loving wives who were completely devoted to each other. They had adopted six beautiful children who they were extremely proud of and who they loved deeply … and the world knew it. While Sarah didn’t have much of a social media presence, Jennifer more than made up for it. Her social media posts showed their wholesome family life and her photos showed their children with beaming smiles. They affectionately became known in their various circles as The Hart Tribe.Was the Hart Tribe’s life as wonderful as it appeared? Or was it Jennifer’s way of hiding the true reality and mundanity of everyday life?Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In the late 1980s, Tracey Wigginton had become the leader of a self-styled witches coven comprising four members. At first, their activities were innocent and innocuous but it didn’t take long for their coven to take a more sinister turn. Tracey revealed one night that she was harbouring a deep secret. A secret that she felt that she could now share with her coven sisters because she trusted them implicitly.Tracey confessed that she was a vampire and that she needed to feed properly. She needed human blood. Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

When Brandon Teena was beaten, kidnapped and raped, he hoped that reporting these crimes to the police would provide him with the support and sanctuary that he needed. It didn't. It only compounded his misery ... and led to his murder.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In 1996, an organisation called Heaven’s Gate rented a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. In October of the same year, they learned that the Hale-Bopp comet was approaching Earth. By the end of March 1997, all 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate cult were dead. This is the story of a cult, a comet, a spaceship and mass suicide.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Neutral Bay is a harbour-side suburb of Sydney, Australia; about 3 kms from Sydney’s central business district. It’s a beautiful, self-contained suburb on the shoreline which offers breath-taking views of the harbour and many shops, restaurants and cafes. It’s a popular spot for young professionals and middle-class families.One such young professional who lived there was Morgan Huxley. This is the tragic tale of how a chance encounter ended Morgan’s life.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

After a court ruling in England in the late 1980s, the attitude of the police towards the LGBT+ community meant that anyone who was interested in bondage or BDSM had to retreat underground with their kink. It didn’t matter if it was consensual. The court ruling indicated that witnesses to, or participants in, any sadomasochistic activity were liable for prosecution. It created further division between police and the LGBT+ community who were already being marginalised and discriminated against by the government’s despicable view on homosexuality.This lack of trust towards the police by members of the LGBT+ community created the perfect hunting ground for someone who hated gay men. This is the story of the notorious killer who hunted members of the gay community who participated in BDSM. BDSM provided him with the perfect opportunity to tie up gay men before robbing and murdering them. A man, the media dubbed, the Gay Slayer.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

In the 1850s, Rome was noted for being silent and tranquil. It had a certain air of saintliness and stillness. At the time, the population of Rome was 180,000 people and around 7,500 of those people were nuns and priests.  Everyone is aware that being a priest or a nun within the Catholic church requires you to be celibate. Celibacy is one of the most widely recognised characteristics of being a Roman Catholic priest or nun; however, celibacy seemed to mean very little to the nuns who lived in the Sant’Ambrogio della Massima convent.This is a story about the scandal, filth, lies, debauchery, banishment, murder, and sexual initiation rites. It’s not for the faint-hearted.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Porto is Portugal’s second largest city and is a world heritage site known for its six stately bridges, stunning old town and world-renowned production of port wine.  In 2006, Porto became the scene for the violent murder of a trans woman. A murder which outraged the public and which was the driving force for positive change in the treatment and legal protection of trans people.This story contains the gruesome details of how everything can go wrong in life for someone. Discrimination, illness, poverty, degradation, violence, hate, ignorance, exclusion, transphobia and crushed dreams.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Sometimes it takes an outrageous act of brutality, driven by hate, to bring about the change that is very much needed and long overdue.Homosexuality in England was decriminalised in 1967. Despite this, homophobia in the 1980s was out of control. During the AIDS crisis, homophobia was inflamed by the tabloids and made worse by the Conservative government.  Four separate, violent murders of gay men over an 8-month period had such an impact on LGBT+ campaigners that they resulted in lasting changes to protections for LGBT+ people around the United Kingdom. Protections and rights which we have all come to appreciate and almost take for granted today.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

The Interstate 95, or I-95, is the main interstate highway on the east coast of the United States. It stretches over 1,900 miles from route 1 in Miami, Florida to the east Canadian province of New Brunswick. It serves major cities across the eastern seaboard including Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Washington, Baltimore and many more. At the southern end, it serves Floridian cities such as Miami, Jacksonville and Daytona Beach.In 1994, the I-95 was used as the main driving route for a killer of gay men ... starting in Daytona Beach.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Grand Rapids is the economic and cultural hub of West Michigan. It is part of Michigan’s Bible Belt, has a strong education system, a well-established economy from manufacturing furniture, is a clean city with very little unemployment and quite a low crime rate. Alpine Manor was a large nursing home in Grand Rapids which looked after around 200 elderly patients. It wasn’t a retirement home but more of a nursing home for people who had Alzheimer’s or were terminally ill. The very nature of such a nursing home taking care of unwell elderly patients meant a higher-than-average death rate.The death rate was about to get higher...Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

Located about 170 miles north of London, Leeds is the largest city in West Yorkshire and is the cultural, financial and commercial heart of the county. As with all major cities in the UK, Leeds is very LGBT+ inclusive and there are many LGBT+ events throughout the year including the Leeds Queer Film Festival, the Leeds LGBT Literature Festival and Leeds Pride. It's a warm and welcoming city ... but it has a dark past.Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

North Wales is known for its rugged beauty. With the Irish sea to the left and north, this stretch of coastline is, in parts, breath-taking but it also holds a sinister past which is breath-taking for different reasons.  Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com

New Orleans is a city in Louisiana on the Mississippi River. It's known for its parties, festivals and masquerade balls and has always had a reputation as being a place to have a good time. In the 1970s, it became known as the unofficial queer capital of the south. This doesn't mean that queer people were accepted...Twitter: @crime_queerWebsite: queercrime.com