News : Sydney Siege – Gay Manager Was Shot Dead
It is a true tragedy what happened in Sydney yesterday. Another radical Muslim (Islamic State) from Iran, seized 17 hostages at Lindt Chocolat Cafe in Martin Place yesterday morning. The manager of the cafe was a gay man. Tori Johnson. He was hailed a hero after trying to take the gunman’s weapon while some hostage tried to escape. The Barrister of the cafe, Katrina Dawson was also shot dead after shielding her pregnant friend.
After hearing the gunfire, the commandos came in the cafe killing the gunman and freeing the remaining hostages.
Thanks to the cafe manager, the tragedy only killed 2 hostages (sadly too many), true heroes!
Check out the video below for more infos
Dave
Yes, Dave….sadly two too many. Many thoughts and prayers for Katrina Dawson, Tori Johnson and their families for the most selfless act that any human being could do. Bittersweet HERO’s. Sad, but true. May you both rest if peace knowing you made the sacrifice of your self to save the others.
May peace and God be with you and yours.
The headline should be rewritten from “NEWS: SYDNEY SIEGE – GAY MANAGER WAS SHOT DEAD” to “NEWS: SYDNEY SIEGE – MANAGER SHOT WAS GAY”.
Putting the victim’s sexual orientation first skews context and insinuates the crime’s commission as being based on sexual orientation. In reality the nature of the killings were based on the victim’s nationality and ideology.
I am not sure how the fact that he is gay is pertinent to the story? Did the terrorist target the cafe because he was there, because he is gay?
We keep asking to be treated the same and given the same rights as everyone else yet at the first opportunity we scream, look, someone different did something.
It would be a better story line if it were about all of the victims and survivors and their braveness. Instead yoh write this and make it all about a gay person being killed. This stinks of yahoo journalism. Please consider writing something more proper and related to the events that occured. Honor all who died and give thanks for those who survived.
Person first, race, religion, sexual orientation etc. second.
I agree with Brad above. What does his sexual orientation have to do with it? An innocent person was killed, that’s all that matters. Let’s not define him by his sexual orientation.
Thats a very sad and heartbreaking .
what u expecting of Islamic Radicals,they naturally killer and terorrist , when 2 brothers (shiaii &Soniis )kill each other in Iraq and Afghanistan , of course they killing Christians easily , no wonder …..
This Gunman said:there is no God,but Allah and Mohamed is massenger of God ( hahahahahah)
they are far from reality ,infact the only God is CHRIST the LORD….
Rest in peace with victims of this attack. may the peace of CHRIST with them forever…
Ok, let’s not beat up on Dave or eachother.
Mr. Johnson and Ms. Dawson are heros. In his case, a GAY hero. We need more of those but not in this manner.
Sometimes men are just men, without labels, and they do what they believe is right, even to the point of loosing their lives. But I for one appreciate that a GAY man did what Johnson did. It helps to show the world that we are not all a bunch of pansies.
It’s not that I don’t agree with BP and Brad, I absolutely do agree. In fact, when I saw the headline, I temporarily forgot about this scene that had been reported on the news. I clicked on this link thinking it was a new event and that the Manager had been targeted for being gay. If this title is in mainstream media as well, I’m sure others especially those unsympathetic to homosexuals and the violence that still takes place against us would have ignored it.
I also agree with the strong point that it should be PERSON first, race, religion, sexual orientation etc. second. In fact these could be left out all together if they are not relevant to the incident. Not doing so facilitates an environment of separatism and potentially a degraded measure of sincere thought or emotion. Preventing empathy for the murder of a fellow human and re-directing attention to non-essential qualifiers. It does beg the question however, whether the same logic should be applied to the “Preferences” post from yesterday?
Common threads sometimes need a “knot” to tie them together.
I would have to agree on BP and Brad here, the title is misleading. The manager’s sexual orientation is too trivial in this incident, the fact he was homosexual doesn’t change anything.
Well said Brad. The fact that he was gay is irrelevant, just the fact that he was a very brave young man who gave his life to save others.
Sometimes one wonders how people read the news everyday… endless atrocities and endless assurances that this has nothing to do with the cult of sex and violence, aka the “religion of peace.”
Murder classrooms full of children! Rape and behead children! The “holy” book says that it’s a ticket to “heaven.”
Did someone say that this “religion” is out to destroy Western Civilization and everyone fortunate enough to be living in it?
Oh you dangerous extremist you!
Thats really crazy and not just because hes gay but the things going on in this world. If people could just find some common ground (which wont ever happen) things like this wouldnt happen. This is starting to go to far. People getting held up for just one mans pleasure of holding people at gun point. This makes no sense at all.
Thank you for your bravery and sacrifice Tori Johnson. Rest well brother. I did not know you but I thank you. My condolences to the Johnson and Dawson family.
DEAR GOD,I AM NO ATHIEST,BUT LOVED “MADELINE MURRY O’HARE”,THE WOMAN WHO TOOK OUR COUNTRY FOR ADDING “GOD” EVERYWHERE,THE BULLSHIT ON FOX NEWS, IMPLIES EVERYONE “”PRAYED IN SCHOOLS” SEVERAL DECADES AGO,I AM FROM A FIFTH GEN.AZ. FAMILY,MY MOTHER,HER MOTHER,NEVER PRAYED IN SCHOOL!!, THE GREATEST MASS MURDERER OF ALL TIME IS THE “‘CATHOLIC CHURCH,”,AND NOW THEY RAPE BOYS AND GET AWAY WITH IT, HITLER-30 MIL,EST. STALIN 40+WORKED TO DEATH MOSTLY,MAO -80MIL, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH -150-200 MILLION, THE “”THIRTY YEARS WAR”,FLATTENED EVERY MAJOR CITY IN EUROPEAN CONTINENT,INQUISITION,AND GENERAL MASS EXTERMINATION OF ALL PROTESTANT,BABTIST,ANABABTIST,ECT,now that was indeed thank Christ.indeed.every jew ,non believer,moslem,indeed in HITLER’S MEIN KAMPH “”I HAVE COME TO DO WHAT THE “HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE” FAILED TO DO(DESTROY OR “REFORM” EVERY JEW),NOW WHAT CAN WE DO TO THESE PIGS WHO MURDER CHILDREN SIMPLY GOING TO SCHOOL,ECT.I HAVE THE ANSWER,””WE CANNOT DO IT,NEVER CAN,IN DOING SO,WE ALLIGN THOSE WHO LIKE UNDER FACSISM,FOUGHT AT THE LAST BATTLES,FEARING “”AMERICANS WOULD KILL AND TORTURE THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HITLER”,AND THOUSANDS OF MAYORS,ORDINARY PEOPLE BRAINWASHED, COMMITTED SUICIDE,OR FOUGHT IN THE STREETS AS CITIZENS,SMALL CHILDREN,OLD MEN,WOMEN,WHO WERE BRAINWASHED AS THESE FREAKS OF MOSLEM BELIFE WILL””,IT IS UP TO THE MOSLEM COUNTRIES WITHOUT US,TO DESTROY THESE MADMEN,JUST LIKE NOT ALL GERMANS WERE “”NAZI” ,THEY HAD TO ACCEPT “NOT FIGHTING BACK”,HITLER WAS ELECTED AS HIS PARTY, “”A MINORITY” ACTUALLY.i cannot fathom,why not one muslim,in any country dominated by islam,NOT ONE PERSON PROTESTS ,EVEN EVEN WHEN THAT YOUNG CHILD,A GIRL IN AFGHANISTAN,SHOT TO BE KILLED SIMPLY FOR GOING TO SCHOOL!!,SOMEONE,SOMEWHERE please tell me why,WHY,DO THESE PEOPLE NOT PROTEST,RESIST,AND TELL THE WORLD IN PROTESTS, THAT “”NOT ALL MUSLIMS KILL CHILDREN,ECT'”,i fear that they are believers,as the “”catholics” in the inquisition days,ect,that “”somehow,we are scum,worse than their child murders,BECAUSE WE ARE HEATHEN!,AND THE WORST MUSLIM IS STILL BETTER THAN A CHRISTIAN,OR JEW”,WHY,WHY,WHY ARE NOT DECENT MUSLIMS ALLIGNING TO DESTROY THESE PERVERTED SCUM,WHY!!
who fucking cares that hes gay
im with brad his post is on the dime
Why is it relevant mentioning he was gay? That’s like telling a story about a guy who gave up his plane seat to a soldier, but you mention the guy was black too.
Can’t write anything without someone getting offended! This is not a news website and I assume that Dave, the author of this BLOG, is not a journalist. It’s a website for gay men to meet/chat/hook up/whatever. I seriously doubt that members of the general public will be reading this.
I should think the fact that one of the victims and heroes of a major crime story that got world-wide attention was gay would be of interest to the members of this site?
Thank you Brad
First thought — sort of sad you are remembered as the “gay manager”
This event is sad for all concerned.
Even sadder is calling out the orientation of the manager/victim and making that “news”, implying this was a hate crime.
I realize the comments on this blog (and often the blog itself) represent the intellectual sludge of our community, but seriously? You people actually complaining that the headline mentions his orientation while commenting on a blog connected to a site for gay and bi men? This isn’t the New York Times. Chill.
That headline is very misleading. He was a manager who happened to be gay.
Why does everything have to be Gay Gay Gay all the time? Some gays only have gay friends, only go to gay restaurants, support only gay artists, etc… In a sense, they segregate themselves but still want equal rights.
I define myself as being human first. Being gay does not define my life and it is sad that a man who was killed heroically was defined as gay first.
I concur with BP and Brad… this heroic act by the manager of the cafe (Mr Tori Johnson) was taken to disarm the gunman Man Haron Monis, at a chance opportunity as the gunman was beginning to fall asleep about 17 hours into the seige. Mr Johnson’s sexuality has not even been reported in the Australian media and I wonder why you have made this such an important point here.
Further, the barrister, Ms Katrina Dawson, was not related to the cafe, merely having coffee with her pregnant friend.
He was a graduate of Washington State University in Pullman, WA via their online degree program. or distance learning program.
For those of you commenting I am not beating up on Dave but the fact is as I and many others states the headline mad this seen if it was a different event related to sexual orentation.
A human being, man, a nice man, any other identifier would be acceptable but gay man is not. I would say the same if the headline was African American or Chinese America. Or catholic American etc…. If it isn’t relevant to the story meaning he was attached because of the info in the headline it is sensationlism. Let’s stop that, especially in the gay community. Start acting like the person we want to be treated as. Being gay does not define who we are as individuals.
The man was a hero for his actions which had nothing to do with his sexual orentation.
Wow Mark Patterson you have truly summed it up in your epistle…right on the button
I agree with some; the headline is misleading. I was thinking the manager was killed because he way gay but it seems he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and incidentally he is a gay man. It is sad that a evil maniac ended his life for his own twisted cause. This man gave his life to save others – a true hero. I hope that he is recognized by his country and the world for his sacrifice.