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gay rights gay marriage same-sex gay politics - Rainbow Reporter

Foes of same-sex parenting damage children

December 22nd 2008 08:25
Lesbian Mums
Pic from Parentbloggers
Lesbians great parents, says 22 year study

“The longest-running study into lesbian parents in the United States has found that discrimination and not the sexual orientation of their parents harms children.”


Backing up every other well-designed and reputable study into the subject, the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS) shows that the children of lesbian parents are happy, healthy and ‘high-functioning’.

The only handicaps faced by the children of same-sex parents are those created by outsiders who do not approve of their family structure.

And even the setbacks due to this prejudice, discrimination and homophobia can be overcome when the children live in communities and attend schools that are pro-actively accepting of diversity.

Those who claim they oppose lesbian parenting for the good of the children are in fact the ones causing any suffering the children experience.

“The NLLFS confirms the findings of over 40 other studies on the children of lesbian and gay parents, and supports the positions of all major professional associations on the well-being of children growing up in lesbian and gay families.”

Time for the opponents of same sex parenting to shut up and start working to overcome their prejudice – for the good of the children.

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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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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.

One is reminded of the formulation used by the great Francis Urquhart in “House of Cards” – ‘You might say that, but I couldn’t possibly comment.’ However, she lacks either the wit or the will – or maybe both – to come up with an equally telling formulation.

It’s not surprising – she is a monumentally dull public performer, a real backroom policy wonk.

The venom directed at her from gay advocates should not surprise her. After 11 years of the Howard government, in which we were never spoken to at all if it could possibly be avoided, suddenly we have a seat at the cabinet table, occupied by a minister who refuses to act on our behalf.

She tries to ignore the fact that she’s a woman, of Asian extraction, and gay, as if she is operating in some pure meritocratic vacuum. One can understand why – she wants to be taken on her merits rather than be seen as ‘the asian minister’ or ‘the lesbian minister’.

She’s reputed to be formidably clever and focused – but not, it would seem, clever enough, to be all she could be, which would be all the above, at the same time.
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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


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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 (LINK)

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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US Gaybys Boom Down Under (LINK)

July 1st 2008 22:05
Teddy
Pic: Freeimages
Australian gay men are shelling out $A80,000 (around US$75k) a time to have babies with American surrogate mums.

Between six and eight couples are heading to LA each month to sign up for a baby with The Fertility Institutes, which specialises in making the parenting wishes of gay men come true


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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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