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Australian politics discrimination gay lesbian politics equal marriage equal rights same-sex social commentary - Rainbow Reporter

Where's MY apology?

November 18th 2009 02:05
sorry
Kevin Rudd, Cardinal Pell, Jim Wallace - please copy

While it’s very proper and appropriate that native Australians and now the forgotten Australians have received an apology, it’s time the gay community had a few, too.

Especially from the Catholic Church, which has been flooding the public arena with disinformation and propaganda on the issue.


For months the Pope and his minions have been insisting that the church doesn’t have an issue with paedophile priests, it’s all the fault of those goddamned homosexuals.

Well now they are hoist with their own petard, as their own research proves it just isn’t true, as reported by AAP and numerous papers yesterday Really Long Link. Apology, please.

At the recent Senate hearing into Marriage Equality, representatives of the church stated that children must have a mum and dad and same-sex parents are worse. Wrong, as a recent senior British government advisor has said Really Long Link lesbians (and gay men) make BETTER parents. As every previous credible peer-reviewed study has found. Apology please.

There is a fair amount of junk science – mostly emanating from one Dr Paul Cameron in the US – that purports to show that we die sooner, make lousy parents, and are more likely to be crooks.


All of that has been comprehensively shown to be twisted propaganda cobbled together without a skerrick of truth Really Long Link and Really Long Link for the US ‘pro-family’ right wing extremist pseudo-Christian movement, yet the church and the Australian Christian Lobby quote this as if it were gospel. Apology please.

Within living memory - my memory - gays and lesbians have been imprisoned, subjected to medical tortures, separated from their loved ones, denied families and children, simply for being gay. Apology please.

Mr Rudd is due to address the Australian Christian Lobby on Saturday – perhaps he would be so kind as to ask for their apologies on our behalf – and add his own. Please.
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The tipping point

July 5th 2009 21:08
old stuff collapsing


Across Australia it feels as if a tipping point is coming – a moment when immovable barriers, which have seemed so solid for so long, topple like skycrapers in an earthquake.

The AFL is actively addressing discrimination against gays and lesbians. Jeff Kennetts favourite toy, the ‘national depression initiative’, beyondblue, is trying to mend fences with the gay and lesbian community. And now the governments opposition to same sex marriage has developed a little crack.

To date, agitating for marriage equality has been like having sex with a particularly selfish lover: the foreplay seems to go on for ever, you wonder how much longer this p---k-tease will continue, and then suddenly he comes, heads for the shower, and leaves.

Thus the government shot its load of ‘functional equality’, and while some reasoned that this was the best we were going to get and quietly finished off by hand, the Greens and the marriage equality campaigners continue to insist the government returns for a second date to finish what it started.

And, surprise, surprise, this time the government isn’t just turning its back and grunting ‘no, marriage is between a man and a woman’. Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Youngs Marriage Equality Bill has not been abandoned and left to die, like all its predecessors: the government has referred it to a Senate committee of enquiry. Could we be heading for same-sex marriage sooner than we expect – IF we keep up the pressure?

That would be good, because while marriage is essential, there are plenty of other pressing issues. Like the appalling toll of self-harm among same-sex attracted youth. Getting a national anti-discrimination law. A Charter of Human Rights. And getting the Ministry for Social Inclusion to include us.

The Ministrys agenda is “to provide opportunities for all Australians to participate in their local community and Australian society”, which “recognises the importance of allowing all Australians the opportunity to work, to access the services they need, to connect with their family and friends, to become involved in their local community, to have the skills to deal with crises when they might arise, and to have the chance to make their voices heard. ”

So you would think there would be programs addressing the exclusion of gays and lesbians. No. The aged, disabled, poor, mentally ill, migrants, jobless, women .. .. . a long list, but we’re not on it.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we’re often ‘socially excluded’: not just from marriage, but from churches, sporting clubs, schools and aged care facilities . . . and, it seems, the ministry charged with addressing the issue. They talk about partnering with community organisations, and indeed their Community Response Task Force is stuffed with them: the Catholic Church, Catholic Social Services, St Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Anglicare, Uniting Church, Mission Australia, ACOSS, as well as trade union and ethnic community representatives. But no GLBTI charities.

It seems the Minister for Social Inclusion and task force chair, Julia Gillard, has excluded GLBTI organisations from the agenda, and hence from government funding. Time to send in the sappers and bring this skyscraper down. And ask Julia for a date.
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Rainbow Report on Homophobia

April 30th 2009 00:40
Homophobia
Graphic: BBC

This week Thu Apl 30 7-8pm AEST Joy 94.9 Melbourne, streaming live at www.joy.org.au The Rainbow Report looks at Homophobia.

Mention IDAHO to most people, and they think you’re talking about a US State that’s famous for potatoes and not much else. And no, it’s not the one where same-sex couples started marrying this week – that’s IOWA.

But our IDAHO is the International Day Against Homophobia, which is getting to be quite a big deal overseas but to date, Australia’s contribution has been pretty feeble. Greg Adkins hopes that’ll change this year – he joins us in the studio to explain what’s happening in Melbourne and how you can join in and have some fun.

We’re often accused of seeing homophobia where it doesn’t really exist, but is it magnifying the effect of the recession for some of us? Some of the first things companies drop to save money are gay-supportive initiatives and gay and lesbian staff. Harley Dennett of the Sydney Star Observer has the story.

Despite the name, Queensland could fairly be described as a homophobic state. with no relationship recognition, or recognition for same sex parents. The age of consent seems equal at 16, but anal intercourse with anyone under 18 is a criminal offence under a 1990 "sodomy law”. GLBTI Queenslanders have been campaigning its repeal, but back in October the Queensland government made it tougher instead. Miles Heffernan from QNews tells us all about it.

Joining me in the studio tonight, the feisty snappy-dressing co-convenor of the Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby, Hayley Conway; the man who lobbies the pollies on our behalf, Corey Irlam, with his response to the government’s response to the 2020 summit – anyone remember that? Seems a long long time ago. And Cathy Anderson, one of the Lesbians On The Loose at LOTL magazine.

And finally Kaye Sera pays tribute to Golden Girl Bea Arthur, who died last week. I was hoping she’d say something about swine flu, so I could do an intro about a pig in a poke bonnet, but you can’t have everything.

Don’t just sit there, we love to put your views to air too, so please agree, disagree, argue, praise, whatever by emailing onair@joy.org.au - text 0427 JOY 949, or call 9699 2949.
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