(Australia) - A Spate of violent crime targeting the Gay community prompted three prominent politicians and a drag queen to take to the streets in the early hours of yesterday. As partygoers looked on, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Police Minister David Campbell, Labor candidate for Wentworth George Newhouse and local drag queen Maxi Shield wandered the clubs and back alleys of Oxford Street to gauge the impact of homophobic violence. Police said there have been nine reported instances of assault related to "sexual preference prejudice" around Oxford Street this year, while there were only two such instances in the whole of 2006. "This area has changed," Ms Moore said. "As larger venues have sprung up, many people from outside Oxford Street have begun to come in on weekends.
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