Living in rural communities differs vastly from city life. When we moved to the Sunshine Coast there were no other visible lesbians and few gay men. In this very tight knit fishing village it was evident that we were outsiders, the same as any newcomers. But it was our sexual orientation that set us apart. We were identifiable. As we later learned we were regarded as militant dykes. Thankfully we were here as a couple and thus less threatening to the general population. Now, seven years have passed and we are respected and feared in the same measure. It is this fear that I wish to address.

If one looks up fear in a dictionary/thesaurus, words like distrust, suspicion, apprehension, and anxiety are some of the nouns and/or adjectives that come to light. To my way of thinking, hate is borne of fear and it is in this state of estrangement that I have met my biggest challenge. I was attacked by an unknown assailant outside the post office in my tiny community. There was no provocation, no words exchanged, he knew "what" I was and I could smell his fear and suffered his reign of terror.

When the physical violence ended I asked him point blank "Why are you afraid of me?" He told me "that I was friends with Water and the Wind" (another lesbian couple that lived beside him). I asked "Is this because I am gay?" He replied that I am sick, and he spat in my face.

And yet again there was nowhere to turn. The police were slow to get on the complaint and the crown counsel failed to understand the nature of the case. This was a hate crime plain and simple. Throughout my life the people in authority have been afraid to deal with this crime. This is not the first instance that I have suffered abuse at the hands of the ignorant. I was beat up twice during my high school years, severely beaten while I attended university and assaulted at a gay pride day. This is, of course, not to mention the many other minor cases of abuse and discrimination.

We lose kids to the street every day because they cannot bear the abuse at school. As adults we live in fear. I hope the sharing of my pain helps things to change.