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The Rainbow Report broadcasts live every Thursday 7-8pm AEST in Melbourne Australia on 94.9 FM, streaming via the web at joy.org.au. PODCASTS are available via the Joy website and now also on iTunes.

gay politics Australian politics - Rainbow Reporter

Rainbow Report tonight 4/12

December 4th 2008 04:33
Some of the darker deeds of the election are being brought to light in Tasmania. You may remember pamphlets were circulated claiming same-sex marriage was a danger to society and granting transgender rights would destroy the family – or was it the other way about?

Anyway, the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Tribunal is holding hearings and Rodney Croome will be waiting on the line to tell us about it.

The Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill is back in the Victorian Parliament today: Felicity Marlowe brings us up to date.

We haven’t checked in with our sister sin city to the north for a while, so Harley Dennett of Sydney Star Observer will be joining us with a shocking story of about the zeal with which the police went looking for some gaybashers – NOT.


Later this month, States from every region of the world will join together to deliver a statement recognizing human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity at the United Nations General Assembly.

Simon Margan of Community Action Against Homophobia has the latest on Australia’s participation – and who’s not coming on board.

And finally, they say an egg without salt is like a day without sunshine, or a Rainbow Report without Miss Kaye Sera. Tonight she has her own special welcome as she peers beneath the bonnet of our new Lord Mayor.

Lending a hand tonight in the studio my guests are Richard Watts of Canvas Magazine and Andie Noonan of Southern Star.

Thursday 7-8pm, Joy 94.9, online www.joy.org.au and podcasting via iTunes. SMS 0427 JOY 949 with your comments, questions, email onair@joy.org.au or call (03) 9699 2949.
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A Gay Christmas List

November 23rd 2008 01:56
Kevin Rudd
Hey, look, I can do this 'blessing' thing, too!!


Santa Kev is on track to deliver my Christmas present: the Omnibus Bill removing the discrimination against same-sex couples identified by the Same Sex: Same Entitlements report. A big thank you to the Australian Human Rights Commission, to the government for keeping its promises, and to everyone working towards equality. But there’s lots of other things on my list for Santa Kev.


Last minute present for 2008: fix up benefits and entitlements. If we’re in a relationship, from July our entitlement will be calculated on our income as a couple. If I’m on benefit and partnered with a high earner, Centrelink will give me less money, or maybe none at all. If we’re both on benefit, we’ll drop to the couple rate. It’s going to be a struggle.

I’m not asking for a continuation of the special treatment we’ve had up to now. Instead, lift everybody’s benefits to a level we can actually live on. We’re with the old people and the disabled and everyone else on this.

The gift you left out this year: private same-sex superannuation. Your reforms only helped 10% of us – those in Commonwealth superannuation schemes. For the 90% of us with private super, you left it up to the funds to decide whether they could afford to treat us equally. We have to ask them if they do, and if they don’t, move our money to one that does – and hope they don’t change their minds later.

Next years BIG present: new anti-discrimination laws. State anti-discrimination laws cover sexuality, but they don’t work very well. I know from experience that under Victorian law it’s very difficult to prove discrimination. The process is slow, complex, expensive, and bureaucratic.

And there’s a huge loophole. You can discriminate against GLBTI people if 'the discrimination is necessary for the ... [offender] to comply with the ... [offender’s] genuine religious beliefs or principles'. Other state anti-discrimination laws contain similar loopholes, though none so obscenely wide.

This legalises discrimination in ‘religious’ schools, universities and hospitals, all paid work arrangements, the provision of goods and services and all other areas covered by the Act, in adoption, employment, medical services, education, training, and housing. All these ‘religious’ businesses – including the well-known food company Sanitarium – are also tax-exempt. It’s OK – and tax-free - to be a bigot, so long as you’re a religious bigot. That can’t be right.

Please fix up Commonwealth anti-discrimination law so that it includes discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, overrides all those confusing state laws, and cuts out the ‘religious’ exemptions.

A little something for the kids: make sure the new national curriculum includes GBLTI issues, for example, in history, culture and sex and relationship classes. We’re sick of being the invisible Australians.

The “Daddy, Daddy, can I please have a pony NOW?” present: marriage. Of which I’ve written more than enough already.

I know this looks pushy. I haven’t even got this year’s present and already I’m asking for 2009. But this way you’ll get my letter before anyone elses!!

Oh, and one more thing. Tell those whingers from the CMST (church, mosque, synagogue, temple) lobby they have to play nice next year or you’ll take away their lucrative tax exemptions and government contracts and give them to somebody who deserves them (hint)!!
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Tonight on the Rainbow Report 20/11

November 20th 2008 00:20
Fiona Patten
Fiona Patten, leader of the Australian Sex Party

We continue our roundup of candidates for the post of Mayor with Will Fowles, the non-Labour Labour-ish candidate, offering what he calls a “Fresh Vision” for the city.

Rodney Croome muses on Barack Obama and the wave of protest sweeping the US after gay marriage was stopped in California and started in Connecticut.

Closer to home John Wain, general manager of the Market, helps us understand the impact of the Brumby governments latest attempts to control violence and drunkenness in the city – will it be better or worse than the failed 2am lockout?

Plus we celebrate the launch of a new political party dedicated to countering the influence of the religious right and all other wowsers, fighting the proposed internet filter and supporting gay marriage. The Australian Sex Party is being launched at Sexpo, and we’ve an interview with it’s leader, Fiona Patten, who’s also CEO of Eros, the adult entertainment industry business association.

Meanwhile Kaye Sera looks Beneath the Bonnet at World AIDS Day and some of the AIDS movies from years gone by.

The Rainbow Report, Joy 94.9 Melbourne, streaming live www.joy.org.au, 7-8pm Thursday Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time, podcasts available from Joy or iTunes.

To join in call (03) 9699 2949 during the show, SMS 0427 JOY 949 or email onair@joy.org.au.
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Sex Party launched

November 16th 2008 07:56
Internet porn
Avenue Q was RIGHT!


A new political party to “combat creeping censorship and counter the influence of religious minority groups” sprang into being this week. Really Long Link They’re hoping to grab a Senate seat – preferably Steve Fieldings


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How to make straight friends and influence people

November 9th 2008 01:31
ChillOut

Same-sex equality seems to be going backwards even in friendly locations.

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Sham 'conscience vote' on Assisted Reproduction Bill

October 24th 2008 09:43
Hostage
How Stuff Works - A Liberal/National 'Conscience' Vote


Q: When is a conscience vote not a conscience vote


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New gay papers, Taxpayer fund Mardi Gras

October 2nd 2008 04:05
Rainbow Report

It’s been a dramatic week in gay and lesbian publishing, with the collapse of bnews and the sudden emergence of two new gay media – Canvas, an arts and entertainment magazine from Evolution Publishing, and Southern Star, from Sydney Star Observer.

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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?

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Rainbow Report Tonight

August 28th 2008 05:31
Finally back from holidays and the usual mad scramble to put a show together - and so much to talk about with . . .
Rainbow Lorikeet

Senator Louise Pratt


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The Tsunami of Sport

August 12th 2008 01:34
Get your runners on
Get your kit on!


If anyone wonders why I bother to involve myself with the RJM Trust, the tsunami of Olympics coverage provides the perfect answer


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Wong Way – Go Back

August 7th 2008 06:33
Penny Wong
Penny Wong
Penny Wong has come in for some flack over her remarks about gay marriage on the ABC last week. As the second most senior female, and most senior gay person in the government, she looked uncomfortable at being publicly reminded she was, in fact, gay, and ended up parroting the government line about gay marriage being opposed by the vast majority of the Australian public.

In fact, all available stats indicate that the issue is, at worst, finely balanced, with roughly equal numbers for and against, with some polls flagging a majority in favour. As a cabinet minister she is obliged to toe the party line, but with a bit of finessing she could have indicated that, although forced to do just that, her true sentiments were otherwise


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On The Rainbow Report Thursday Night

August 6th 2008 06:45
Rainbow Reporter
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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Careless talk costs lives

August 5th 2008 00:08
Hangman's Noose

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.

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Education Minister Backs Gay Marriage

August 4th 2008 00:25
Bronwyn Pike
Bronwyn didn't pike it


The numbers may have been down – only about 300 turned out for this year’s Melbourne Equal Love Rally, well down on previous years – but two facts made it a memorable occasion


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