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Melbourne Victoria discrimination equality gay lesbian politics equal rights sport - Rainbow Reporter

Akermanis on gays in the AFL

August 20th 2008 08:22

Jason Akermanis

'Aka' is always outspoken, and often in trouble for it, and he's the one who has broken the AFL players silence on the issue of gays in Australian Rules Football.

Outwardly it's the issue the AFL don't want to touch. On my radio show a senior AFL official said, in effect, that if a player came out, then the anti-vilification rules would of course apply, but to date no one has, and until they do, the AFL can't do anything.

That's nonsense, of course, but the hierarchy is for some reason terrified of taking a pro-active stance and making it safe for a player to come out.

Aka explains why that might not be the best approach. He describes the way players regularly call one another 'poofters' (and other jibes with the same meaning) when they're on the pitch.

This is the first time I can recollect anyone from the AFL admitting publicly that this sort of homophobic sledging goes on.

The AFL says they can't stop that until a player complains he's been vilified on the grounds of his sexual orientation - which is nonsense. The AFL has made it plain that racist language is unacceptable. They could make it equally plain in a second that homophobic language and behaviour is taboo, too.

But that would be tantamount to admitting there are gay players in the sport - something Aka (and simple common sense) confirms.

Clearly the issue is boiling up inside the sport, with comments in the press from coach Kevin Sheedy, former captain (and now club director Nathan Burke), and now veteran player Jason Akermanis.

But Aka is the first to point a possible way forward. Assured of the support and shelter of the hierarchy, the first gay player to come out could reap a fortune in endorsements, as well as easing at one move the horrible burden of insult and vilification from other players at all levels.

It will take big shoulders to carry all that. But there's no shortage of them in the sport!

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: Melbourne, Victoria, discrimination, equality, gay lesbian politics, equal rights, popular culture, sport

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Pigs worth more than Queers

August 4th 2008 03:22

Neil Mitchell's priority

On 3AW talkback shock-jock Neil Mitchell heavily downplayed the seriousness of Jeff Kennetts remarks comparing bisexuals to paedophiles, making it sound as though the gay community had overreacted.

And took no calls on the issue, preferring nice safe chats with piglovers and pigfarmers about animal welfare and cruelty.

Mitchell interviewed ALSO Chief Executive Lyn Morgain about the ad the gay community placed in the Age at the weekend.

His questioning was fairly hostile.

He tried to imply that despite the mass of organizations that had put their names to the ad, they only represented a small number of people. He wanted to know how many individuals those groups represented.

He also questioned the right of arts groups like the Queer Film Festival and Midsumma to buy into the ad.

He tried to mount an attack on the basis that these groups could be using public money to pay for the ad. He appeared not to understand that grant funding is usually quarantined for specific purposes and so could not be used for political purposes.

Then he insisted that Jeff hadn’t been given enough chance to respond. When did you call Jeff? Friday afternoon? Far too late – the ad would have been booked then.

He brushed aside the information that Richard Watts of MCV (and numerous others, including myself, James Campbell [the Sunday Herald Sun journalist who broke the story] and Neil Mitchell himself) had been unable to get a response, because “they’re journalists, that’s different.”

Lyn fought back, pointing out that Jeff was not a victim, and the community concern was for the young people at risk.

Mitchell wrapped up the interview saying it would have been better to have contacted Jeff first, what Jeff said was “silly and badly worded – not taken out of context, badly worded” – but it would have been fairer to handle it differently and give Jeff a chance to respond.

Well, Jeff had many many chances to withdraw his remarks and apologise in the course of the week, and refused to do so. He’s been asked numerous times to permit the release of the verbatim transcript of the interview to prove he was taken out of context, and he hasn’t, probably because he knows that would show that he has been accurately reported. That leaves James Campbell looking like he really did distort what Kennett said – and I have now spoken to two people to whom Campbell has read what he says is the full transcript, and based on that I would have to say Kennett was fairly and accurately reported.

And finally, Neil Mitchell – making the excuse that he didn’t have the original text in front of him (such sloppy preparation, Neil?) – made no mention of the key fact: that Kennett clearly stated that the risk of having a bisexual in the change rooms was the same as the risk of having a paedophile in the sacristy.

Mitchell merely mumbled something about Kennett having been interpreted as saying that any gay man was predatory and going to force himself on people. That would have been bad enough, but that’s not what Jeff said. Jeff said it was as if you had a paedophile at the club.

Either Mitchell was woefully unprepared, or willfully distorting the facts and thereby belittling the cause of the community anger.

It is also telling that he took no calls on the issue, but went back to taking calls about cruelty (or not) of docking piglets tails and teeth in pigfarming. I guess pigs are worth more than poufs in Mitchelland.

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Posted By: Doug Pollard - Category: Melbourne, Victoria, discrimination, equality, gay lesbian politics, equal rights, radio, 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.

To recap, Bonnie Doon Football Club (BDFC) sacked trainer Ken Campagnolo when he was outed as bisexual, saying they couldn't have him working with young boys because he was bisexual.

As a result, people assumed Ken was a potential pedophile, he was spat at on the street, unable to find work, lost his home and is now living rough as he tries to piece his life back together.

Jeff Kennett was approached to try to mediate because, as chairman of beyondblue, an anti-depression charity, he would be aware that one of the triggers of depression in country areas and sporting clubs is the exclusion and vilification of people who are, or who are seen to be, of a different sexual orientation.

And because he is also chairman of Hawthorn, an elite Australian Rules Football (AFL) club, so his prestige would be useful in persuading the directors of BDFC they'd got it wrong.
Instead of which he backed the directors all the way Really Long Link

He said, "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," said Kennett.

"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." Really Long Link

Since then he's been trying to claim that his remarks were taken out of context, although he refuses to permit the release of the transcript of the original interview to be released, which would settle the matter.

Now another sgment of the interview has appeared, in which he says, "My reference to pedophilia was to make the point of what has been occurring in various churches . . . this 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."

He's still equating pedophilia - a psycho-sexual disorder - with bisexuality, a normal position on the spectrum of human sexuality, and arguably the default state of human sexuality.

There's a half page ad** from multiple gay organisations in The Age today calling for Mr. Kennett's resignation from Hawthorn Football Club, because these attitudes are perpetuation the silencing and vilification of gays, lesbians and bisexuals in sport. The VGLR says he should also resign from beyondblue, and donate his salary for the last year - around $30k - to pay some of Kens legal fees.

There's a rally today at the State Library of Victoria, in support of the full recognition of gay relationships. Come along and show your support for us at the Melbourne State Library, Swanston Street 1pm today.

**The ad reads:

Unacceptable

Our organisations represent the community, experiences, needs and interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people across Victoria.

We work extensively in areas of community building, media, arts, sport, health, advocacy, law reform, research and most importantly delivery of programs and services aimed at addressing the systemic and individual consequences of historical criminalisation, stigmatisation, isolation and deprivation of our community.

It is a tribute to enduring community values that much has changed over the past 30 years and our human rights and related entitlements are now well established at law, with everyday opportunities and options being strengthened.

Our collective mission however, underscores the enduring impact of misplaced and discriminatory attitudes towards our community. Chief amongst these impacts is the ongoing social isolation and disengagement of seniors, poor access to the full spectrum of community services for all and, most pertinently, increased mental health concerns amongst young people exploring and questioning their sexuality.

The President of Hawthorn Football Club, Mr Jeff Kennett has been reported as comparing that the presence of a bisexual trainer at a football club to ‘having a pedophile working as a masseur at the club’. We are appalled at Mr Kennett’s ill informed, misguided and plainly indefensible slur against our community in promoting the utterly spurious and discredited link between homosexuality and paedophilia.

Mr Kennett’s public expression of these views suggests a complete disregard for the harmful impact they have on our community and particularly on young people. It is absolutely unacceptable that any football club would countenance such behaviour from its President, behaviour which we believe is both unlawful and immoral.

Football clubs have a special and important leadership position within the Australian community, in particular in shaping and influencing the lives of young people. In recent times we have seen this influence used positively to signal appropriate values in relation to racism, sexual violence and reconciliation.

We therefore demand an immediate and public apology from Hawthorn Football Club. We call on the AFL to issue a statement making it clear that they do not support those views. We seek an urgent discussion with both Hawthorn Football Club and the AFL regarding the ways in which the club and the League might commit to the promotion of anti homophobia initiatives in this sport.

ALSO Foundation
Joy 94.9
Victorian Gay & Lesbian Rights Lobby
OutBlack
Transgender Victoria
OutGames
Victorian AIDS Council
People Living with HIV/AIDS
Minus 18
Country AIDS Network
Midsumma Festival
Melbourne Queer Film Festival

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