Exclusive: A well-known Sydney drag queen was found unconscious and with head injuries near Oxford Street in what is being investigated by police as a suspected robbery attack.
Police and ambulance services were called to the intersection of Denham and Campbell streets, Surry Hills, about 2.30am on Saturday, February 1, where they found a 39-year-old suffering from facial and wrist injuries, as well as a bloody nose and swollen lip.
The incident is being investigated as a robbery, police say, with items stolen including a wallet, credit card and cash.
Police said there were “no indications of a hate or bias crime at this stage” and that it was instead being investigated as a “street level robbery” with no weapon produced.
Friends of the drag queen, who has not been named by Gay Sydney News at the individual’s request, said that the performer was in full drag at the time of the incident.
By the time an intensive care paramedic unit arrived, the drag queen had regained consciousness and was treated by paramedics at the scene before being transported to St Vincent’s Hospital, NSW Ambulance said. They were discharged from hospital shortly after.
Following the incident, officers from Surry Hills Police Area Command established a crime scene and conducted a canvass of the area.
Inquiries are continuing with police examining CCTV. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Ben Grubb is the founder and editor of Gay Sydney News, an independent publication covering LGBTQIA+ news. A journalist with more than 15 years' experience, he has reported and edited for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, WAToday, Brisbane Times, The Australian Financial Review, News.com.au, ZDNet, TelecomTimes and iTnews, primarily on the topic of technology. He previously hosted The Informer, a queer current affairs program on Melbourne’s JOY 94.9 radio station, and contributes to LGBTQIA+ media including Stun Magazine. Ben has also appeared as a technology commentator on Channel Ten's The Project, ABC RN’s Download This Show and commercial radio stations 2UE, 2GB and 6PR. Contact Ben: ben.grubb@gaysydneynews.com.au
