Michael Causer (1989 – 2008)

Openly gay teenager, Michael Causer from Whiston, England, wasn’t any different to other 18 year olds. He was close to his family, was popular, had lots of friends and an active social life. Like many teenagers his age, he was still undecided as to his future career but had a world full of options available to him. However… Everything changed on Friday morning, July 25th, 2008.

Michael was brutally attacked that day by two assailants who left him fighting for his life. He was found unconscious in a pool of blood on Tarbock Road, Huyton at 11am and admitted to Whiston Hospital before being transferred to the Walton Critical Care unit where he remained in a critical condition for eight days. Doctors at Liverpool’s Walton Neurology Centre performed emergency surgery in an attempt to stem the swelling on his brain but this was unsuccessful. Police confirmed he died Saturday, 2nd August 2008 at 12.30pm.

Michael Causer

Because of his sexuality, the story was widely featured in the gay media both online and offline as well as in the local press but there was very little nationwide coverage of this appalling incident. I spoke to Manchester-based artist Paul Harfleet who through The Pansy Project lays pansies at sites where homophobic abuse has occurred. I asked him why he felt it was so under-reported in the mainstream media. He responded thus:-

“Initially it did seem that there was an injustice in the way the story of Michael Causer was not reported. Even the gay press were relative latecomers to the story. As the details unfurled it seemed that there were many complex issues surrounding the case. The police described the incident as (possibly) homophobically motivated though details were sketchy of the actual crime. I think this ambiguity surrounding the story made it less press ‘friendly’.  Once the details became apparent the relevance and topicality of the story was perhaps lost.

As a result the gay community in Liverpool and beyond has been angered and felt that gay stories are less important than other more mainstream crimes.  The gay community is used to having stories downplayed and over shadowed by the media’s interest in news that has wider appeal and relevance.  As far as the most of the media is concerned, homophobia is a battle that has been won. It is also possible that the media’s focus tends to be more London-based so when a crime of intolerance occurs outside London it is seen as a northern issue, so unworthy of national coverage.”

Paul Harfleet interview

Paul Harfleet is a Manchester-based artist who in 2005 devised and created The Pansy Project.  With it he revisits locations where homophobia has been experienced and plants pansies.

Could you tell me a bit about The Pansy Project? How did that come about? I presume you’re reclaiming the term ‘pansy’ with your project title – what strengths do pansies (the plants) have and how does this feature within what you do? You use self-seeding pansies I see.

A string of homophobic abuse was the catalyst for The Pansy Project. The day began with two builders shouting; “it’s about time we went gaybashing again isn’t it?”; continued with a gang of young boys throwing abuse and stones at my then boyfriend and me, and ended with a bizarre and unsettling confrontation with a man who called us ‘ladies’ under his breath.

Over the years I have become accustomed to this kind of behaviour, but I came to realise it was a shocking concept to most of my friends and colleagues.

It was in this context that I began to ponder the nature of these verbal attacks and their influence on my life. I realised that I felt differently about these experiences depending on my mental state so I decided to explore the way I was made to feel at the location where these incidents occur. What interested me was the way that the locations later acted as a prompt for me to consider the memories associated with that place. I wanted in some way to manipulate these associations, In order to feel differently about the location and the memories it summoned.