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equality equal marriage religion same-sex - Rainbow Reporter

Iowa says yes to gay marriage

April 3rd 2009 20:18
Two Cowboys Golfing
Two Cowboys Golfing - Thom Ross - Kneeland Gallery


Homos at Home on the Range

The Iowa Supreme Court has struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, making Iowa the third US state where gay marriage will be legal. It's now up to the legislators to sort out how. And they will.


This statement from the elected leaders of Iowa Really Long Link makes it clear that the decision of the Iowa Supreme Court is not, as the usual faux-Christian groups like Family Research Council have been claiming, a case of judicial activism overriding the will of the people. The elected representatives are right behind it.

Iowa is the American heartland, as it likes to call itself. Des Moines is not San Francisco and Iowa is not California. It is the epitome of mainstream America. It's also relatively non-aligned: it swings between Democrat and Republican (currently it leans Democrat).

According to Wikipedia, it is one of the safest, best-educated US states - and acceptance of diversity is a by-product of intellegence and education, just as intolerance and fundamentalism are by-products of ignorance and a failure to value and foster the intellect.

The gay marriage train is rolling in the US. Hawaii came within a whisker but for a procedural hitch, California Supreme Court may yet strike down the Prop 8 vote, both Houses in the Vermont legislature have voted firmlyfor gay marriage and only the legally dubious intransigence of the Governor stands in the way. New York is also in the queue to be the next state to legislate equality.


The election of Barack Obama is driving the vestiges of intolerance to the margins and into history. Pretty soon gays and lesbians will be able to echo the old civil rights cry, "Free at last!"
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Turnbull the Pink Liberal

September 16th 2008 04:56
Turnbull Nelson
Pink In - Blue Out

Nelsons gone, Turnbulls in, and knives are already out for the new leader. But is this good or bad for the gay community?

Nelson was always pro-gay - he had a gay brother who died of AIDS - but owed his position to a hard right bunch with very rigid and uncaring pseudo-Christian positions on gay issues, forever spouting the old furphy about 'danger to marriage.'

Indeed, in an attempt to free himself from the influence of these pernicious illiberal infiltrators, Nelson went into the leadership election on a platform of ending the party's nitpicking and opportunistic opposition to same-sex couple equality with which he personally strongly disagreed..

His loss does not mean that gay issues have suffered a setback. In fact, quite the opposite. Turnbull sits for Wentworth, the gayest electorate in the country, taking in Sydney's gay ghetto and Mardi Gras route, including Oxford Street.

During the last election he let it be known that he had gone into bat for the gay community in Cabinet and secured a small concession in the matter of superannuation death benefits.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission published a report in last June finding same-sex couples were discriminated against in 58 areas of financial and work-related entitlements - a tally since upped to 100 by Attorney General Robert McClelland.

Turnbull was involved in helping draft proposals to implement the report's findings and wanted to steer them through the Howard cabinet. "It's Turnbull who's been pushing for the reforms since the [commission] report," a colleague told the Sydney Morning Herald. But a decision was left to John Howards casting vote, so the initiative died.

Lucy Turnbull is chairwoman of the AIDS Trust, and the Turnbulls have often raised money for the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation, which 'assists people directly disadvantaged by HIV and AIDS in NSW to maintain a reasonable quality of life through the provision of financial assistance.'

So the association with our community is more than just skin deep.

Turnbull also addressed the gay and lesbian business association during his campaign, pitching for the gay vote

In fact, Turnbull is a classic Liberal in the genuine old mould: laissez-faire in both economics and in social matters, preferring not to interfere in people's private lives, and certainly missing the strident lower middle class moralising that so disfigured John Howard's outlook on the issue.

Turnbull is also a man of strong opinions and formidable temper, who will not suffer fools gladly, especially those who try to shift him from his chosen course, unlike Nelson, who stood for little except what he thought would be popular with party and country.

Turnbull is unlikely to be swayed by the rigid theocrats who found Nelson so easy to corral, despite his personal convictions. Same-sex law reform, which had hit a standoff in the Senate, may have been saved by his removal.
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The limits of activism

July 9th 2008 10:27
How is the GLBTI community ever to achieve fair treatment in Australia.

A look at where we are now, how we got here, and how to move forward.

Part 1 – Politics.

Last week the ACE called on us all to write to the Senate enquiries that are examining proposed changes to the law which would, if passed, create more equal treatment for same-sex couples.

This is the first step in a lengthy process which is supposed to equalize the treatment of same-sex couples in federal law.

The government has come under criticism from some quarters for taking this piecemeal approach (which means around 100 laws must be audited and then amended) when the issue of same-sex couple equality could have been solved relatively simply by legalizing same-sex marriage.

Neither the government nor the opposition supports same sex marriage, claiming it would be political suicide. The Australian public is ‘not ready’ for such a move.

Polling seems show a clear majority support ‘equality’ (whatever they understand that to be), but only the barest majority support gay marriage.

Ranged against us the Catholic church, which wields enormous influence within both the Liberal and Labor parties and the Australian Christian Lobby, which has the ear of both the present and previous Prime Minister, plus most if not all Muslim clerics.

The Australian Christian Lobby is extremely well-funded, well-organized and disciplined, and their supporters are highly motivated. They can and do mount mass letter-writing campaigns in support of their viewpoint, and are currently flooding the Senate enquiries.

They have a very simple message: no gay marriage (or anything that looks like, or could lead to, gay marriage), no gay adoption, no gay ivf, which has been taken up by Brendan Nelson.

The message from the gay lobby is not so simple. We agree we want equality, but we don’t agree on what equality looks like. Some want gay marriage, some don’t. Some will accept registration, others hate the concept. This puts us at a disadvantage.

Nor do we speak with one clear voice. Instead we have a mosaic of state-based and issue-based organizations.

The message coming from Canberra says the public will accept ‘equality’ but ‘isn’t ready’ for same-sex marriage – ‘maybe in ten years time.’ Leaving aside the question of whether it’s necessary to have a majority of the public in favour – it certainly wasn’t in Spain or Canada – we seem, for the moment, to have reached the limit of what is possible through political action.

As a minority, it is always going to be difficult to secure our rights through politics alone, because we will always be in danger of being steamrollered by the tyranny of the majority.

This is a major problem in Australia, because we do not yet have a Bill of Rights.

Next:

Part 2: the legal approach and a Bill of Rights
Part 3: education and the arts
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A Gay Marriage

July 7th 2008 03:10
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tended to ignore my own birthday, but this year I decided I would have a little celebration. Nothing fancy, just a buffet lunch on Sunday afternoon with a few of the people who matter to me. I could have invited at least a dozen more, but it’s a while since we’ve entertained and I didn’t want to take too much on.

My partner was initially angry because I sent out the invites without telling him my plans, but he came round. It saved a lot of arguments! As I’ve learned from dealing with editors and program managers, it’s better to do it first and apologise after, if necessary, than to spend hours in fruitless argument


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World Youth Day on The Rainbow Report

July 3rd 2008 01:00
Tonight on the Rainbow Report of Australia's 24/7/365 gay and lesbian radio station, Joy Melbourne, streaming live at http://www.joy.org.au from 7-8pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, I'll be talking about the Pope's takeover of Sydney for World Youth Day.

You can listen online and join in by email onair@joy.org.au


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Gays & Muslims Marriage Alliance?

June 26th 2008 02:55
polygamy
Polygamy is suddenly all over the Australian media. Where did that suddenly come from?

Keysar Trad, president of the Islamic Friendship Association, backed calls by Sheik Khalil Chami of the Islamic Welfare Centre, for polygamous relationships to be recognized in Australia


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Massachusetts, California...Tasmania?

June 20th 2008 20:40
Tasmania, devil
Tasmanian devil - he bites!

The devil's in the details, as Tasmania moves to legalise same-sex marriage.

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Gay Marriage - with knobs on

June 17th 2008 03:44
Rolls Royce wedding car
Marriage Equality
As Americans mob Californian registry offices and Australian same-sex couples contemplate the possibility of new laws consigning them to second-class status for another eleven years, the Church of England (head depot of the Episcopalians, for US readers) is grappling – if that’s the right word – with two priests who had a near-marriage ceremony in one of Britain’s oldest churches.

Why anyone worries about gay men in the Anglican church is beyond me. For more than fifty years it’s been affectionately known as the biggest gay club in England. The only difference is, the clergy are now coming out of the vestry. And about time too. To hide your sexuality requires constant dishonesty and deception, hardly welcome or healthy traits for a man of God. Better out than in


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