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Australian politics Melbourne Victoria sport - Rainbow Reporter

Rainbow Report tonight 11/12

December 10th 2008 22:57

Another hour of news and current affairs for the Rainbow Crew.

Jayne Crawley - team leader for Arts & Culture with the City of Melbourne – talking about OutCities, a program of Melbourne queer arts and events being staged at Copenhagen OutGames next summer.

After some initial confusion, it seems Australia became a co-sponsor of the French motion for a declaration by the UN General Assembly on same-sex rights. Simon Margan of Community Action Against Homophobia has that story for us.

Our new Lord Mayor Robert Doyle has already started making waves as he settles in at Town Hall – the Age joked that his first move had been to ditch the word Mayor from his title – so we’ve asked him back for a chat.

Corey Irlam has been, as always, busy leaning on the politicians on our behalf, and specifically on behalf of those members of our community who are being forced to pay the price of equality.

Cathy Anderson makes a welcome return tonight after a sojourn in the Western Desert of suburban Sydney.

And finally, Miss Kaye Sera looks beneath a festive bonnet tonight as she morphs into Madame Santa contemplating what the government should have done to get the economy moving this festive season.

That's The Rainbow Report, Joy 94.9FM Melbourne, streaming ,live at www.joy.org.au: podcasts at the same address and also via iTunes store.

Join me 7-8pm AEDST: call 61 (0)3 9699 2949 / onair@joy.org.au / Txt: 0427 JOY 949

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: Australian politics, Melbourne, Victoria, discrimination, equality, equal rights, same-sex, sport

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On The Rainbow Report Thursday Night

August 6th 2008 06:45

Every Thursday evening 7-8pm AEST broadcasting live from Melbourne on Joy 94.9FM, streaming live at www.joy.org.au. Podcasts available on the Joy site by the weekend.

Last week we had a few things to say about Jeff Kennett, but he’s rather gone to ground since then. But the issue of gays in sport, the entrenched homophobia in sport, hasn’t gone away. In fact, if anything Jeffs intervention made it worse.

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So we’re going to look at what’s being done to tackle the issue. We’ve got Patrick Kean, Media Relations Manager of the AFL, plus a representative of the VCFL, and maybe even a director from an AFL club - we're still working on that one!

Plus, of course, with us in the studio we'll have our resident expert, former president of Lexton Plains Football Club and scourge of sporting homophobia, Rob Mitchell of the RJM Trust.

I'll be ably assisted by the lesbian journo tag team, so to speak, of Andie Noonan from bnews, and back on the show after a short break, my good friend Cathy Anderson from Mx.

And making a welcome return to Joy after an even longer absence, taking her own inimitable look Under The Bonnet of current affairs, the incomparable Kaye Sera. Yes, the thinking man’s drag queen is back!

Kaye Sera

We’ll be catching up with affairs in Tasmania with Rodney Croome and the gay blood-donation ban case, and visit Queensland in the company of Rod Goodbun

Join in any time during the show: text us on (Australia) 0427 JOY 949, or if you’re listening online, drop us an email to onair@joy.org.au. Or phone us on 61 (0)3 9699 2949 to have your say. We might even put you live to air!

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: Australian politics, Melbourne, Victoria, equality, gay lesbian politics, equal rights, radio, same-sex, sport

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Careless talk costs lives

August 5th 2008 00:08

The old WW2 slogan is especially true when major public figures like politicians, churchmen and celebrities make ill-considered untrue statements about homosexuality. Such statements can quite literally kill.

It’s not that GBLTI folk are more at risk of suicide and depression because they’re GLBTI: they’re more at risk because of the way they’re treated by other people.

When you experience on a regular basis:

• Hostility and/or rejection from family, parents and friends
• Bullying and name-calling at school
• Rejection by your church, temple, mosque or synagogue
• Danger of violence in public places
• Harassment from neighbours and other tenants
• Casual homophobic comments on an everyday basis
• Embarrassed response (and occasionally prejudice) from professionals, such as GPs
• No protection against discrimination at work
• Negative portrayal of gay people in the media

And you try to protect yourself by

• Denying your sexual orientation, leading to conflicts, denial, alcohol abuse and isolation.
• Trying to keep your sexuality a secret through lying, pretending or leading a double life.

You end up suffering

• Low self-esteem.
• Increased risk of self-harm and suicide attempts.
• Damaged relationships or lack of support from families.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression from long-term effects of bullying.

[Thanks to the UK National Health Service for this summary]

Jeff Kennett said that country football club Bonnie Doon was correct to sack its trainer of 22 years, Ken Campagnolo, when it discovered he was bisexual, because,
"The club felt that once this had been pointed out and you had this gentleman there who was obviously close to young men - massaging young men - it ran an unnecessary risk and that's why it decided it was best that he not perform those duties again.”

"It's the same if you have a pedophile there as a masseur, right?"

"And you might say the pedophile would do no damage, but once it was pointed out to you, you have a duty of care to those underage children not to put them in a situation of risk."

"….. what has been occurring in various churches . . . has heightened public opinion and led to many organisations trying to put in place programs or actions to minimise risk to individuals within organisations or clubs.”

That did several dangerous things that could leave Kennett with blood on his hands:

• Endorsed the totally false view that GBLTI people are no better than paedophiles – and look at the community reactions to paedophiles we’ve seen in the news in recent weeks
• Endorsed and gave comfort to bullies and gaybashers
• Made it more likely that young GLBTI people would be shunned by friends, colleagues, team mates, parents, teachers and others, increasing their isolation and their risk of self-harm
• Made it more dangerous for young GLTBI people to participate in or support sports, especially Hawthorn
• Made it more likely that young people coming to terms with their sexuality would try to deny their feelings, hate themselves, harm themselves, even attempt suicide

That’s why it’s very important that Mr Kennett immediately

• publicly retracts his remarks and says he was wrong
• acknowledges that there is zero risk in GBLTI people working as trainers in football clubs and indeed anywhere where intimate contact is part of the job
• undertakes a course of study to inform himself of the truth stated above
• supports, and commits beyondblue to support and fund, a major initiative to stamp out such prejudices within the AFL.

The AFL has already done it with racism: it can do it with homophobia. The English Football League has done it: there’s a ready-made model sitting on the shelf, ready to go. The VCFL are doing it. The Victorian Ministry of Sport governance manual will mandate it. It’s time for Kennett and beyondblue to get off their butts and get to work before another kid dies.

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: Australian politics, Melbourne, Victoria, discrimination, gay lesbian politics, sport

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Kennett now equates bisexual footy trainers with pedophile priests

August 2nd 2008 21:00

Dark Night Priest

Well, I was going to lay off Jeff Kennett, but the man just keeps chewing on that foot in his mouth. In the Herald Sun today he continues to make a link between bisexuality and pedophilia. Such a link does not exist, and such a slur is incredibly damaging

[ Click here to read more ]

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