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17 December, 2008 - Source: SSO
Many in the community will like the sound of a bill of rights for Australia. But a bad bill could potentially be worse for us than none at all.
GLBT lobby groups around the country have greeted the idea optimistically, and they are right to urge us all to get involved in the submission process.
But be cautious before assuming this process will result in a bill that will deliver any acceleration on the path to real and final equality for non-heterosexual people in this country.
Kevin Rudd's choice of Frank Brennan as the head of the committee that will shape the bill is the chief reason for my caution here.
Some readers may remember Brennan as the Catholic priest and lawyer who spoke out against the NSW Government granting police special powers to act against protestors during World Youth Day.
Amongst Catholic Australians, Father Frank Brennan is undoubtedly a liberal, but he is still an ordained clergyman and the head of the Australian Catholic University's Institute of Legal Studies — making him doubly an employee of the Catholic Church.
And while describing himself as a "fence-sitter" on the need for a bill of rights, he is also on the record opposing many of the rights such a charter would ideally contain.
He opposes euthanasia, and abortion in almost all circumstances. He believes recognition of same-sex couples should fall short of that given to "relationships which are open to the bearing … of children". And he believes strongly that religious groups and the businesses they own should be allowed to exclude employees on the basis of their sexuality. The same legal loopholes allow for the expulsion of GLBT students from religious schools.
Should religious privileges to discriminate be reaffirmed through this process (and have no doubt that members of the Christian Right will be pushing for exactly this), such a bill of rights could actually become a barrier to same-sex equality, not a boon.
Moreover, as this "right" to discriminate isn't an individual one, but a corporate right held by church hierarchies alone, it could enshrine a power by which religious leaders can punish dissenting views within their flocks — holding back debate on our issues within faith communities.
Sounds from the Government seem to indicate a preference for a charter model that merely tidies up established rights and leaves little room for court challenges on "contentious" issues such as our own.
Should a bill of rights be implemented before the introduction of federal anti-discrimination laws covering sexuality, it could muddy the waters there too.
Most likely this will be a grand symbolic gesture with little new at its core, but the mere chance of existing wrongs being cemented by this process demands our vigilance.
25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians
Written by Joel Bryant, Travis De Jonk, Simon Mallia, Christian Taylor
Wednesday, 17 December 2008 - Source: SX News
From politics, business, arts and entertainment to community, health and sport, there's a diverse range of influential gays and lesbians in this year's Same Same 25.
Nominated by the public, and chosen by a panel of Australia's gay and lesbian community, the Same Same 25 is the next generation of gay and lesbian role models.
The Same Same 25 is about recognising the important contribution members of the gay and lesbian community are making in all walks of life. It's about unearthing unsung heroes who are out there making a difference. It's about shining a light on important issues, challenging stereotypes and generating positive gay news stories.
The word 'influence' is a fluid term. Some have a huge influence over a large number of people, some have an important influence over a small number of people. Both are valuable. These are 25 people who are influential in their own right, people who are shaping how we view the world and having an impact in a variety of fields, from business to politics and entertainment.
Gay couples to face new era of financial discrimination
Adele Horin December 6, 2008
A major achievement of the Rudd Labor Government is the recent passage of historic legislation to remove discrimination against gay and lesbian couples from dozens of laws. As the celebrations die down, however, it is clear the win for human rights is a serious blow to many gay people.
Elderly gay couples will lose pension income, face Centrelink investigations into their sex lives and will be forced to "come out" of the closet and risk prosecution for fraud. Some in their late 60s, 70s and 80s have faced a lifetime of inequality; they missed out on benefits available to heterosexuals and many have felt the full force of the nation's homophobia. Now they are too old to gain from the new legal equality won in areas as diverse as family law and insurance entitlements. Instead, from July 1 next year, they will suffer pension losses through being treated as a couple rather than as two singles.
The Government's much-lauded same-sex reforms, ironically, have continued the tradition of treating gays differently from heterosexuals. Every significant change to social security laws passed in the last 15 years has included a "grandfather" clause to minimise harsh consequences for those already in the system. Legal changes arising from the recognition of women's equality, for example, were introduced in a way that protected an older generation.
The changes to the age pension that raised the qualifying age for women from 60 to 65 were introduced gradually over a period of 20 years. The wife pension, which enabled younger women married to pensioners to also qualify for a pension, was abolished in 1995 but recipients of the time were protected. Changes to the widow pension and other entitlements were grandfathered. But no grandfather clause has been included in the social security changes that extend equal treatment to gay couples.
As a result, human rights progress for many gays and lesbians will come at a cost to those who can ill afford to bear financial losses - those whose retirement plans, and very relationships, were predicated on certain long-term expectations.
Where both partners are age or disability pensioners, they will suffer reduced income through each being paid at the lower couple rate. Where one partner is still working or has a high retirement income, the other may lose his or her pension and concession card entirely once the better-off partner's income and assets are taken into account.
Gays near or at retirement age have had insufficient time to prepare for the new reality. A Centrelink hotline set up this week will deliver many callers the bad news. Unlike the understanding that exists between elderly heterosexual couples, mutual or total financial dependence of one gay partner on the other was not necessarily part of the original deal.
Take the case of a lesbian couple known to the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. One of the women had planned to retire soon from her job in an alternative school. A pioneer in the gay liberation movement, she had stayed at the school for 30 years despite the low pay, believing a mainstream school would have sacked her over her political activism. Her partner had been dismissed after having "come out" to her religious employer. The dismissal was lawful because of the religious exemption to the anti-discrimination laws.
Partly because of the effects of the dismissal, and being shunned by her family and former congregation, the woman had been on the disability support pension. The employed teacher said she would have to defer retirement because of the new laws as she could not afford to pay her mortgage on a couple's rate of pension, something she had not anticipated.
Another woman, with her children, had left a violent husband and had lived with her female partner for 30 years. Her female partner helped support the children but could not claim them for tax, Medicare safety net or other benefits. Now the couple are retired they faced a reduced pension income without having had time to prepare. They told the legal centre they considered themselves losers twice over.
As well, many elderly closeted gays in receipt of government payments are baulking at the prospect of having to register their relationship status with Centrelink from March, in effect "outing" themselves.
If couples desist, Centrelink may come sniffing around. Among the questions to be asked of couples in their 70s and 80s is whether they have sex. It is part of the battery used to determine whether people are living as an interdependent couple but claiming benefits as singles. Couples don't have to be having sex or sharing a bedroom - or to have lived together for two years - to be considered de factos. Centrelink has a record for zealous, even brutal, investigations of suspected "marriage-like" relationships among elderly heterosexuals. Now the Welfare Rights Centre is gearing up for a barrage of distressed and offended callers from the gay community.
Gay couples can find themselves with big social security debts or face charges of fraud if they fail to register and have their payments reduced.
As the drawbacks filter through, many in the gay community are angry, calling those who lobbied so heavily for the changes "bourgeois" and uncaring of the impact on the most disadvantaged.
A grandfather clause could have avoided the pain and made these historic changes a true cause for celebration.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Same Sex And Elderly Couples Facing Discrimination And Abuse
Dr J A Harrison, 3 December, 2008
New Federal laws which have recently been passed give same sex couples equality and throw the spotlight on thousands of aged pensioner couples who live together but are each currently receiving the single pension.
It will also highlight the situation of aged pensioners who are in relationships with same sex income earners. These couples include men and women who have never outed (disclosed) themselves.
They may not even use words like 'gay' or 'lesbian' and may call their partner their 'good friend' or 'long time companion'. Many have faced serious discrimination in past eras that saw some people endure shock treatment, lobotomy, blackmail, sacking from their workplaces, labelling as mentally ill or being punished as criminals.
From July 1, 2009, Centrelink will more than likely assess pensioners, looking at whether they are in a 'marriage like' same sex relationship. The agency expects to move thousands of single pensioners onto a couple payment rate, which is lower, effectively saving very large amounts of money for the government. It will also look at a partner's income and assets and adjust payments accordingly.
In the process, many seniors who have never outed themselves as gay or lesbian may well face a potentially traumatic decision: to speak up and risk being open to family or others to whom they have never disclosed, or to remain closeted or quiet. The decision to remain quiet may become a financial problem down the track should either member of the couple require residential care, such as a hostel or nursing home.
Dr Jo Harrison, an Adelaide based gerontologist and researcher, says the government could well be in danger of committing a form of inadvertent elder abuse if they handle this transition period and the early stage of the changes badly.
The changes to the pension rate for same sex couples come with the adoption by the Federal Government of a raft of changes to numerous laws that give equal rights to same sex couples.
It brings a lot of good news to couples who have long sought recognition, but also some bad news and perhaps some unintended consequences in the short term.
The good news includes access to widow's pensions, veteran partner benefits, Medicare safety nets, taxation arrangements and in some cases, a partner's superannuation.
In contrast to those gains is the harsh reality that most pensioners will experience a drop in income when moving to the couples rate of the pension.
A possibly unintended consequence of the new legislation is the potentially traumatic decisions that it brings for elderly men and women who are not open about their relationships, but do share finances, have interdependency arrangements and do meet many of Centrelink's criteria for determining that a marriage-like relationship exists.
Dr Harrison is aware that various informal groups of elderly gay men and lesbians, many in couples, meet across Australia for social connection, cultural exchange and other support, such as in times of ill health, but are not out to anyone but each other.
She is concerned that should same sex elderly couples not declare their relationships, they may find themselves in a very difficult situation down the track should one require residential care. If the family home is not occupied by a relative as defined in the Aged Care Act, the home is counted into the assets test for fees and charges. For an open gay couple or a heterosexual couple, the home is exempt from the test from now on. In some circumstances, such as where the home is occupied by a carer of two years on a Centrelink payment, the home can also be exempt. Hardship provisions may apply where people are not out, if the financial suffering is extreme, but none of this is guaranteed said Dr Harrison.
The Social Security guidelines around assessment of a marriage-like relationship allow for Centrelink to make inquiries as it sees fit including approaching family and friends to ascertain whether the customer is a member of a couple.
"The consequences of the reforms on closeted elderly people could constitute a form of elder abuse, particularly psychological and emotional abuse as well as financial inequity,'' Jo Harrison said.
"We had hoped that there might be grandfathering (quarantining) arrangements so that people over 65 could be protected from the impact of the changes. Alternatively, we raised the prospect of a provision for over 65s to be able to opt in or out of these new arrangements when they felt safe to do so, without penalty. We also raised the possibility of grandfathering (protection) of all people over 65 from these consequences, but unfortunately that did not happen' she said. 'Now we are seeing people becoming anxious and very distressed in some cases, and we need urgent government action to prevent this" she said.
The new arrangements will be implemented from July 1, this year (2009) and people will have two weeks from that date (at the latest) to declare to Centrelink if they are in a same sex relationship. Centrelink will be setting up a hotline in December and some publicity and education will be taking place.
Dr Harrison is now calling for the government to immediately commit resources to ensure that same sex elderly couples have adequate independent aged care advocacy support from trusted organisations such as community based gay and lesbian groups and AIDS Councils, which can work in conjunction with the existing aged advocacy services, which have done almost no advocacy or education work around gay and lesbian issues to date.
She is also calling for urgent training and education of all aged care service providers in gay and lesbian cultural competency issues, so that anxiety and uncertainty will be reduced for those affected. 'We already have models for such training and independent trainers to do this, we just need some resources to trusted organisations and groups to make this happen very soon' she said.
"Same sex couples will need to be able to talk to advocates they can trust, with absolute confidentiality, so that they can disclose their relationships in safety and security, with minimal negative psychological impact'' she said. 'If they need an advocate beside them every step of the way, this is the least they deserve at such a traumatic time of change in their lives. The Minister for Ageing, Justine Elliot and Ministers Ludwig and Macklin have a responsibility to ensure that no one comes to harm during the implementation of these changes, and now is the chance for them to demonstrate their commitment to the welfare of gay and lesbian elders, after years of invisibility in aged care policy and services' Dr Harrison said.
Another unintended consequence of the changes is sure to be a boost to the numbers of groups joining the Fair Go For Pensioners Coalition which has been campaigning for an increase in the base pension. Here are a group of pensioners who have been living on the single pension and will now have to try to live on the couple pension - a drop of combined income of about $100 a week.
Dr Harrison said 'We may well see new coalitions developing around challenging outdated notions of couples rates of payment of pensions, and heterosexual sexist notions of dependence of a wife on a husband as breadwinner'.
Source: agedcarecrisis.com
Co-authors defend sacked ambassador over gay slur
By Cassie White, 27 November, 2008
Several authors of a controversial document which resulted in the sacking of a newly-appointed men's health ambassador have moved to defend him and the publication.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon today dismissed co-author Warwick Marsh, after he refused to distance himself from some of the document's claims that homosexuality is a mental disorder and that gay men are more likely to molest children.
Another men's health ambassador and report co-author Barry Williams has held on to his position, after fervently denying that he had anything to do with the claims.
The publication, titled 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters, refers to homosexuality as "gender disorientation pathology", and says it will lead to increased levels of drug abuse and partner violence, increase the risk of communicable disease and bad health, and is often a "symptom of family dysfunction, personality disorder, father absence, health malfunction or sexual abuse".
Co-author of the document Mary-Louise Fowler, Vice-President of the Australian Family Association, says the document's main focus was the wellbeing of children and she has criticised the Government for dismissing Mr Marsh so quickly.
She says the 21 Reasons study wanted "to emphasise the importance, and indeed the right, for children to be raised in the natural family setting by both their mother and father.
"Nicola Roxon's knee-jerk sacking of Warwick Marsh indicates an unwillingness on the part of the Federal Government to listen to the views of people who dissent from the politically correct norms of recent years.
"It is an obvious contradiction when those who pride themselves on being "inclusive", exclude the views of a well researched document. It is appalling when elected representatives engage in this practice."
Another contributor to the report, Jack Sonnemann from the Australian Federation for the Family, says although he will not defend or distance himself from the entire document, he agrees with some aspects of the statements.
"We have to look at all the data concerning the harm caused by the homosexual community," he said.
"There's a reason why the Red Cross won't take their blood and it's because they carry diseases most other people don't have.
"Also, we have to look at the life expectancy. Homosexuals don't live as long as heterosexuals, again because of the practices they are involved in."
Mr Sonnemann also says he believes that homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle which can be treated.
"I know several former homosexuals who realised that their chosen lifestyle was not the best for them and they have come out of that lifestyle," he said.
"There's no gene that makes them homosexual, it's the way they choose to live their life. Some people choose to be shoplifters, some people choose to be murderers, some people choose to be thieves, some people choose to be homosexuals and they don't have to."
Defensive
Ms Roxon earlier described the document's controversial claims about homosexuality as "abhorrent". Mr Williams also stated that he in no way endorsed them, but moved to defend Mr Marsh.
"I don't believe that Warwick Marsh and his wife have discriminated against anybody because they aren't those sort of people. They're church people and they're damn good people," he said.
Mr Sonnemann has also stood up for the dumped ambassador and says there would be a good reason why Mr Marsh was standing by the study.
"I know Warwick and I have a hard time thinking that he would identify himself with things that he did not have research to back up as being well and truly scientifically founded," he said.
Mr Marsh, of the Fatherhood Foundation, earlier released a statement saying the document's assertions were the result of thousands of studies worldwide.
"Twenty-one Reasons Why Gender Matters shows from thousands of studies the world over, that the natural way is the best way and when we break that natural order the statistics show things just start to go wrong.
"People get hurt. Children are abused. Father wounds are created. Families break up. Relationships break down ... This pain is felt by heterosexuals and homosexuals."
Coalition for Equality spokesman Rodney Croome has called for Mr Williams to be sacked too.
"Even though he's repudiated the anti-gay manifesto he originally signed, Barry Williams has repeatedly lobbied and advocated against the legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples and their families," he said.
"It's exactly these kind of discriminatory attitudes which undermine better health outcomes for gay men by stigmatising them as unfit parents."
Another sacking demanded over 'anti-gay' document
November 27, 2008
A gay rights group is calling on the Federal Government to sack both of the men's health ambassadors who have been linked to a document criticising homosexuality.
Barry Williams from the Lone Fathers group and the Fatherhood Foundation's Warwick Marsh are listed as authors of a publication that says homosexuality is a disorder. The publication was published by Mr Marsh's organisation.
The Government has dismissed Mr Marsh but has retained Mr Williams, who has distanced himself from the document.
"I don't even know the words and I had nothing to do with it," he told ABC Radio's AM program.
Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the document's statements on homosexuality are "quite abhorrent" but she is prepared to accept Mr Williams's explanation about why his name appeared on the document.
"Look, it is very strong stuff but I think that this is a document that was authored by 34 people. I think that Mr Williams' sins are not having read and taken care what he put his name to," she said.
"He has publicly and expressly disassociated himself from any of these comments and I am prepared to accept that explanation."
But Rodney Croome from the Coalition for Equality says Mr Williams should be sacked too.
"Even though he's repudiated the anti-gay manifesto he originally signed, Barry Williams has repeatedly lobbied and advocated against the legal recognition and protection for same-sex couples and their families," he said.
"It's exactly these kind of discriminatory attitudes which undermine better health outcomes for gay men by stigmatising them as unfit parents."
'21 Reasons'
The publication, titled 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters, refers to homosexuality as "gender disorientation pathology", and says it will lead to increased levels of drug abuse and partner violence, will increase the risk of communicable disease and the likelihood of suffering bad health, and is often a "symptom of family dysfunction, personality disorder, father absence, health malfunction or sexual abuse".
It also says gay people are more likely than straight people to abuse children, saying that homosexuality "encourages the sexual and psychological exploitation of children.
"Homosexual abuse of children is proportionately higher than heterosexual abuse of children. It must be stressed that most homosexuals do not abuse children, and most are not paedophiles, but it seems a significant number do, and are."
Another section says infidelity "and the like" are more pronounced in homosexual relationships: "Faithfulness within a same-sex relationship is extremely difficult to maintain", it says.
'Heterophobia'
Mr Marsh has released a statement saying he has been vilified because he believes every child has the right to a mother and a father.
"If I am attacked it is because I believe that our children matter," he said in the statement.
"If I am attacked it is because I believe every child has the right to a mother and a father. Children need a mother and a father, not two mummies or two daddies."
Mr Marsh said certain journalists had claimed he was "homophobic" and he was baffled by "this sort of heterophobia".
The sacking is the latest snag for the Government's attempts to advance the men's health agenda; another of the ambassadorial appointments came under fire earlier this week.
Hairdresser Tim Mathieson, partner of Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, is one of the six men originally selected to help develop Australia's first men's health policy.
Mr Mathieson says he is qualified for the role.
"Being a hairdresser and having the background I've got is pretty good to put me in a great position to understand the needs of men and their health issues and I think any sort of controversy is pretty overblown I think," he said.
But Ms Roxon admits the controversy surrounding the men's health panel is a setback and says she takes full responsibility for the application process.
Source: ABC News
Jail for abusing gay neighbour
Ron Hughes, 18 November, 2008
An English woman has been sent to jail for conducting a campaign of homophobic abuse against her gay neighbour.
According to the Pink Paper, June Jones of Liverpool had been harassing her neighbour Martin Prescott for six years.
Prescott told the Liverpool Crown Court Jones had made his life "hell".
The court slapped a restraining order on Jones in December 2007, but she has been back in court five times for breaching the order.
In September, she was given a suspended sentence for her fourth breach of the restraining order. However, in October she saw Prescott coming out of his house and yelled at him "You've made my life hell, I'm going to make your life hell, you poof."
When Jones admitted her fifth breach to the court, her suspended sentence was actived and she was sent to jail for 13 months.
The judge decided Jones had caused considerable distress to her neighbour and also recommended Prescott be moved to a council house in another area.
Justice Nigel Gilmour told Jones, "I hope by the time you are released someone has made arrangements so that you can live someway away from Prescott, and no longer commit offences."
Source: blaze news
Thousands across US protest California gay marriage ban
Posted Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:00pm AEDT
Tens of thousands of gay rights advocates have taken to the streets across the United States to protest California's recent vote to ban same-sex marriage.
From Los Angeles to New York, protesters gathered in several cities to condemn the passage of California's Proposition 8, which the state's citizens voted on during the November 4 presidential election.
The controversial ballot measure - sponsored by socially conservative opponents of gay marriage and paid for by religious groups - amended the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
The proposition passed by a 52.5 to 47.5 per cent margin and effectively quashed a California Supreme Court decision earlier this year which had legalised gay marriage in the state.
Several thousand protesters rallied in front of Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday, calling for Proposition 8 to be declared invalid.
Under blue skies and blazing sunshine, protesters waved banners bearing slogans such as "No More Mr Nice Gay" and "Land of the Free My Ass."
A small handful of anti-gay marriage activists faced off with protesters who brandished banners reading "Homo Sex is Sin" and "God Does Not Love You Just the Way You Are."
A similar protest took place in San Diego, where around 11,000 people demonstrated peacefully despite an attempt by anti-gay marriage activists to disrupt the march, police said.
One man was arrested for attempting to incite violence before being released.
In San Francisco, activists marched along Market Street as speakers, including local officials, urged crowds not to give up their quest for equality.
Other protests took place in New York, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Portland, and Boston.
"Today is a national tipping point," Marriage Equality USA spokeswoman Molly McKay said in a statement.
"History will look back on this day as the day that the national LGBT community rose up and said 'We are not going back."
Meanwhile a crowd estimated at between 1,000 and 2,000 demonstrated in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday, where the Mormon Church is headquartered.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the official name of the Mormon Church, has angered gay marriage supporters after giving backing to Proposition 8.
The keynote speaker at Saturday's rally in Salt Lake City was Jeff Key, a former US Marine and Iraq War veteran who was discharged after coming out as gay.
"I'm so glad Salt Lake City has become ground zero," Mr Key was quoted as saying by the Salt Lake Tribune.
Meanwhile diversity trainer Dominique Storni told the crowd the Mormon Church had "wakened our sleeping giant."
"We finally have a civil rights movement equal to that of the '50s and '60s," Mr Storni was quoted as saying.
Source: ABC News
Bullying 'pushing homosexual students to suicide'
By Nic MacBean
November 11, 2008
Suicide attempts ... 'It's a tricky thing to be openly gay in a school'The report by LGB support organisation Open Doors has prompted calls to make Queensland schools more LGB-friendly, with the report - to be published on Friday - finding around two-thirds of respondents felt unsafe at school.
Open Doors surveyed 164 LGB students across the state, and 37 per cent of respondents said they had attempted suicide in the last 12 months, with 82 per cent considering taking their own life.
The report also revealed a general attitude of fear among LGB students, with 81 per cent saying they had experienced bullying based on their sexuality.
"Many young people felt so afraid at school that they had missed over two school weeks worth of classes to ensure their safety," the report said.
"Clearly current school anti-bullying measures do not adequately protect LGB students; this is providing a discriminatory educational environment for LGB students which is illegal."
Sixteen-year-old Jimmi came out as a lesbian in 2006, and she said after that point she was harassed by teachers and the principal at her school.
"Kissing people on the cheek, they thought that was really bad, but it was OK for all the straight people to do it. I got singled out for it," she said.
"One of the principals said that a student came to the office and complained that they felt weird about it because a girl kissing another girl was disgusting."
She said apart from one sympathetic teacher who was quietly supportive, there was no support at all from staff, who made her feel like she did not belong at the school.
"I used to get really angry about it and debate about it a lot, but they were doing it because of their homophobia," she said.
"They singled me out because they said I wouldn't fit into the mainstream school. A teacher told me that I should consider other options."
She said the one teacher who supported her did so quietly, without mentioning anything to other teachers in the school.
Shaun Staunton, the chairman of a committee on homophobia in schools for the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities, said the levels of bullying in schools were extremely worrying.
"These incidences of bullying are often minimised or seen as harmless, and they can have serious effects and often lead on to more serious types of abuse, so it's really important that these things are noted and treated as quite serious," he said.
Nowhere to turn
He said he was particularly concerned that in some cases it was teachers who were responsible for the bullying.
"What needs to be done is an overall effort needs to be made to ensure that all staff understand they have a duty to care for all students and to leave their personal feelings at home and really that needs to come from up high and it needs to be a culture in schools," he said.
In a statement Education Queensland said it provided information about gay and lesbian issues to students and staff, as well as running a program to address bullying based on students' sexuality, on the Bullying. No Way! website.
"Guidance Officers and support staff work proactively with staff and students to both promote inclusive practices and values within schools and to support those students who are marginalised due to sexuality issues," the statement said.
Mr Staunton said one of the keys to making schools more homosexual-friendly was to educate all students that heterosexuality was not the only definition of normal.
One of the solutions he proposed was the promotion of homosexual role models in schools, but he conceded there were a lot of prejudices that needed to be overcome first.
"To come out in a school as a teacher is to take a huge risk really, it's not just young people who can be discriminated against, teachers and other workers in schools can be discriminated against and not receive support from principals and whoever else," he said.
"It's a tricky thing to be openly gay in a school."
If you are affected by issues related to this article, or need to talk to someone, you can call Open Doors on (07) 3257 7660. You can also call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
Source: ABC News
Missouri, United States, October 24:
According to the St. Louis County Health Department, up to 50 children from Normandy High School, in St Louis, Missouri, U.S., have been exposed to human immunodeficiencY virus (HIV) that causes AIDS. Currently there is treatment but no cure for HIV/AIDS.
An unknown person told the school officials that he/she may have exposed 50 students to HIV. The health authorities are not disclosing whether the infected person was a student, teacher or connected with the school or even about the method of transmission due to privacy laws. The possible exposure possibilities include sexual activity, drug use, steroids or tattoos, according to a health department spokesman.
All schools in the neighboring areas are taking preventive measures and the school authorities are advising students to get themselves tested if they have dated anyone at the Normandy High School.
School authorities and parents are also worried about the stigma attached to the students. A 16 year old girl reported that her boyfriend from another school dumped her after hearing the news.
Doug Hochstedler, Normandy School District spokesman, said, "There's potential for stigma for all students regardless of whether they're positive or negative."
Adding further he said, "The board wants to be sure all children are fully educated."
Stanton Lawrence, Normandy Superintendent, said that school is running smoothly as before and there is no panic among students who are more focused on learning, despite concerns and distraction.
"They recognize this situation is what it is, and doesn't mean school is over," Lawrence said. "Their concern is heightened, but we have to face it and do the responsible thing."
The school has announced to set up a testing centre, so that all 1,300 students can get themselves checked and also receive information about the HIV and AIDS. The test is optional and students can say no to test.
A County Health Department spokesman said that the state, local and federal funding will provide money for treatment of children who are found to be HIV-positive.
Source: the medGuru
No opt-out of filtered Internet: Policy to be set after trial
Darren Pauli, 13 October, 2008
Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.
Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.
Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out proviso would remove content filtering altogether.
The government will iron-out policy and implementation of the Internet content filtering software following an upcoming trial of the technology, according to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the filters will be mandatory for all Australians.
"Labor's plan for cyber-safety will require ISPs to offer a clean feed Internet service to all homes, schools and public Internet points accessible by children," he said.
"The upcoming field pilot of ISP filtering technology will look at various aspects of filtering, including effectiveness, ease of circumvention, the impact on internet access speeds and cost."
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contacted by Computerworld say blanket content filtering will cripple Internet speeds because the technology is not up to scratch.
Online libertarians claim the blacklists could be expanded to censor material such as euthanasia, drugs and protest.
Internode network engineer Mark Newton said many users falsely believe the opt-out proviso will remove content filtering.
"Users can opt-out of the 'additional material' blacklist (referred to in a department press release, which is a list of things unsuitable for children, but there is no opt-out for 'illegal content'", Newton said.
"That is the way the testing was formulated, the way the upcoming live trials will run, and the way the policy is framed; to believe otherwise is to believe that a government department would go to the lengths of declaring that some kind of Internet content is illegal, then allow an opt-out.
"Illegal is illegal and if there is infrastructure in place to block it, then it will be required to be blocked — end of story."
Newton said advisers to Minister Conroy have told ISPs that Internet content filtering will be mandatory for all users.
The government reported it does not expected to prescribe which filtering technologies ISPs can use, and will only set blacklists of filtered content, supplied by the Australia Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
EFA chair Dale Clapperton said in a previous article that Internet content filtering could lead to censorship of drugs, political dissident and other legal freedoms.
"Once the public has allowed the system to be established, it is much easier to block other material," Clapperton said.
According to preliminary trial, the best Internet content filters would incorrectly block about 10,000 Web pages from one million.
Source: Computerworld
[WEBMASTER - check out NO CLEAN FEED link on our Home Page for further information and options to protest this proposal]
New Mardi Gras and Events NSW jointly announced a funding deal for the world's largest gay and lesbian event on Wednesday.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees told Evolution Online that Mardi Gras was deserving of state support as: "It is a spectacular Sydney event and makes a significant contribution to our state's economy."
The news has generated a furore among sections of the mainstream media.
The Daily Telegraph led the charge, incorrectly reporting yesterday that the NSW Government was coming "to the financial aid of the debt-plagued event", which posted a $500,000 profit last year.
The Telegraph invited readers to 'have their say' on the story online, and has so far published 525 responses, the majority of which slammed the funding deal. Typical was 'Bill of Drummoyne' who opined: "The next progression is to make homosexuality compulsory in NSW. I am livid and disgusted."
'Laurie' complained: "What a nonsense. Funding a freak show yet cannot fund hospitals."
Greg Semple of Windsor Downs said: "This money would have been better channelled into something far more deserving than this bunch of tutti-fruttis."
Others called gay people "degenerate", "disgusting" and "debauched".
Telegraph blogger Piers Ackerman, meanwhile, wrote: "Why should taxpayers struggle to pay mortgages while semi-naked homosexuals dance on floats?"
One comment published on Ackerman's blog read: "I don't mind that they want to parade in the street because then it makes it easier to find them so we can bash them up."
Today, the Telegraph upped the ante with a new story, claiming that Mardi Gras organisers "wanted to take it beyond Sydney and into rural and regional NSW as part of a taxpayer-funded push to expand the event".
New Mardi Gras Chair David Imrie flatly rejected the assertion when contacted by Evolution Online.
"There are no plans to tour Mardi Gras to rural or regional NSW," he said. "It is the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras - emphasis on Sydney."
Imrie said the backlash in the Telegraph and on Sydney talkback radio emphasised the continuing relevance of Mardi Gras.
"There's occasionally talk about whether Mardi Gras is still relevant or not. This backlash really does show how necessary it still is.
"We've come a long way, but clearly there's a long way to go because this city, this country, and this planet is still littered with homophobic people living in the Dark Ages."
Imrie emphasised that the State Government funding, the amount of which remains commercially confidential, was "not a gift, but an investment".
"The homophobes who have come out of the woodwork should understand that this is an investment in NSW." he said. "It will help Mardi Gras, yes, but it's also for the state and its economy at large."
Source: SX News
The announcement of State Government funding for Mardi Gras marks a complete turnaround in official attitudes towards the world's premier gay and lesbian event. Peter Hackney reports.
Fred Nile will not be pleased.
After praying for rain to fall on Mardi Gras year after year, his wish has been granted. But instead of H20, it's dollars raining on the event: at long last, the NSW Government has recognised that the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is one of the most significant events on this state's calendar, and is therefore deserving of government sponsorship.
Just how much the deal is worth is subject to commercial confidentiality, but according to Events NSW and Mardi Gras, it's a significant amount.
And so it should be. If the government can spend $160 million propping up the one-off Catholic World Youth 'Day' - the predicted economic boon from which failed to eventuate - then it can surely provide some assistance to Mardi Gras, which brings in $30 million per year to NSW according to the Premier's Department, and $46 million per year according to Mardi Gras.
Whichever figure is right, it's a damn lot of money that Mardi Gras pumps into this state; dollars that are especially important in light of NSW's slide into the economic doldrums, and the fact that other cities - particularly Melbourne and Brisbane - are actively positioning themselves as Australia's new 'event capitals'.
But more than any amount of dough it generates, Mardi Gras's real significance is as a cultural event; one that GLBT people the world over look to as a beacon of hope, from Sydney to Saskatchewan, New South Wales to Nanjing.
It's all quite amazing, really, considering Mardi Gras' origins as a rag-tag rally to march for gay rights and commemorate New York's Stonewall Riots.
Far from receiving government funding, the first brave marchers on June 24, 1978 were actually punished. 53 of them were arrested. Many were bashed by police. The following day, The Sydney Morning Herald published the full names of all arrested, forcibly outing many people and causing some to lose their jobs.
It would be another six years until homosexuality was decriminalised in NSW.
Fast forward to 2008, and we have no less than the Premier of NSW, Nathan Rees, extolling the virtues of Mardi Gras in the pages of SX.
"It has become an international showcase of Sydney's inclusiveness, creativity and diversity and a celebration shared by the wider community," he said this week.
Mardi Gras sure has come a long way since 1978.
And credit where it's due: it's come this far because of the original '78ers', because of the tireless efforts of all involved in Mardi Gras over the years, and because of the skill and professionalism of the current New Mardi Gras board.
But it's also because of the open-mindedness and generosity of the NSW Labor Government, much-maligned as it may be.
By Julie Steenhuysen
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The deadly AIDS virus first began spreading among humans at the turn of the 20th century in sub-Saharan Africa, just as modern cities were emerging in the region, U.S. researchers said Wednesday.
The finding pushes back the origin of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by several decades, they reported in the journal Nature.... read more on HIV/AIDS Information page of this website.
DNA Magazine acknowledges gay Australian Olympic gold winner
DNA Magazine has devoted their front page to matthew Mitcham, Australian gay Olympian, in acknowledgment of his gold winning dive at the Olympic Games.
What does sex mean to you
An ambitious new research project will be the largest ever to look at the sex lives of men who have sex with men in the Australasia and Pacific region.
Project Men is surveying men not just about their practices, but also their attitudes and assumptions. It hopes to understand the meanings attached to those sexual experiences — which could be helped by being internet-based and anonymous.
La Trobe University's Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, which is behind the project, was also responsible for recruiting large numbers to its TranZnation and Private Lives studies. The latter in particular has been cited widely in government grants targeting the gay and lesbian community's needs.
With HIV becoming less of a Sydney problem and more widely recognised as a problem for the region, the survey is also targeting Australia's neighbours in Thai and Bahasa languages, with more to follow.
Source: SSO - News
WEBMASTER - You will find the full details of PROJECT MEN and a quick link on the HOME PAGE of this website
HIV rates in Australia up fifty percent in the past eight years
Tuesday, 16th September, 2008
HIV rates in Australia have increased by almost fifty percent in the past eight years -- according to a national report compiled by University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers.
Overall, the number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia has increased each year from 718 in 1999 to 1,051 in 2007.
Significantly, the report sheds light on migrants and returning expat Australians, by showing that in 2007, one in ten newly-reported infections in Australia were originally diagnosed overseas.
In common with other Western countries people born in sub-Saharan countries now resident in Australia have substantially higher rates of HIV/AIDS diagnosis than among Australian-born people, reflecting Africa as the epicentre of the global HIV epidemic.. Sixty percent of cases of infection attributed to heterosexual contact were in people from high prevalence countries or their sexual partners.
The findings are contained in the HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Report, which has been prepared by researchers from UNSW's National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) for the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing.
The report, which is one of two from UNSW to be released this week (Wednesday 17th September) at the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine's annual conference in Perth.
Other findings include:
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Chlamydia continues to be the most frequently reported notifiable infectious disease in Australia, with 51 867 cases diagnosed in 2007, a 9% increase over the number diagnosed in 2006
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The rate of diagnosis of infectious syphilis more than doubled from 3.1 in 2004 to 6.6 in 2007. These increases predominantly occurred among homosexual men.
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The diagnosis of hepatitis C infection declined by 17 percent over the past five years to 58.8 per 100 000 population in 2007.
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The estimated number of people living with HIV infection in Australia in 2007 was 16,692, including 11,928 in the age group 15 - 49 years.
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Trends in new HIV diagnoses differed by State/Territory. New South Wales had a stable population rate at around 6.0 per 100,000 population and the rate in Queensland increased from 3.3 in 2003 to 4.6 in 2007. In Victoria, the rate of HIV diagnosis was stable in 2006 - 2007, after having steadily increased each year from 1999.
The second report, by UNSW researchers at the National Centre in HIV Social Research, the HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual report of trends in behaviour 2008 shows that among those diagnosed with HIV infection across all states, about two-thirds are currently receiving treatment.
The report shows:
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Men who have sex with men in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, report fewer casual sexual partnerships since 2003
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Small but sustained increases in NSW and Victoria in the proportions of HIV-positive men that report engaging in unprotected anal intercourse with their HIV-negative regular partners - in the context of more discussion and disclosure.
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The knowledge about sharing needles and the risk of hepatitis amongst young people attending music festivals is very high, but many fewer knew the risks associated with unsterile tattooing or body piercing.
CONTACT DETAILS: Professor John Kaldor, Deputy Director of UNSW's National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research 0414 295 546, Susi Hamilton, UNSW media unit, 9385 1583 or 0422 934 024, susi.hamilton@unsw.edu.au
Gay, but not carefree
VIJAY NAGASWAMI, 14 September, 2008
A homosexual in India is up against not just the law but also social ostracisation
Most people have mixed feelings when it comes to gays, lesbians and homosexuality. There are, as there usually are, extreme reactions. The conservatives would have us believe that homosexuality is unnatural and therefore execrable and condemnable. They agitate for more stringent legislation against gay people and are smugly satisfied with Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises carnal activity "against the order of nature" and therefore, gay sex. At the other end of the spectrum exist the activists who stridently proclaim that gayness is superior behaviour and a sign of great creativity, for, many of the world's leading artistes have been known to be gay. And somewhere in between are the liberals who have mixed feelings. While they vaguely believe that it is the right of the individual to choose whether to be gay or straight, they're not quite sure how they'd handle it if a member of their own family announced that s/he was homosexual.
However, the human race has no choice but to address the issue of homosexuality seriously today, for, there are far too many lesbians and gay people in the world who are articulately refusing to be marginalised. Although there exists an acronym LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender) that collectively refers to people preferring to have same-gender relationships, I will, for the purpose of this article, restrict myself to the use of the term homosexuality to refer to both gays and lesbians. I do so because I am not proposing to examine issues pertaining to bisexuals and transgendered persons in this piece, for, these merit independent exploration.
Increasing awareness
Certainly over the last decade or so, awareness on the subject of homosexuality has increased. Indian film-makers have addressed the issue in films such as "Fire" and "Girlfriend", even though they have, unfortunately, portrayed homosexual behaviour as arising from emotionally traumatising events, thereby implying deviance. Books such as Same Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History edited by Ruth Vanita and Salim Kidwai have been published and have also received awards. Homosexual behaviour is also being written about, even if only sporadically, in popular fiction where gays and lesbians are not being portrayed as caricatures. NGOs for LGBTs have sprung up in most metropolitan cities, even though most, but not all, of these organisations have to do with the protection of gay people in the context of the management and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Gay pride parades have taken place in some of the metros without their participants courting arrest. Politicians, gay rights and other social activists, NGOs, intellectuals and even the judiciary have urged the government to review Sec 377 of the IPC and make homosexuality legal, or at least, not illegal. All of these notwithstanding, gays and lesbians continue to be misunderstood and marginalised, largely owing to the ignorance that shrouds the subject of homosexuality.
Tackling the issue of whether homosexuality is normal or abnormal is the first step in understanding the phenomenon. Going by evolutionary theories, the absence of reproductive mating would imply that same-gender relationships are unnatural. However, the fact that homosexuality has been referred to in ancient historical literature (including in the Laws of Manu) coupled with how widely-practised homosexual behaviour is, suggests that this thinking be reviewed. If a phenomenon assumes the magnitude and proportions that homosexuality does, then obviously, it has to be factored into the theory of natural selection. At the risk of oversimplification (I am certainly not an expert in evolutionary biology), it is conceivable that for the survival of the species in an over-crowded planet, the human organism has evolved some form of procreational balancing mechanism and therefore, homosexuality, far from being against the order of nature, is actually built into the natural selection process in some complex manner and actually ends up providing the human race an evolutionary advantage.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association is one of the keystones that mental health professionals have used when it comes to diagnosing mental disorders. Interestingly, the first and second editions of the DSM labelled homosexuality as a sexual deviance. In 1973, when the second edition was being revised, there was much controversy surrounding the inclusion of homosexuality and in its third edition, a new term was introduced — "ego-dystonic homosexuality". The term simply means a person who engages in homosexual behaviour but is unhappy and indeed, deeply distressed about it. As a result of this there were multiple therapeutic interventions that such persons were subject to, ranging from psychoanalysis to aversion therapy (application of an aversive stimulus such as a mild shock every time the individual was shown a photograph depicting a homosexual act). Finally, sense prevailed and by the time the revised version of the third edition of DSM was released, homosexuality was quietly eliminated from its ambit. And it has stayed that way for the fourth edition as well.
Traumatised by society
Having worked with a fair number of lesbians and gay people in fairly intensive psychotherapy, I know that the only mental health problems they really face are the social consequences of their choice — the marginalisation, the experience of humiliation, the social pressure to go in for straight marriages, the subterfuge associated with their search for partners, the lack of ready availability of resources that can help them respond to their inner dictates and the near-impossibility of going public with their relationships even if they are lucky enough to find long-term partners. It is important to remember that homosexuality is not only about sex. It is more about relationships. People with a homosexual orientation can have intense, complete and committed long-term relationships only with people who share their orientation, and these relationships, like any other, include both emotional and sexual intimacy. And this is the biggest problem that Indian gays and lesbians have. There are very few spaces where they can meet and court each other. Add to this the fact that they come up against large masses of homophobes, and you can well imagine why their cups of joy don't particularly run over. As a result, many force themselves into straight marriages that they cannot sustain, thereby causing havoc to the life of the hapless spouse as well. And those who cannot do this end up either leading extremely lonely, frustrated, single lives or become commercial sex workers. There are, however, the lucky few who do manage to come to terms with their homosexuality and find like-minded partners who they "marry" and settle down with.
Adult choice
Theories abound when it comes to why some people are homosexual and I do not propose to examine the nuances in detail. Some people believe that hormones are responsible. Some have it that masculinity and femininity are on a continuum and depending on where precisely one locates oneself on it, one could be gay or straight. Others believe that childhood events and the nature of the relationship with the opposite gender parent are implicated. And still others maintain that gayness is the natural state of all human beings and that straightness is the deviance. Whatever the reasons that are responsible for homosexuality, it is important to remember that homosexuals are just a group of people who have made a conscious choice to practise a different form of life. Hopefully, in the foreseeable future, the law too will see that alternate sexuality is just an adult choice and not an aberration. Until then, let's just leave them alone to choose their partners and get on with their lives, just like the rest of the world does.
The writer is a psychiatrist, columnist and author. His latest book, The 24x7 Marriage, is due out in late 2008. He can be contacted at vijay.nagaswami@gmail.com
Source: The Hindu
France to ask UN for universal decriminalisation of homosexuality
By Tony Grew, September 3, 2008
The French minister of human rights and foreign affairs has confirmed that she will appeal at the United Nations for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Rama Yade also said that the EU wanted to take the lead in stopping violence against women worldwide.
Until the end of 2008 France will speak for all EU member states at the UN General Assembly, as they hold the rotating Presidency of the European Union.
Earlier this year it was reported that the French initiative on decriminalisation will take the form of a solemn declaration from UN states, rather than a vote in the UN on the matter.
However, Ms Yade said yesterday that France will submit a draft declaration at the UN General Assembly in December. The British government already advocates universal decriminalisation.
She was speaking at 61st Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
It is the first time in its history that the Conference has been convened outside of New York.
1,700 NGOs associated with the United Nations have gathered for three days of debate held under the banner of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon opened proceedings by satellite link this morning.
More than 80 countries outlaw same-sex relations in all circumstances.
The maximum punishments range from a few years jail to life imprisonment.
In nine countries, or regions of countries, the mandatory punishment for homosexuality is death by execution.
Source: PINKnews
Jeff Kennett in gay football storm
By James Campbell July 27, 2008
FORMER state premier Jeff Kennett has provoked a gay rights storm by backing a football club that sacked a trainer for being gay.
The Hawthorn president and potential Melbourne lord mayor sparked calls for his sacking after saying Bonnie Doon Football Club was within its rights to sack veteran trainer Ken Campagnolo after it found out he was gay.
"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. So the club was trying to do the right thing," Mr Kennett said.
"When you are in charge of a group of young boys, as this club was as I understand it, it's got to make sure."
Mr Kennett said it was as if the club had a pedophile trainer.
"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."
He could not guarantee a gay trainer would be welcome at Hawthorn, adding: "I don't know if we've got any.
"I'm just saying at the moment we have a duty of care to our players and staff and you have to make judgments on that. If you don't do it you end up with potential legal liability."
Mr Campagnolo is fighting the Bonnie Doon Football Club, the AFL and Benalla and District Football League in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over his 2007 sacking.
On Friday, the AFL failed in a bid to have his complaint against it struck out, with the tribunal ruling the matter must go to mediation.
Mr Campagnolo said he was appalled by Mr Kennett's remarks.
"I am not a pedophile. Does that mean every straight male doctor cannot treat any female patient?" he said.
Rodney Croome, of the Australian Coalition for Equality, said: "Jeff Kennett should immediately step aside from his role in Beyond Blue."
Source: news.com.au
Gay marriage reaction? It's all over the map
Many Europeans shrug philosophically, but homosexuality remains taboo in many other parts of the world.
By Bruce Wallace, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
June 17, 2008
TOKYO -- In the Netherlands and Canada, it was old news. In India and Iraq, it wasn't news at all.
The same-sex weddings that have begun in California have provoked neither euphoria nor great outrage overseas, where gays and lesbians face a patchwork of laws governing their unions and live with attitudes ranging from acceptance to hostility that can lead to the death penalty.
It all depends on where they live.
Many parts of Europe have reacted with a collective shrug to the California Supreme Court ruling that found the ban on same-sex marriage to be discriminatory. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 2001, in Belgium since 2003 and in Spain since 2005. The move by the second U.S. state to join them brought only cursory news coverage.
Elsewhere, Canada has officially recognized same-sex marriage since 2005. South Africa stands out as the exception on a continent where homosexuality is largely taboo. It passed a law in 2006 to recognize homosexual marriages after a Constitutional Court ruling said anything less would treat gays and lesbians as inferior.
Those laws came after more than a decade in which several countries took the lesser legal step of recognizing homosexual civil unions.
Denmark has recognized same-sex "partnerships" since 1989, which ensured that gay and lesbian couples received most of the same social benefits, such as pensions, as married heterosexuals. That move was subsequently followed by Germany, France and Britain, though none of those countries has gone as far as the California court by elevating them to the same legal status as heterosexual marriage.
Gays and lesbians considered the same-sex marriage law passed by Spain, where homosexuality was illegal under the Franco dictatorship, as a particularly significant milestone.
Gay activist Beatriz Gimeno saw the California decision as a sign that "the snowball of equality is continuing to roll, even in a country like the United States that has not yet overcome its neoconservative cycle."
But the conservative newspaper ABC countered that while "homosexuals have every right in the world to choose a partner and demand that they not be discriminated against," they cannot insist their unions are identical to heterosexual couples "because nature says so: Their union cannot produce children."
There is similar opposition to same-sex marriage in other European countries, especially ones with strong Roman Catholic traditions such as Poland, which has rejected attempts to allow gay and lesbian couples to "register" their unions, and Ireland and Italy.
In many other countries, the issue is smothered by taboo.
Sexuality in general is seldom discussed in India, where gay sex remains punishable under a law imposed during the British Raj. In Russia, the 1995 Family Code specifies that marriage is a state between a man and a woman.
And though homosexuality is a frequent theme of some Japanese manga comics and some TV characters revel in camp, few of the country's real-life gays and lesbians like to draw much attention.
In 2007, Kanako Otsuji, the country's first openly lesbian politician, "married" her lover, Maki Kimura, in a public ceremony in Nagoya. But Japan does not recognize either same-sex marriage or civil unions.
Same-sex marriage is a remote prospect in the Arab world and Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad last year insisted that there were no homosexuals in his country. Human rights activists have accused Iran of executing homosexuals for engaging in consensual sex, and homosexuality can also be punished by death in Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Yemen.
In Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the major religious leader for the country's Shiites, has issued a fatwa against homosexuality. The fatwa has since disappeared from his website but has never been rescinded.
Despite violence directed at gays and lesbians, a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki told The Times last year that "nobody's paying attention to the issue. It's not the custom of the people of Iraq."
Few gays and lesbians live openly in Africa because harassment and discrimination are prevalent outside South Africa. Some religious leaders have decried homosexuality as "un-African," and Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared it to be incompatible with his country's Islamic tenets. He threatened to behead any gays or lesbians who did not leave the country.
Same-sex unions are also widely banned in heavily Roman Catholic Latin America. But there are a few places where gay and lesbian couples can forge civil unions: Uruguay, Colombia and Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, which hosted the Gay World Cup of soccer last year.
And hundreds of gays and lesbians have held ceremonies with little fuss in Mexico City since that federal district recognized same-sex civil unions in March 2007.
The California ruling did draw sharp criticism from one person: confessed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who used his June 5 arraignment to show that news of California's same-sex marriages had reached the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
"Evil laws are not the laws of God," Mohammed told the U.S. military and civilian officials at his trial, citing "laws allowing same-sex marriages" as an example.
"I consider all American laws under the Constitution to be evil," he said.
Source: Los Angeles Times
High drug use and infection rates linked
Posted in: New Zealand Daily News
By GayNZ.com Daily News staff - 16th June 2008
High use of recreational drugs such as P definitely goes hand in hand with higher levels of unsafe sex and resulting risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to reports emerging from a major sex survey.
It is unclear how direct any specific causal relationship between drug taking and unsafe sex is, with the possibility remaining open that both are also symptoms of underlying risky behaviour tendencies.
Preliminary findings from surveys conducted recently by the NZ AIDS Foundation strongly reinforce the long-standing suspicion that men whose use of drugs such as P (a.k.a. methamphetamine) and cannabis is higher than their same-drug using peers are "more likely to report unprotected sex and are more likely to report a recent sexually transmitted infection," says Peter Saxton of the NZAF's Research, Analysis and Information Unit.
Although the exact relationship between drug use and unprotected sex is not clear, the tendency of drugs such as P to override concerns about personal welfare could be a mechanism linking P, and to a lesser extent cannabis and poppers, to more frequent unsafe sex.
"One direct mechanism is behavioural disinhibition when combining sex and drug use," says Saxton. "Another is that high frequency drug use is a marker of risk taking in general." An increased number of sex partners associated with drug use, their sexual and drug-taking history and the effect of drug use on the ways men choose to seek out casual sex, are also likely to be factors. "Your risk isn't [only] dependent on behavioural disinhibition in the heat of the moment, but on the ways you meet and choose sexual partners even when you're not using."
For example, says Saxton, "we've found that men who have sex with men who report high frequency recreational drug taking also report higher numbers of sexual partners than other men. Now if men who frequently use recreational drugs tend to choose other frequent recreational drug users as sexual partners... then they'll be sexually mixing with men who have higher than average rates of partner change, and consequently with men who have higher than average rates of STIs. It would be a case of your sexually transmitted infection risk being higher because of the men you're having sex with."
43% of men aged 15 - 29 report using cannabis in the last six months, falling to an average of 24% amongst those over 45 years old. Poppers use remains fairly steady, with around 35% of all ages of men reporting its use. Maori men who have sex with men appear more likely than NZ European, Asian or Pacific Island men to use recreational drugs.
Frequent use of P is considerably less common than longer-established stimulants such as cannabis, poppers or even ecstacy, with less then ten percent of 15-29 year olds reporting using it, dropping to just one or two percent in over 45s.
However, just over 62% of frequent users of P report instances of unsafe sex, compared with 53% of frequent cannabis users and 50% of frequent poppers users. Worryingly, P users are more likely than other drug users to believe that contracting HIV is not as serious an issue as it once was.
Compared with the nearest large gay population centre, NZ gay and bi men use 'heavy' drugs much less than their fellows in Sydney. Whilst poppers and cannabis use is almost identical in NZ and Sydney, the Australians use ecstasy and P nearly two and a half times more than Kiwis.
The information on gay and bi men's sexual activity, drug use and reported sexually transmitted infections was collected in the NZAF's extensive Gay Auckland Periodic Sex Survey and the associated Gay Online Sex Survey
Source:GayNZ.com
Gay Brain Structure Similar to Straight Opposite Sex
By Elizabeth Lopatto
June 16, 2008 (Bloomberg) -- Gay men and straight women share brain characteristics that suggest sexual preferences may be innate rather than learned, researchers said. Lesbians and heterosexual men also had similar brain tendencies.
A study of 90 adults showed similarities between gay men and straight women in a part of the brain linked to emotional response called the amygdala, and a similar finding for lesbians and straight men. The research also found lesbians and heterosexual men had larger right brains, the side associated with spatial ability, while the left and right brains of both gay men and straight women were more symmetrical.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds to research that suggests a biological basis for homosexuality, researchers said. Earlier studies have mostly focused on behavioral differences and similarities.
``It's likely that these differences are not influenced by learning or socialization,'' said Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in cognitive biology at Queen Mary University of London. ``We've known for some time that homosexuals of both sexes may show differences in certain abilities, which are known to reside on one or the other of two sides of the brain.''
Rahman was not involved with the research, which was done by Ivanka Savic and Per Lindstrom, of the Stockholm Brain Institute. The reason for the similarities between the brains of straight people and gay people of the opposite sex is unknown, the authors wrote.
Other Reasons
While the results were striking, they would be more convincing if the authors had matched the groups for IQ, education and measures of depression and anxiety, said Suzanne Corkin, a professor of behavioral neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in an e-mailed statement. Also, the authors are ``overly dismissive'' of the potential role of environmental influences, Corkin said.
``In short, I would be reluctant to draw strong conclusions about heterosexual versus homosexual brain structure and connectivity from this single experiment,'' Corkin said. She wasn't involved in the study.
Gay men, like heterosexual women, outperform straight men on verbal tests. Heterosexual men do better than gay peers on navigation and on tests identifying shapes, according to background contained in the paper. There isn't much data on lesbians, the authors wrote.
Genetic factors are unlikely to have caused the differences, the authors wrote. Exposure to testosterone before birth has been shown to alter development in animals and may account for the difference, the article said. The authors said it wasn't clear whether the animal data apply to humans.
The study wasn't designed to evaluate whether changes took place before or after birth. The differences can't be ``easily attributed to perception or behavior,'' the authors wrote.
The study assessed brain volume using MRI scans, and PET scans from previous studies to show the connections in the amygdala.
Source: Bloomberg.com
CBS Poll: Changing Views On Gay Marriage
Most Americans Say Same-Sex Couples Should Have Legal Recognition
June 15, 2008
(CBS) Most Americans continue to think there should be some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, and 30 percent say same-sex couples should be allowed to marry - the highest number since CBS News began asking this question in 2004.
Twenty-eight percent think same-sex couples should be permitted to form civil unions, but more than a third - 36 percent - say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple's relationship.
Last month, the California Supreme Court struck down that state's ban on same-sex marriage, paving the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry there.
Americans' views on this issue have changed since 2004, although opinion has not changed substantially in the last two years. In November of 2004 (soon after the presidential election) just 21 percent of Americans supported the idea of same-sex couples being allowed to marry.
Majorities of both men and women support some form of legal recognition for gay and lesbian couples, but more women (36 percent) than men (24 percent) back the idea of same-sex marriage.
More than six in 10 Democrats think same-sex couples should be allowed to either marry or form civil unions. Fifty percent of Republicans are against either of these options.
There are regional differences, too. Four in 10 of those living in the western portion of the U.S. favor same-sex marriage - the highest of any other region. Americans living in the south are least likely to support it.
Groups most likely to support same-sex marriage include those under age 30, liberals, Americans living in the west, and those who never go to church.
Republicans, conservatives, white evangelicals and weekly church attendees are groups that are least likely to support the idea.
Source: CBS NEWS
PARENTING LAWS PASS DESPITE CHURCH CAMPAIGN
by Harley Dennett, 12 June 2008
Children born to lesbian couples through artificial insemination can now have both mothers on their birth certificates after the Iemma Government's parenting reforms passed 64 votes to 11 last week.
Despite Anglican and fathers' rights groups campaigning strongly against the changes, only a quarter of Coalition members voted against the bill in the lower house, with a further quarter failing to turn up.
The bill passed the upper house without individual votes being recorded.
Minister for Women Verity Firth acknowledged the reforms did not address all the parenting needs of same-sex couples, but were designed to address the most common circumstances.
"The Minister for Community Services [Kevin Greene] is considering adoption by all prospective partners in the context of a broader response to a review of the Adoption Act 2000," she said.
"Currently, gays and lesbians, as individuals, can adopt children, subject to the same process of screening for suitability as heterosexual men and women.
"Surrogacy is a developing area of law ... being considered as part of the development of a national surrogacy framework. At this stage it would be premature for any changes to be made in NSW."
It is also now illegal to discriminate on the basis of domestic status, which had Christian Democrat leader Fred Nile claiming critical debate of same-sex relationships could result in a $40,000 fine.
"I have been before the Anti-Discrimination Board in relation to what I regard as trivial matters," Nile told Parliament.
"Vexatious individuals could say, 'I've got another weapon to use against the people I disagree with'. It costs the person who made the complaint nothing."
Liberal MLC Charlie Lynn used the parliamentary privilege to attack previous equal age of consent reforms as "exposing vulnerable young boys to sexual predators" and accused the Government of not having a public mandate on these issues.
Nationals leader Andrew Stoner warned the Government was embarking on plans to undermine bans on same-sex marriage, adoption and IVF [sic], but voted for the bill anyway.
Sydney MP Clover Moore joined Greens Leader Lee Rhiannon in calling on the government to proceed with "urgent adoption reform".
Source: SSO Net
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LIBERAL BACKFLIP ON DELAYS - 5 June, 2008
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Liberal leader Brendan Nelson flagged longer Senate delays to the same-sex equality reforms last night. The new position is to hold up the reforms until all six bills covering 100 laws are introduced Nelson announced during the debate in Parliament. The statement contradicts earlier comments from shadow Attorney-General George Brandis's office that the Senate inquiry would be a simple affair limited to understanding hte implications of the superannuation equality bill. Shadow treasurer Malcolm Turnbull said the reforms could be backdated to ensure same-sex couples aren't disadvantaged. "So let's stop the suggestion that the Liberal Party is homophobic," he told Parliament. Source: SSO Net |
Super Tales
Wednesday, 04 June 2008
The first of the federal government's same-sex reforms has been rolled out but it's off to a rocky start. Adam Bub and Reg Domingo report.
The Rudd Government last week chose superannuation as the starting point for its law reform package that aims to eliminate legal and financial discrimination against same-sex couples. The legislation will ensure that, in the event of retirement or the death of a life partner, same-sex couples will be able to automatically claim the same superannuation benefits and tax concessions as heterosexual couples.
But while any move towards equality is to be commended, the reforms have attracted a string of criticisms.
Being only applicable to those on Commonwealth superannuation schemes - judges, federal public servants, defence personnel, politicians, et al - some say the reforms falls short of the Rudd Government's promise of equality to the broader GLBT community.
"The bulk of people work in the private sector," Greens Senator Kerry Nettle told SX. "This is not the removal of discrimination that the government promised the public."
Others point out that because private superannuation scheme providers are not obliged to provide the same level of equality, there remains the burden for same-sex couples of having to continually shop around for gay-friendly schemes.
But the announcement also elicited a reaction from the Coalition who, earlier this week, has signalled it will refer the reforms to a Senate committee, potentially stalling its passage. This inquiry, they said, will consider whether other forms of interdependency, such as companionate relationships, should also be included in the legislation.
"The coalition supports the legislation in-principle, however has reservations about certain aspects of it that do not go to the essential point of eliminating discrimination," said Shadow Attorney-General, George Brandis.
Therefore the reforms, scheduled for July 1, could be pushed back all the way to September.
Such a move has angered GLBT activists who have previously stressed the urgency of the superannuation component in same-sex reforms. Many cite the move as reminiscent of the Howard Government policy of recognising same-sex partners as interdependents rather than spouses. Others, put simply, say time is running out for elderly same-sex couples.
John Challis, 84, is the convenor for Comsuper Action Committee, a lobby group that seeks same-sex equality in superannuation. He said he was "dismayed and appalled" by the potential delay.
"Many elderly and frail former Commonwealth super recipients, who have waited since 2004 when the Coalition first promised this reform, will now have further anxiety and concern for the future welfare of their same-sex partners," Challis told SX.
Challis, who has lived with his partner, Arthur Cheeseman, for more than 40 years, and are both relying on their Comsuper pension, said that the Coalition's focus on interdependency (a term that describes the situation of two people that live together who aren't spouses, such as the disabled and the people who care for them) "equates same-sex couples with carers".
Others, however, are giving the Coalition the benefit of a doubt.
"What I understand is that this isn't the Coalition saying same-sex couples should be recognised as interdependents, but that interdependents should be recognised as well," said Rodney Croome, spokesperson for the Australian Coalition for Equality.
"We have no objection to recognition of interdependent partners, as long as it doesn't hold up the process of recognising same-sex couples ," Croome told SX. "My hope is that if there is an inquiry it will be over and done with very quickly. It's a straightforward issue and there doesn't have to be a protracted debate."
Source: SX News
ACT marks first gay civil ceremony
Posted Mon Jun 2, 2008 6:04pm AEST
Updated Mon Jun 2, 2008 6:44pm AEST
The ACT's first civil ceremony marking the registration of a same sex relationship has taken place.
In a low-key ceremony on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, two men marked a historic moment in the ACT.
It was the first commitment ceremony to be held in Canberra in the wake of the ACT Government passing laws to recognise same sex partnerships.
The laws allow same sex couples to take part in a civil ceremony, but the ceremony itself is not legally binding.
The couple - who have been together for 25 years - read out promises of commitment to each other and exchanged rings.
Danielle Krajina from the office of regulatory services officiated.
"It's exciting for the staff to be involved in something like this and we've been working on and off on the partnership process for a good two years now, so it's nice to see that its finally come to fruition," she said.
Rebecca Leighton from the gay lobby group Campaign for Civil Unions says such recognition means a lot to same sex couples,
"It's a really nice step forward - couples here have been waiting for years for some recognition for their relationships," she said.
Source: ABC News
Threat to stall same-sex reforms
Phillip Coorey Chief Political Correspondent
June 2, 2008
AFTER fighting for years for equal recognition before the law, gay and lesbian couples face another wait because of Coalition threats to delay the Government's legislation.
The Herald has been told that the Opposition's legal affairs spokesman, George Brandis, would push at today's meeting of the shadow cabinet for the Coalition to use its numbers and send the legislation to a Senate committee. The legislation, which Labor promised before the election, removes discrimination against gay couples in about 100 areas of Commonwealth law.
It does not bestow the right to marriage but gives gay couples the same rights as heterosexual de facto couples in sharing benefits such as Commonwealth superannuation and veterans' benefits.
Labor wants the legislation, which is before Parliament, passed before July 1. Any delay could push the debate back until September, leaving it at the mercy of the new Senate.
John Challis, of the CompSuper Action Committee, said he was appalled at Senator Brandis's plans. Gays would be denied the satisfaction of being recognised as equals of heterosexual de facto couples.
"It's charity, it's not social justice," Mr Challis said. "It's got nothing to do with equality between gay and heterosexual couples."
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Gay Marriage: Where The Right Is Wrong
[NOTE: This is a straight, American perspective on gay marriage]
May 30th, 2008 by PATRICK EDABURN
With the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court legalizing gay marriage, I thought it a good time to rework a post I made regarding the topic several months ago.
As a lawyer I have become the go-to guy for many of my friends when it comes to legal issues. As you might imagine, they have contacted me to decry the ruling and go into the usual mantra about how evil/bad/dangerous that gay unions are.
Continuing discussions we have had before, I have tried to convince them of why they are wrong on this issue, and will offer my views as follows.
The first point often made is that it is wrong for us to 'approve of' or 'allow' gays to have the same romantic activities that 'normal people' do (please note the quotes there).
Now perhaps someone forgot to send me the memo, but as far as I know, two consenting adults do not need my permission, blessing or consent to do whatever they want to with someone they love.
Indeed the only circumstance where my consent would be required is if I was the subject of the romance (which I suppose would depend on how good dinner was).
So on point #1, I see no reason whatsoever for me to rail over what romances happen between what people. If personal distaste were the standard, Britney Spears would have been banned from dating years ago.
The next big issue raised is how allowing gays to marry is a threat to 'real marriage' and that somehow by allowing it we will destroy society.
The first thought I have is to wonder how the actions of roughly 10% of the population can harm the actions of the remaining 90%.
In addition, given the fact that the current divorce rate is nearing 50% and that infidelity seems to be more common than not, I wonder how much more harm can be done ?
I do understand that many are concerned about this issue from a religious standpoint, but there is where I again seem to lose track of the logic.
I am a deeply religious person, and for that reason I see things differently than some of my fellow worshipers.
For me, Marriage (big M) is indeed a religious ceremony. It is a covenant between two people that is sanctified by God. For me this is the essence of big M marriage and without it there is no true union.
Since this is a discussion of what society should do and not what religion should do, I will set aside for now the debate on Churches approving Gay Unions or what the Biblical view on homosexuality is.
However I will point out that a fair reading of the Bible makes it clear that we are to love all people regardless and that judgment is best left to God. So right there we perhaps need to have some of our religious leaders re-read the Bible.
Looking to the State aspect of the marriage equation that seems to me to be more of a legal relationship. It is in essence a contractual agreement between two people under which they agree to accept certain responsibilities in exchange for certain benefits.
This to me is not marriage, it is a contract. Thus I see no reason that it should matter who the couple is that enters into this contract. Indeed, for me it seems that if you are making a big deal about this aspect of marriage, you are demeaning the value of the spiritual one.
Indeed, the court made it quite clear in their ruling that under no circumstances would the court ever be in the position of forcing a religious group to approve of or conduct same sex marriages. They made a clear distinction between the state-sanctioned union and the religious one.
There are also practical benefits to allowing Gay Marriage. As it stands, there are no legal responsibilities assigned to a gay relationship.
If you have a couple where one serves in the traditional 'homemaker' role and the other as the breadwinner and they break up, then the homemaker has no recourse to seek support from the breadwinner, even if they helped that person succeed.
As a result, they would probably rely on government for support. If there were a legal gay marriage, they would have the option to seek proper support, removing the burden from society
So with regard to marriage, I again submit that the right is wrong.
The final area often cited by the right is Gay Adoption. They rail against the perceived evil of allowing gays to adopt, suggesting that doing so will result in the production of a whole new generation of 'gays'.
Now I find that particular argument interesting since most gays were presumably raised by straight couples, and yet somehow did not turn out straight.
Another area where people get upset is on the topic of adoption and how if we allow same sex couples to marry then they will also be allowed to adopt and raise children. They argue that for a child to have a 'proper' upbringing that they need to have both a male and female role model (this argument is also raised in regards to single parent adoptions).
In this argument, they do have a point; but there is no reason that a gay couple or a single parent couple could not seek to have people in the child's life to provide that other gender role model (grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, etc).
Indeed, while I can't speak from personal experience, many of my gay friends have pointed out that simply because you are male doesn't mean you can't offer a female point of view or vice versa.
More importantly, the number of stable married Mom & Dad couples ready to adopt is greatly exceeded by the number of children needing homes. Ultimately, a stable loving couple is much better than an unstable home or remaining in foster care or an orphanage.
We have kids out there who need a home and good loving people ready to offer one, and that should be the end of the equation.
Although they have good motives in this area (I.E. concern for children), I think that in large the right is once again wrong.
More important than the basic ideas discussed above is the fact that, by taking these positions, the right presents itself as intolerant. In the past, many of these same arguments were made on racial grounds and that was wrong.
So is this, and it is about time we moved forward into the 21st century.
'Confusion' reigns over the role of GLLOs
Written by Katrina Fox. Wednesday 28th May, 2008
A Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer (GLLO) is not the person to report GLBT-related crimes to, but rather a "capacity builder" in the Local Area Command (LAC), Superintendent Donna Adney said this week.
Adney, who is the Surry Hills Local Area Commander and GLBT corporate spokesperson, was responding to questions about key findings from a 2006/07 survey of GLLOs in NSW. Of 60 GLLOs who responded, most said they do not consider it appropriate that they are given total responsibility for all matters relating to the GLBT community, and expressed concern that the community did not understand the true role of a GLLO.
"There is a bit of confusion out there, where people think if you're part of the GLBT community you report crimes to a GLLO," Adney told SX. "A GLLO is a capacity builder in the LAC. They are not the person who people in the GLBT community report crimes to, but rather they facilitate an exchange in meetings between the Commander and representatives of the GLBT community in their particular command."
Victims of homophobic crime should report them to police, Adney stressed.
"What we're saying to all police is 'you have to give a professional and sensitive response to all victims of crime'," she said. "We need the GLBT community to come to the police to report crimes. I understand it's difficult for some people for a host of reasons, and we'll always strive to be sensitive, but unless people tell us when crime is occurring - even in the event they don't [pursue the case] - we need to know it's occurring."
Source: SX News
IDAHO THE GLOBAL WAY FORWARD
by Andrew M. Potts
22 May, 2008
It was great to see Australia get involved in the International Day Against Homophobia this year. In the past it's slipped under the radar but this year saw small events by CAAH and ACON and groups in other states.
Next year we'll have to do better though, because with the UN having ceased to function as an effective fighter for GLBT rights, events like IDAHO may be all that's left to focus political pressure on our issues on a global scale.
On 28 March this year, a bloc of 56 Islamic nations put the final nail in the coffin of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the help of China, Russia and Cuba.
The UN's Human Rights Council will now condemn "instances in which the abuse of the right of freedom of expression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination", meaning that instead of promoting freedom of expression, the UNHRC will now police it, protecting fundamentalists from "defamation" of their religion - including criticism of their treatment of women and gays.
From now on, when countries are condemned for the execution or torture of gay men, that criticism can be considered religious discrimination of an equal weight to the actual abuses themselves.
It's the culmination of a decade's hard work undermining gay rights by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, with other successes including blocking gay groups from getting observer status at the UN's Economic and Social Council earlier this year and in 2006.
And despite growing GLBT rights successes in the developed world, the International Lesbian and Gay Association updated the number of countries that criminalise homosexuality this year from 77 to 86.
Only 60 countries have a consistent record on gay rights at the United Nations - and there are 192 member states in the UN. That's less than a third on our side.
But all is not gloomy - what better IDAHO gift could there have been than California's ruling on gay marriage?
With gay marriage already legal in the state of Massachusetts, this means more than 10 percent of the US population now has access to equal marriage rights.
Couples can begin marrying in 30 days and will have five months to convince their fellow Californians before conservatives force a vote on the issue in November.
Should gay Californians win, it will send a powerful message, not just to the rest of the States but to the entire world.
Source: Sydney Star Observer
France wants homosexuality legalized
May, 18, 2008
PARIS - France plans to ask the United Nations to push for homosexuality to be decriminalised around the globe, a government minister said yesterday, as gays and lesbians worldwide marked the International Day Against Homophobia.
Human Rights Minister Rama Yade told a delegation of French gay and lesbian groups that Paris would push for "a European initiative calling for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality," according to a statement.
She said Paris would submit the initiative to the United Nations after it takes over the rotating six-month EU presidency in July — a period during which France will speak for all EU member states at the UN General Assembly.
Rights groups regularly campaign for Western governments not to deport gays or lesbians back to countries where they are at risk of persecution.
Homosexuality remains a crime in 75 countries worldwide, punishable in theory by death in Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Human Rights Watch issued an annual blacklist on Friday singling out President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, where homosexuality is punishable by life imprisonment, for ignoring a major campaign to end the harassment of gays.
It also accused Polish President Lech Kaczynski of attempting to "deny basic rights" to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people following a televised speech in which he assailed homosexuality in March.
Human Rights Watch took Britain to task as well over the case of a gay Iranian who was denied asylum last year although he said he feared death if forced to return home.
Mehdi Kazemi, 19, said he discovered while in England that his boyfriend had been arrested in Iran, charged with sodomy and hanged.
Under international pressure to reverse their decision, British authorities have since granted him a reprieve from deportation.
The International Day Against Homophobia was launched in 2005 to commemorate the day in 1990 when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from its list of disorders.
Source: The Times
Civil union 'tragedy' for ACT
7 May, 2008
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ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell joined GLBT rights activists and lobby groups in condemning the federal government's decision to overrule the ACT's Civil Partnerships Bill, which includes a ceremonial aspect. Corbell accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of pandering to the "extreme Christian right" with the "undemocratic" move. "They feel that it's more important to satisfy their views than accept that the ACT is self-governing and has the right to make these laws for itself," Corbell announced this week. In December last year, Rudd indicated that he would not exercise Commonwealth power to veto state and territory policies on same-sex marriage and partnerships. "States and territories are answerable to their own jurisdictions … they are accountable to their constituents," said Rudd. His decision follows former PM John Howard's 2006 move against ACT civil unions that included a ceremonial aspect. Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland confirmed that the government wants nationally consistent state and territory legislation. "The government made clear to the ACT that it would not accept legislation that mimics marriage," McClelland said in statement. Corbell reluctantly accepted the government's recommendation to change the Bill to allow couples to register their relationships, but any ceremony they may choose to have will have no legal recognition. The amended Bill will be presented to parliament next week. GLBT lobby groups have expressed frustration at the interference. Canberra's Campaign for Civil Unions spokesperson Rebecca Leighton said that the Rudd government's stance "reinforces the unequal status of the gay and lesbian community under Australian law". Peter Furness, National Convenor of Australian Marriage Equality, said that because many people overseas had been granted full equality, Australians should expect the same. "Those days when the gay and lesbian community was so grateful for a few crumbs from the table are well and truly over," he told SX. Federal ACT Labor politicians have drawn criticism for remaining silent on the government's intervention with ACT law. ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope told the media that he was "embarrassed" by his colleagues and Rudd, while ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey said the ACT government is "letting its federal colleagues off the hook". Labor members who have refused to condemn the move include Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek, ACT federal Labor members Bob McMullan and Annette Ellis, and ACT Labor senator Kate Lundy. The intervention comes a week after the Rudd government announced its intention to remove financial discrimination against same-sex couples in over 100 federal laws, addressing areas such as social security, taxation and superannuation, as part of the May 13 Budget. Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson gave in-principle support to the reforms, though it remains to be seen if Coalition senators agree. If passed, the laws may change in July. Rodney Croome, Australian Coalition for Equality spokesperson, told SX that the federal government may be trying to "hose down" opposition to its intervention in the ACT by announcing its federal de facto reforms within the same week. "De facto reform is an important step forward, and the intervention in the ACT is a tragedy," said Croome. Source: SX NEWS |
2008 ACOSS Conference
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) perspectives on social inclusion/exclusion
Mark Orr, ACON President, 2008 ACOSS Conference (9-10 April, 2008)
A snapshot of the GLBT community
While there is no routinely collected nationwide data on sexuality or gender identity, it is estimated that GLBT people account for approximately 2-3% of the Australian population[i]. While many live in the major cities, there are GLBT Australians in every electorate across the country, with most major towns and rural centres having GLBT communities. Like all communities, GLBT people are not a homogenous group, with considerable diversity in terms of income, employment status, education levels, religious beliefs, cultural heritage and family structure.
ACON is a community-based non-government organisation that works within the GLBT community promoting health and wellbeing, and is a leading agency in HIV/AIDS policy development and program delivery.
GLBT people and social exclusion
Although progress has been made in recent decades, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people continue to be socially excluded in Australian society. That exclusion is defined by formal, systemic inequality within legislation that exists at both Commonwealth and state/territory levels, as well as informal discrimination and prejudice against sexual and gender minorities that pervades many aspects of Australian culture and society. There are a number of indicators by which social exclusion of GLBT people can be measured. These include:
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Community attitudes towards GLBT people: A 2005 report from the Australian Institute found that more than one third of Australians believe that homosexuality is immoral[ii], and a 2007 paper showed that anti-gay bias was the most commonly held prejudice, with one in four Australians not wanting a gay person as a neighbour[iii].
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Incidences of social discrimination: A 2002 survey of GLBT workers conducted by academics from Sydney University found that almost 3 in every 5 had experienced some form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace[iv]; a 2005 national survey of young GLBT people revealed that 44% had experienced verbal abuse because of their sexuality or gender identity, with three quarters of that abuse occurring at school[v]; and research has indicated that the most common place for GLBT to experience abuse or violence is on the street[vi].
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Rates of harassment and violence: 56% of GLBT respondents from a 2003 survey released by the NSW Attorney-General's Department had experienced one or more forms of homophobic abuse, harassment or violence in previous 12 months; 85% of respondents had at some time experienced abuse, harassment or violence [vii].
'A male approached me and two friends saying we were 'faggots' and he just 'loved' our kind while making throat cutting actions.' [vii]
Social exclusion has significant implications, particularly in terms of health and wellbeing, with GLBT people experiencing a range of poorer health outcomes than the general population. These include:
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Prevalence of GLBT youth self-harm and suicide: A 2005 nationwide survey of young GLBT people found that more than a third had self-harmed through self-mutilation or attempted suicide [ix].
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Mental health: Out of the 20,000 participants in the national Australian Study of Health and Relationships, those who were same sex attracted were to found to report higher levels of psychosocial distress[x], and a 2006 nationwide survey found that nearly three quarters of GLBT respondents had experienced some form of depression in the past[xi].
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Drug and alcohol use: Research has indicated that drug and alcohol use among GLBT people in somewhat higher than the general population [xii].
It couldn't be any worse - I want a family and a normal life but that can't happen. Life sux this way and I know why so many guys suicide. I can never be truly happy. It's a lose lose situation. (Virgil, 21 years)[xiii].
It is important to note that despite the existence of discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identity within Australian society, the GLBT community has demonstrated a continuing level of resilience when faced with exclusion.
As with all population groups which face disadvantage, the impact of social exclusion varies across the GLBT community, with other factors such as income, education and geographical location influencing an individual's ability to deal with any discrimination or disadvantage that they may encounter.
The central impact of ongoing legal discrimination
GLBT people cannot be considered as a truly included part of our society while both the Commonwealth and state/territory governments continue to discriminate on the basis of sexuality and gender identity. GLBT Australians remain one of the few groups in society that the law encourages and mandates discrimination against. The fact that same-sex couples are not recognised under Commonwealth law (with the stark exception of anti-terrorism legislation) sends a strong public message that same-sex relationships, and consequently same-sex attracted people, are not valued within our society. Likewise, the exclusion of same-sex parents from state/territory laws reinforces prejudice against people who are GLBT.
I am not a second class citizen and [I] resent my family and I being treated as such. All I ask is to be treated equally, no more and no less than any other Australian. Just equal. (Lesbian parent)[xiv]
Such strong messages from our parliaments translates into the high rates of informal discrimination, harassment and in some cases, violence, which GLBT people experience at work, in the schoolyard, at home, and on the street. Removing discrimination and inequality from our law books would be an important first in challenging the homophobic prejudice and stereotypes which result in GLBT people being excluded from various aspects of society.
People with HIV and social exclusion
People with HIV experience social exclusion within society as a result of both the stigma and discrimination that continues to exist about the virus, and the chronic nature of HIV/AIDS, which can impact on the ability of those living with HIV to work, maintain a secure source of income and connect with services and others in their community. For example, a 2004 national survey of people with HIV found that 58% of respondents had stopped work at some time for reasons relating to having HIV/AIDS. More than half of the respondents identified government benefits as their main source of income, with 26.9% of people with HIV/AIDS found to be living below the poverty line. Perhaps most alarmingly, more than one third had been discriminated against at some point when accessing health services [xv].
Given that the Australian epidemic occurs largely amongst gay men, the interrelationship between homophobic discrimination and disadvantage faced as a result of being HIV positive, further exacerbates the level of social exclusion that most people with HIV face.
Strategies and targets for GLBT inclusion
There are a number of key strategies that can be implemented to address the social exclusion experienced by the GLBT community. These include:
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Recognising GLBT as a population group that faces discrimination and social exclusion in Australia, and including them as a target group within the Commonwealth's Social Inclusion agenda.
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Removing all forms of legal discrimination against GLBT people under both Commonwealth and state/territory law.
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Funding and implementing programs that are designed to address discriminatory attitudes and behaviours that exist across Australian society. As a starting focal point, introducing a national anti-homophobia campaign within schools and other educational settings.
As has been done to address discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age and disability, introducing Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation that prohibits discrimination in relation to sexuality and gender identity
[xii][i] Smith, A, Pitts, M, Shelley, J, Richters, J, (2005), Australian Longitudinal Study of Health and Relationships: Wave 1 Summary, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Melbourne.
[xiii][ii] Flood, M, Hamilton, C, (2005) Mapping Homophobia in Australia, The Australia Institute, Canberra, pg 1.
[xiv][iii] Jensen, E, "We are still a nation of NIMBYs on gays", Sydney Morning Herald, April 20, 2007,
Govt excludes same-sex marriage from law changes
Wed Apr 30, 2008
The Australian Coalition for Equality says discrimination will not be eliminated until same-sex couples are allowed to marry.
The Federal Government says it will begin introducing legislation next month to remove same-sex discrimination from 100 Commonwealth laws.
The Government says the amendments to end discrimination against same-sex couples will make practical differences, but will not sanction changes to marriage laws.
The move will cover areas like superannuation, tax, health, employment entitlements and aged care.
But Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland says it will not extend to marriage.
"The government believes that marriage is between a man and a woman so it won't amend the marriage act," he said.
"But in all other areas that we've identified the issue of discrimination against same-sex couples will be removed."
"We anticipate that the reforms will be all introduced by the middle of 2009."
But Rodney Croome from the Australian Coalition for Equality says discrimination will not be eliminated until same-sex couples are allowed to marry.
"While this is a very important reform in itself and it'll certainly remove many of the more severe disadvantages faced by same sex couples in Australian today, it's not the end of the matter," he said.
"Until there's full equality in Australian law, for same and opposite sex couples, discrimination continues, prejudice continues and we can't allow that as a nation."
"Gay and lesbian Australians will not be fully equal until we are allowed the right to marry the partner of our choice."
The Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes identified 58 laws that needed changing.
"The Government has broadened the ambit a bit, and looked at some other laws which discriminate," he said.
"I'm very pleased that they've taken that approach."
Child benefits
Mr McClelland says the changes will also mean children of same-sex couples will be regarded the same as any others in terms of superannuation, workers compensation and other entitlements.
Mr Innes has welcomed the move and says all children deserve to be protected.
"Sadly our system in Australia hasn't been doing that for children of same-sex couples but these measures will alter that."
Source: ABCnews
Big business joins push for same-sex marriage
Sarah Price, April 27, 2008
A gay rights lobby group is bringing big business on board in a renewed push for the legalisation of same-sex marriages.
The Australian Marriage Equality website is naming businesses that recognise same-sex marriages of their employees and customers. Big names that have come on board include job website SEEK Limited and the Commonwealth Bank.
"What we're really hoping is that the Government can see this as a really good sign of [the] extent of the acceptance out there," said Alex Greenwich, from AME.
Mr Greenwich said other businesses on the list included Air Canada, Qantas and IBM.
"These businesses choose to treat all their employees and customers with the same dignity and respect, regardless of their sexuality or gender," he said. "As the number of countries which provide same-sex marriage grows, along with the number of Australians entering same-sex marriages, such recognition becomes a valuable tool in attracting employees."
Mr Greenwich said at least five other big organisations were expected to get on board soon.
"We were really happy with the positive response," he said.
SEEK human resources director Meahan Callaghan said: "We strongly believe that everyone should be treated equally and when we heard about this initiative we were happy for SEEK to be involved."
A spokesman for the Commonwealth Bank said the bank agreed to be named as an employer that extended equal recognition to same-sex marriage.
"The bank does not condone discrimination, harassment or bullying of any sort," he said.
Mr Greenwich said it was hoped this would help in the push to legalise same-sex marriages in Australia. "If Australian employers are recognising same-sex marriages, then why isn't the Australian Government," he said.
But a spokesman for federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland said the Government regarded marriage as between a man and a woman. "Government policy is for the development of nationally consistent, state-based relationship-recognition legislation," he said.
Meanwhile, the State Government last week announced that lesbian parents would be granted the same parenting rights as heterosexuals.
NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said 50 laws across NSW would be amended to include new parental-presumption protection for female same-sex couples
Source: smh.com.au
Students across America take part in 'Day of Silence'
By Adam Lake • April 25, 2008
Today thousands of students across America will take part in a 'Day of Silence'.
The National Day of Silence is a day in which students take a vow of silence to bring attention the bullying that LGBT students, teachers and other staff face in schools across the US.
The National Day of Silence is coordinated nationally by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).
An estimated 500,000 students from nearly 5,000 junior and high schools in all 50 US states and Puerto Rico have participated in the National Day of Silence in past years and more than 6,000 schools have registered this year.
This year the 'Day of Silence' will take on special significance because of the murder of Lawrence King on 12th February 2008.
Lawrence, who was fifteen at the time of his death, was shot in the head by another student, allegedly because of his sexual orientation and because he sometimes wore feminine clothing.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin spoke out in favour of the event:
"This year's event will be held in memory of Lawrence King, a California 8th-grader who was shot and killed Feb. 12 by a classmate because of his sexual orientation and gender expression.
"Larry's death is an unnecessary reminder of what we already know: lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students continue to face pervasive harassment and victimization in schools.
"As students use their silence to demand schools are safe for all students, it is my hope that we in Congress will use our voices to ensure that it be so."
Meanwhile, The American Family Association (AFA) has released a statement urging parents to take their children out of education for the day if their child's school plans to observe the International Day Against Homophobia.
Describing themselves as, "a Christian organization promoting the biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV and other media" the group spoke out against the 'Day of Silence.'
In a statement the AFA said:
"The National Day of Silence will lead the students to believe that every person who
identifies as a homosexual, bisexual or cross-dresser is a victim of ongoing,
unrelenting harassment and hate.
"Students are taught that homosexuality is a worthy lifestyle, homosexuality has few or no risks, and individuals are born homosexual and cannot change.
"Those who oppose such teaching are characterized as ignorant and hateful bigots."
The AFA are a large Christian based group that uses pushes a far-right conservative agenda. It's chief aims are the recognition of Christmas in seasonal print advertisements and the criminalisation of homosexuality; lobbying in favour of traditional marriage.
They have frequently opposed equal-rights and hate-crime legislation that would benefit homosexuals and advocated censorship of print and electronic media.
Students in the UK are also taking part in the day. The Sussex University LGBT group will be taking part in the international day of silence on the Sussex campus based just outside Brighton.
All students taking part or supporting the event are being encouraged to wear black to show solidarity.
Sussex LGBT campaigns officer Tom Hewitson told PinkNews.co.uk:
"Being in the closet can ruin your life so today is all about expressing yourself.
"The Day of Silence has always been an American thing but we have a few US students who suggested that we took part and we thought it was a great idea.
"I think that it's unlikely that what happened in America would happen here but I think that it is really important to be aware that it could happen and we need to put structures in place to make sure that it can."
The silence will commence at 9am and end in a 'breaking the silence' ceremony at 5pm where the students that are taking part will join in a united scream followed by a chance to each express how the day made them feel.
Source: PINK news
Equality Is Too Expensive
Local News, By dennis1234, 16th April, 2008
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The Rudd Government is considering delaying their promise of removing legal discrimination against gays and lesbians, because it will cost taxpayers $400 million over four years. They're unsure whether or not to include the reforms in the May budget - they want to put things off until the beginning of next year. Senior government insiders however are denying that the delays are to do with cost savings.
The amusing thing is that Labor's costing is substantially less than what the Howard Government said it would be. According to The Australian, Howard said the cost would be $1 billion, but the reality is that it's less than half of that.
With already over 100 federal pieces of legislation ignoring homosexual couples, the delay, which is yet to be official, already caused concern with human rights groups. Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes says that a delay would be "disappointing".
"Cost is not the issue. The issue here is a basic right and that is the right to equality, and we don't judge those in financial terms," he said. "The budget is the absolutely right time to send that message that couples shouldn't be treated differently simply because of who they love."
According to the Australian Commission for Equality Spokesman Rodney Croome, many older and retired same-sex partners believe the reforms are urgent, but their contributions to the government as taxpayers aren't matched by what the government gives back to them.
"Clearly, same-sex partners have been subsidising the public purse to an extraordinary degree, thanks to the fact that their equal financial contribution to government coffers has not been matched by equal entitlements," he said. Very good point.
Source: samesame.com.au
School Formal Bans Gay Partners
Local News, By Christian Taylor, 14th April, 2008
Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane has put its foot down, telling a gay student that he, and eight other gay students, are not allowed to bring their partners to the high school formal. The students are now considering boycotting the formal entirely.
Dr Philip Aspinall, head of the Anglican Church, has told ABC Radio that while the gay students should be treated with the utmost respect, it's also a decision that the school has to make on its own.
"It's a great pity… Most people who go to a school formal go with a friend and there is no sexual relationship involved."
According to the Courier Mail, the student who initially approached the school about the matter felt let down by his school when he was told that the rules only allowed boys to bring female partners.
"[The school] said to me, 'if you start a political movement this is going to get blown out of proportion. If you go quietly about this and if you don't cause us too much trouble, we will just quietly change the rules so they're allowed and no one gets hurt'," said the student, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"At the start of 2006, there was no one at the school who was openly gay… but now there are dozens. You could say it's the changing times but it's been brought about by the efforts of a few brave individuals. Generally, it's a very accepting school. It's not like anyone has ever been persecuted for being gay. A few students will have second thoughts about going to the formal because of all this."
While the story has sparked huge online debate on the Courier Mail's website, the headmaster of the school, Jonathan Hensman, is standing firm.
"We decide what is appropriate behaviour and what is not," said Hensman. He says that the event is all about young men escorting young ladies to a dinner dance.
Source: samesame.com.au
Sex club owner blames press for closure
Monday, 07 April 2008
Adam Bub
A Wollongong sex-on-premises venue for gays, bisexuals, swingers and straight-identifying men has closed after less than a month of business.
The Men's Social Club proprietor, Allan Denis, blames the Illawarra Mercury newspaper for the negative publicity generated by an article that featured a photograph of the premises.
Denis told Evolution Online he was forced to close the club after a significant drop in clientele and an avalanche of homophobic threats.
Denis says he had specified the 'discreet' nature of the venue in advertisements with the Mercury, but fears his clientele's anonymity became compromised by the photograph's publication.
"The ad was very specific, it said [that we provide a] 'discreet', safe, secure environment. Discreet's not just a word, it's a way of life. I figured that because I was a client of them, they would respect that. You take that away, you ruin the club, and that's exactly what they did - even though I was paying them to run this ad for about four months."
The day after the article went to print, Denis claims the club received over a hundred phone threats, calling him and his staff 'fucking faggots' who will 'burn in hell.' Young passers-by heckled and threw eggs at the venue.
Such actions persisted until Denis closed the venue on February 29.
Denis says only two patrons returned the day after the article went to print, with four on the weekend, as compared to the average of 40 patrons per day in the prior weeks.
"The Mercury journalists should be ashamed of themselves," Denis says. "They ruined a business for no good reason."
The venue had been approved as a 'sex-on-premises establishment' under Wollongong City Council's 'Sex Industry Development Control Plan' devised September 2005. The plan specifies that an establishment earns an income by charging fees for patrons to use designated areas to have casual sex with one another. The plan also specifies the importance of discretion for patrons.
When asked about the backlash following the article, Illawarra Mercury editor Stuart Howie said the newspaper was simply reporting a public matter. The matter of the Men's Social Club and the need for a development application came before Wollongong City Council. As such, the issue was in the public domain and we believed it was worthy of coverage," Howie told Evolution Online.
"Our story aired concerns by objectors, but also gave the operator the opportunity to discuss the club."
The Mercury's article included the local community's response to the club's February council approval to open in the former Gateway City Church premises.
Local church members claimed the club could have a detrimental impact on young people, while some residents expressed concerns about parking congestion, crime, drugs, prostitution and rape.
Community reaction may be put down to an 'aesthetic of disgust' surrounding sex venues, according to Penny Crofts, senior lecturer in Law at the University of Technology Sydney. In her conference paper at a 2006 University of Melbourne
conference, 'Visual Contamination: Disgust and the regulation of brothels', Crofts addressed the stigmas associated with brothels, which are applicable to all sex venues. Crofts says brothels trigger disgust by reminding people of sex outside of love, the 'perceived immorality' of the practices, and the threat of corrupting children.
Denis owns the largest sex-on-premises establishment in Australia, Aarows in Sydney, and had hoped to expand into Wollongong, the Central Coast and Queensland.
"I had my heart set on this place, it was a beautiful club," he says.
"I would say it was second to Aarows. I spent a lot of money there, lost it all... it's left me hollow inside."
Source: SX News
NEW ACON SAFE SEX CAMPAIGN
3 April, 2008
The campaign targets both HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay men.
For HIV-negative guys, the message is just because a sex partner tells you they're HIV-negative, you just don't know. They could be HIV-positive but don't know it and having unprotected sex with them could mean the HIV virus is passed on. Basically, in most situations, you simply can't be sure that someone really is HIV negative.
For HIV-positive guys, the message is just because a sex partner doesn't disclose their HIV status doesn't mean they're HIV-positive too. They could be HIV-negative and having unprotected sex with them could pass on the virus. Basically, unless the person you're having sex with tells you they're HIV-positive, you just don't know.
In many sexual equations, there are lots of unknowns - and a person's HIV status is often one of them. That's why we developed the question mark motif that features in the campaign - to help gay men understand that a person's HIV status can often be an unknown quantity.
In fact, research shows that one in five gay men who recently contracted HIV believed their sexual partner was HIV-negative. That's why this campaign is reinforcing that the use of condoms and lube with casual sex partners is still the best possible protection against HIV.
Source: ACON Media Release
Note: The full size campaign posters can be seen on the FRONT page and GAY MENS INFO pages of this website
WE'LL BE EQUAL BY YEAR'S END
by Harley Dennett, 19th March, 2008
Superannuation Minister Nick Sherry has offered the firmest hint yet that the Rudd Government's equality reforms will be passed this year - and an announcement will be made soon
Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson also volunteered his commitment to do everything he can to remove financial inequality to same-sex couples.
"There will be no attempt to go slow on this issue. I believe I can confidently say that - best efforts - it will be delivered," Sherry told the Senate on Monday.
"I would be absolutely taken aback if this matter was not resolved legislatively by the end of this calendar year."
It was the first public support from a Rudd Minister to the 58 '08 timeframe.
"An announcement as to the legislative process to deal with the issue will be made shortly. I cannot give you the exact date," Sherry said.
Sherry was responding to Democrats Senator Andrew Murray's latest attempt to secure same-sex superannuation reforms.
"I am encouraged - he's a minister of the Crown. We've never heard this before," Murray told SSO. "The Coalition will continue its go-slow … it's not acceptable, but it is how they are until Nelson himself gives leadership."
The Liberal leader reaffirmed his party's support for financial equality this week. "I don't support gay marriage, I don't support gay adoption and I don't support gay IVF," Nelson told the National Press Club.
"But I sure as hell believe very strongly that no Australian should pay a dollar more in tax or receive a dollar less in social security by virtue of his or her sexuality."
Murray and Sherry also discussed the idea of backdating the reforms to the beginning of the 2008/09 financial year, which Murray said was well received.
Sherry's office directed all questions to the Attorney-General's spokesman who could not confirm backdating at this stage.
"I hope it is true the reforms will be backdated, so if I fall under a bus or have a fatal heart attack after 1 July my partner of 40 years, Arthur, will be provided for - it will remove a lot of worry from us," Comsuper Action Committee spokesman John Challis said.
"Sherry's announcement confirms the Government will definitely be making provision in this year's budget for reforming the Commonwealth super funds. The total cost for this is less than $10 million per year."
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said it would continue to pressure the Government on a timeframe. "We have been told the Bill could be introduced in the winter session. However, there has been no firm commitment that all 58 reforms will be implemented by the end of 2008," GLRL co-convenor Emily Gray said.
Source: SSO - Sydney Star Observer
Census review scrapped
Written by Katrina Fox
Wednesday, 12 March 2008
GLBT people miss out on recognition again
GLBT activists have expressed disappointment over the cancellation of a review of the Census, which could have seen questions about sexuality and gender identity included in the 2011 questionnaire.
Submissions were put forward by a number of groups in a bid to make the Census more accurate in terms of reflecting the number of GLBT people in
"Our overall budget for 2008 and 2009 provided insufficient funds to continue our current work program," Paul Lowe, head of the Population Census Program at the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), told SX. "The government has said we must work within our current financial budget, so there won't be additional funding. As a result of that, the statistician has decided they'll need to cut work programs so as part of the cuts across the organisation the Census has been affected as well.
"The effect on the Census is that the 2011 Census will be comparable to the 2006 one.
"Unfortunately a lot of people have put lot of work into sending submissions on a range of different topics but at this stage we do not have the capacity to test those questions and include them for 2011."
Previously some GLBT people hand-wrote additional categories or information pertaining to sexuality and gender identity on the Census forms (for example some same-sex couples ticked the box 'married' and some sex- and gender-diverse people created a box for 'other' in relation to gender), but these were not recorded as such during the processing.
When asked how the ABS would process the 2011 form, Lowe said, "We're still working through some of those issues and what's possible with our reduced budget and resources."
ACON, which is leading the push to amend the Census, is writing to the Treasurer requesting a review of the decision not to alter the Census questions and putting forward the merits of the inclusion of a question on sexual identity.
The Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby of NSW is "disappointed" at the review's cancellation.
"Sexuality needs to be included in the Census to find out how many gays and lesbians there are in
Sex And Gender Education (SAGE), which campaigns for the rights of trans and sex- and gender-diverse people, is also upset.
"We contacted the ABS during and after the last Census, informing them that many people were not necessarily male or female and had to commit fraud when filling out the form," spokesperson Tracie O'Keefe told SX. "We asked them to make a third box available for those people who could not truthfully state they were either male or female. They never informed us that a review had started and now to find out it is cancelled is a double insult to many intersex, and sex- and gender-diverse people who do not identify as male or female."
Meanwhile GLBT activist Stuart Baanstra won his appeal this week to overturn his conviction and fine for refusing to fill out the 2006 Census.
Should there be a question on sexuality in the 2011 census?
Background
The Census is the largest statistical collection undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and one of the most important.
Currently, the census asks about same-sex couples living in the same household, but single lesbian, gay and bisexual people, or those who do not live with their partners, are excluded from coverage.
The Census is taken to provide information about the community as a whole and about groups within the community[ii]. The information collected is confidential. The Census and Statistics Act 1905 and ABS obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 clearly articulate individual protection and the ABS responsibilities to ensure that public confidence in the Census is not undermined.
We want to hear from you
The ABS is currently in the process of reviewing questions to be included in the next Census, to be held in 2011. In assessing the suitably of a topic for inclusion, the ABS will be using the following criteria:
- The topic is of major national importance
- There is a need for data on the topic for small groups in the population and/or for small geographic areas
- There are no other suitable data resources available for the topic
- The topic is suitable for inclusion in the Census.
ACON is planning to put forward a submission to the ABS outlining the perspective of lesbian, gay and bisexual people on whether a specific question on sexual identity should be asked in the 2011 Census. To inform our submission, we are seeking input from members of our community.
Please send your submission to dscamell@acon.org.au by Thursday 20 March. Your submission can be as brief or as comprehensive as you like. It is important for us to hear a wide range of perspectives from our community. Some questions that you could consider in writing your submission include:
- What are the possible benefits of having a specific question that allows lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals to identify themselves in the 2011 Census? Do they outweigh the possible disadvantages?
- Are there other mechanisms besides the Census that we should focus on instead that provide the same type of data?
To get you thinking about whether a question on sexuality should be included in the 2011 Census, we have outlined some of the possible advantages and disadvantages of having such a question on sexuality in the Census below.
Possible advantages of including a question or questions about sexuality in the census
- Data will be collected about all lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and not just people living together in same-sex partnerships. The current data collected, whilst useful, is limited, and vastly under represents the number of people in our community.
- The lack of a question specifically addressing sexuality is a significant barrier to all lesbian, gay and bisexual people participating in the Census.
- The inclusion of a question on sexual identity into the routine data collection of the ABS will:
- Improve our knowledge of lesbian, gay and bisexual communities as well as addressing the current invisibility of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
- Encourage fairer access to services for the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities. Information on sexual identity could be used to plan and provide health care services, including sexual health provision and mental health care. Other services which could be better targeted include education, employment, housing, social services, and homophobic crime reduction.
- Assist in the identification of future areas of policy development to address discrimination and disadvantage. Collection of information on sexual orientation will allow the development and monitoring of policies that tackle the social exclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
- There is a current lack of alternative data collection sources or tools.
- In addition to the Census, the ABS designs and conducts other surveys such as the Household Expenditure Survey and the Economic Activity Survey. It is possible that a question on sexuality could be included in these surveys too.
Possible disadvantages of including sexuality in the census
- Given past and some remaining government policies towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people, the collection of data could conceivably be used by the government and other bodies to the detriment of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
- For a number of reasons, including underreporting, the data showing that the number of lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Australia may be smaller than previous estimates which have been used to advocate for greater government services, funding and legal and social reform.
- When considering how the Census could allow lesbian, gay and bisexual people to be counted there are three types of questions that are commonly used to identify lesbian, gay and bisexual people. These questions usually ask either about sexual practice, sexual attraction or sexual identity. If a question on sexual identity were to be included, it would perhaps be less representative than if all three questions were asked.
- There are potential issues surrounding privacy and accuracy.
[i][i] How
[i][ii] Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of population and housing nature and content, 2008.0, .2006 p.3.
Source: ACON
HIV infections to soar by 75 per cent
By Adam Cresswell
March 03, 2008 12:15am
HIV infection rates are forecast to soar by nearly 75 per cent in parts of
An analysis of infection rates in the eastern states has shown that if trends continue, infections will rise by 73.5 per cent in
However, in NSW - originally the state worst affected by the HIV epidemic - the number of new cases is predicted to fall over the next seven years.
The report, released by the
The biggest increase was in
Condom use is known to dramatically cut the risk of HIV transmission. But even though researchers have previously found that condom use has been falling, David Wilson, the lead author of the report, said the reduction in condom use could account for only part of the increase in infections.
"The only way we could account for the increases that were observed is with the coupling of both the direct effects of the lack of protection due to decreased condom use, with the increase in other sexually transmitted infections also caused by decreased condom use," he said.
Having another sexually transmitted infection, such as gonorrhoea or syphilis, increases the risk of both acquiring HIV and passing the virus to an uninfected partner.
Dr Wilson - the head of the infectious diseases modelling unit at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the UNSW - said the modelling showed that ultimately, lower condom use was driving rising HIV infection rates.
"That's why we want this (condom use) to be the aim of public health campaigns in future," he said.
Jonathan Anderson, president of the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, said the increases in infection rates already seen in
"It would represent a failure of current approaches to the prevention of HIV infections," he said.
"It would mean we need to redouble our efforts to find new ways to engage with people about the behaviours that might put them at risk of HIV infections."
Dr Anderson said the Victorian Government was about to launch a new strategy in an attempt to rein in the recent rises seen in the state.
Source: news.com.au
HIV rates predicted to soar
Harriet Alexander
HIV rates will rise by up to 73 per cent over the next seven years partly because fewer people are using condoms, according to a study that uses mathematical modelling to predict infection trends.
The number of gay men who were becoming infected with the disease was increasing significantly, said the report by the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the
If current trends continue, infections will rise by 73.5 per cent in
The findings suggested that unprotected sex among gay men was having a double effect on HIV infection rates - because it was leaving them vulnerable to the disease itself, but also because it opened them up to other types of sexual infection, which were making them more susceptible to HIV.
The report also found nearly one in five gay men who were newly infected had caught the disease from others who were also in the recent stages of infection.
"There's been a steady reduction in condom use, particularly in
"I speculate that there's complacency starting to settle in."
Early diagnosis, promoting condom use and targeting other types of sexually transmitted infections would be needed to reverse the trend, Dr Wilson said.
"Once somebody is newly infected, that's when the virus levels are the highest and the higher the virus level the greater the chance of transmission," he said.
Source: smh.com.au
100 laws ignore same-sex couples
Patricia Karvelas, Political correspondent | March 01, 2008
THE level of legal discrimination against gays and lesbians is almost twice what it was thought to be, with about 100 federal laws ignoring homosexual couples.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland told The Weekend Australian yesterday that an audit had found the figure to be dramatically higher than that which was identified by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission.
He also promised to take action to eradicate all laws that resulted in discrimination.
"The audit of commonwealth legislation by my department has uncovered more than the 58 laws identified by HREOC that discriminate against people in close, caring relationships, including same-sex couples," he said.
The Government is planning to announce much of the reform package in the May budget because legal reform will, in some cases, result in added costs for taxpayers, with same-sex partners being granted access to benefits previously off limits.
Mr McClelland said that so far his department had found that discrimination existed in every administrative area, including education and privacy.
"Areas of discrimination include taxation, social security, superannuation, workplace laws, privacy and education assistance," he said.
"The Rudd Government is committed to removing this discrimination. I am consulting closely with my department about the best way to implement the changes."
Mr McClelland is in discussions with the ACT Government to remove clauses in its civil partnerships bill that would allow gay couples to hold a public ceremony marking their union.
Mr McClelland has told the ACT that the Rudd Government would not allow civil unions, and is pushing for a system of state-based relationship registers.
It is understood that the ACT is redrafting its bill after being warned by the federal Government that it will intervene to override civil unions.
Following a meeting with Mr McClelland last week, Australian Coalition for Equality spokesman Rodney Croome said he was hopeful the Government would move to tackle discrimination in legal and financial matters by mid-year.
"We impressed on Mr McClelland the urgency of reform, especially in areas like superannuation and aged care, which affect many elderly and retired couples," Mr Croome said. "He was able to assure us that his department has made significant progress in identifying where discrimination exists, assessing the budgetary implications of reform, and framing the necessary amendments."
In a report on same-sex entitlements released last year, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission found that 58 federal laws failed to recognise same-sex partnerships and recommended extending the definition of de facto partner as a way of tackling discrimination.
The developments come as an official contingent from the Australian Defence Force prepares to march in
Source: The Australian newspaper
Rudd fails to remove discrimination
Written by Rachel Cook
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Same-sex couples have once again missed out on financial exemptions for aged care facilities.
The Rudd government has introduced legislation that does not remove discrimination in the Aged Care Act that would ensure same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples.
Gay activists are concerned that the government is backing down on its pre-election commitments to removing legal and financial discrimination against same-sex couples.
Rod Swift, Australian Coalition for Equality spokesperson, told SX: "We call on the government to stand by its pre-election promise to end discrimination by acting wherever and whenever it can. In its report on same-sex entitlements the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission identified discrimination in aged care as one of the major areas requiring government action", Swift said.
According to the report, people in same-sex relationships pay more than their heterosexual counterparts for aged care. The report states: "For an opposite-sex couple, the value of the family home is exempted from the assets test if it is still occupied by the aged person's partner or close family member.
However, the Aged Care Act does not recognise a same-sex couple as a genuine couple, so the family home of a same-sex couple is included in the assets test even if a same-sex partner is living in it. Similarly, the income tests under the Aged Care Act treat a same-sex couple as two individuals rather than as a couple.
The end result is that a person in a same-sex couple will often pay more than a person in an opposite-sex couple when entering an aged care facility."
Source:SX NEWS
1,000 march in tribute to slain Oxnard teen - 17/2/08
OXNARD, Calif. (Map, News) - About 1,000 people have marched in tribute to an Oxnard teenager who was shot to death in his school computer lab.
The peace-and-tolerance march Saturday honored 15-year-old Lawrence King.
King was shot in the head on Tuesday at E.O. Green Junior High School and removed from life support two days later.
Classmates said King revealed he was gay this school year and had been teased because he wore makeup, high heels and other feminine attire.
A 14-year-old classmate, Brandon McInerney, is charged with killing the eighth-grader. Prosecutors want to try him as an adult for murder and committing a hate crime.
Source: http://www.examiner.com/a-1226012~1_000_march_in_tribute_to_slain_Oxnard_teen.html
Gay teen brain dead after shooting
Friday, 15 February 2008
Lawrence King, a 15-year-old gay junior high student in
King was shot at
According to reports from friends of Lawrence King speaking to the Los Angeles Times, the victim self-identified as gay, sometimes wore make-up and feminine jewelry, and was the target of ridicule by some of his classmates.
Authorities are investigating the shooting as a possible hate crime, but have not confirmed if King was targeted by the shooter because of his sexual orientation or gender expression.
The shooting has been characterized as a "personal" attack and "bad blood" between two students, but advocates caution the violence at the
"With young people coming out at younger ages, our schools - especially our junior highs and middle schools - need to be proactive about teaching respect for diversity based on sexual orientation and gender identity," said Carolyn Laub, executive director of the Gay-Straight Alliance Network.
"The tragic death of Lawrence King is a wake-up call for our schools to better protect students from harassment at school. As a society, we can prevent this kind of violence from happening."
The California Student Safety and Violence Prevention Act was enacted in 2000, and further strengthened through the passage of AB 394 (The Safe Place to Learn Act) and SB 777 (The CA Student Civil Rights Act), which went into effect on January 1, 2008.
Source: SX News
Queers feel most unsafe post-Parade: study
Written by Reg Domingo
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Nearly half of GLBT people have witnessed some form of hostility, abuse or violent attacks at major GLBT festivals, a new study reveals.
A study of 332 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people from across
A majority of respondents described the experience as relating to homophobia.
In a survey report released on Tuesday, researchers from The University of Newcastle found that 40 per cent of respondents had witnessed some form of hostility at an event with 9 per cent of these witnessing more than six incidents.
The study also revealed that a majority of these incidents occurred at the Mardi Gras Parade (59 per cent), followed by unspecified GLBT parties and events (13 per cent). Incidents were also cited in Perth Pride (7 per cent), Adelaide Feast (5 per cent) and Melbourne Midsumma (3 per cent). Brisbane Pride (2 per cent) was cited the least.
Travelling home from an event was cited as the single most risky aspect of event participation, the report said.
Many respondents said they deliberately adopted strategies to reduce the likelihood of gaining unwanted attention and hostility. These include covering up en route to and from events, acting straight, travelling in groups or using private transport.
Because of concerns regarding safety and overcrowding, over 65 per cent of respondents said they tended to avoid certain events.
Researchers also found that nearly 30 per cent of respondents had personally experienced some form of harassment or assault during a public event, with over half indicating the abuse occurred during the Mardi Gras Festival.
The survey findings also indicate that hostile acts occurred less during the Parade because of two factors: one, a high level of official, police and informal crowd supervision and surveillance; and two, "the entertaining spectacle offered to all onlookers leads to a frequent temporary suspension of sexual prejudice".
The findings are published in When The Glitter Settles: Safety and Hostility At and Around Gay and Lesbian Public Events, a report compiled by the Cultural Institutions and Practices Research Centre at the
The report suggests that there could be "a further broadening of discussion of the context of safety issues to cover more aspects of event participation and travel".
"Participants at events studied in this report focused on strategies of safety and crime at the individual and group level, whereas event organisers stressed organisational measures like crowd supervision and intensive policing," researchers Stephen Tomsen and Kevin Markwell wrote.
"These ought not be seen as opposed viewpoints: the provision of safety at such large-scale public events is clearly the responsibility of all parties involved including participants, organisers, security staff, police and local authorities."
Source: SX News
(Some) reverends say 'sorry'
A recently formed group of Christian ministers, pastors and reverends has issued an apology to the GLBT community for the church's hostility towards queer people.
100 Revs is a coalition of religious leaders from mainstream Australian churches, but do not speak as official representatives of their churches or denominations.
Spokesman Pastor Mike Hercock said the group recognises that the church has historically been unloving and in some cases responsible for hatred towards GLBT people.
"In fact, the church has been responsible for fostering hatred towards and exacerbating the marginalisation of the GLBT community," Hercock said, adding that the church's treatment of queer people has misrepresented Jesus to the community at large.
However, the sentiments of the group are not shared by Christian Democrats leader Rev Fred Nile, who said the apology was an attempt to "cash in on the wave of public sentiment" in light of the Rudd government's apology to the Aboriginal community this week.
"Sections of the homosexual community and an alleged group of so-called 'church leaders' have endeavoured to make a mockery of the suffering of the Aboriginal community by calling for an apology from the Christian church because it doesn't happen to condone or embrace their sexual activities exactly as they wish," Nile said. "It's upsetting to think that some would seek to detract from the event by pushing their own political agenda. They should be ashamed."
The 100 Revs will march in the Mardi Gras Parade to convey the apology publicly.
Source: 13 February, 2008 SX News
Radical church to picket Ledger memorial
Thursday Jan 24 18:00 AEDT
A radical American church plans to picket Heath Ledger's memorial service because of his portrayal of a gay cowboy in
Members of
"Heath Ledger thought it was great fun defying God Almighty and His plain word; to wit; God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers!" the church said in a statement.
"Ergo, God hates the sordid, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with vomit known as Brokeback Mountain and He hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it."
The
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said Ledger would forever be remembered for his groundbreaking role as Ennis del Mar in the movie.
"His powerful portrayal changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways," the association said.
Reports are suggesting that Ledger's funeral will take place in his hometown of
A memorial service is expected to take place in
The star was found dead in his
Cops accused of ignoring gay-hate crimes
By Marnie O'Neill and Jonathon Moran
January 13
GAY-HATE crimes are on the rise in Sydney, with activists warning violence may spiral out of control in the lead-up to the 30th year of Mardi Gras.
The AIDS Council Of NSW said it had received 22 reports of homophobic violence in the past six weeks alone, compared with 30 over the previous five months.
"If you look at the rate, it's basically doubled since about November," Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project co-ordinator Carl Harris said.
It can be revealed the council will lodge a formal complaint with the NSW Ombudsman against Surry Hills police for allegedly failing to protect the gay community.
The move is a response to the brutal and unsolved bashing of Redfern couple Craig and Shane on Crown St, Surry Hills, on December 3.
The attack on Craig, 27, was so vicious that it left him with a broken leg and doctors described his shattered jaw as "powder".
While police were quick to attend the crime scene, the couple feel their case was not taken seriously.
"We felt like we were doing the investigation and they were giving us excuses," Craig said.
Surry Hills Crime Manager, Detective Inspector David Egan-Lee, denied the case was not being properly investigated, but conceded relations between the station and the gay community had deteriorated.
"We're constantly told by ACON that the situation is worse than what we think," Insp Egan-Lee said. "We're not trying to hide the figures, we would like to know what the real situation is as well."
ACON chief executive officer Stevie Clayton said police data did not support the council's claims of increasing violence because such attacks were often filed as alcohol-related assaults.
"Police at Surry Hills do not encourage people to report homophobic violence as a hate crime and they sometimes fail to properly record such incidents as hate crime.
"We need police to ask people: 'Do you think this crime is related to your sexuality?"'
The bashing incident prompted Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore to write to NSW Police Minister David Campbell for the second time in a month demanding police take more action. Source:www.news.com.au
Censorship trapped in net, taking on water
GAY-HATE crimes are on the rise in Sydney, with activists warning violence may spiral out of control in the lead-up to the 30th year of Mardi Gras.
The AIDS Council Of NSW said it had received 22 reports of homophobic violence in the past six weeks alone, compared with 30 over the previous five months.
"If you look at the rate, it's basically doubled since about November," Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project co-ordinator Carl Harris said.
It can be revealed the council will lodge a formal complaint with the NSW Ombudsman against Surry Hills police for allegedly failing to protect the gay community.
The move is a response to the brutal and unsolved bashing of Redfern couple Craig and Shane on Crown St, Surry Hills, on December 3.
The attack on Craig, 27, was so vicious that it left him with a broken leg and doctors described his shattered jaw as "powder".
While police were quick to attend the crime scene, the couple feel their case was not taken seriously.
"We felt like we were doing the investigation and they were giving us excuses," Craig said.
Surry Hills Crime Manager, Detective Inspector David Egan-Lee, denied the case was not being properly investigated, but conceded relations between the station and the gay community had deteriorated.
"We're constantly told by ACON that the situation is worse than what we think," Insp Egan-Lee said. "We're not trying to hide the figures, we would like to know what the real situation is as well."
ACON chief executive officer Stevie Clayton said police data did not support the council's claims of increasing violence because such attacks were often filed as alcohol-related assaults.
"Police at Surry Hills do not encourage people to report homophobic violence as a hate crime and they sometimes fail to properly record such incidents as hate crime.
"We need police to ask people: 'Do you think this crime is related to your sexuality?"'
The bashing incident prompted Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore to write to NSW Police Minister David Campbell for the second time in a month demanding police take more action. Source:www.news.com.au
By Galen English
January 02, 2008 09:29am
IT SOUNDS entirely defensible, at first: the Federal Government plans to protect unwary children by blocking violence and pornography on the internet.
Yet this simple sounding initiative - barely discussed during the election - is riddled with technical, financial, moral and social complexities.
The Government's plan, overseen by Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy, would require internet service providers (ISPs) to block undesirable sites on computers accessed by all Australians.
A seething Dr Roger Clarke, chair of the Australian Privacy Foundation, bluntly described the proposal as "stupid and inappropriate".
He said not only was it unworkable, but it was a sinister blow to an individual's rights to use the internet without censorship.
"Not only will it not work, it is quite dangerous to let the Government censor the net and take control out of the hands of parents,' Clarke said.
"It is an inappropriate thing for them to be doing. Mr Conroy is like a schoolmaster playing God with the Australian population, all because of the dominance of a moral minority."
Conroy's view is that the legislation - compared by critics to Chinese-style internet censorship - will render unseen the most vile and extreme sites only.
"Labor makes no apologies to those that argue that any regulation on the internet is like going down the Chinese road," Conroy said.
"If people equate freedom of speech with watching child pornography, then the Rudd Labor Government is going to disagree."
One problem for the Government is that blocking child porn may unintentionally block acceptable sites.
The history of the internet is full of such examples; one blogger found that, due to spamware set to block ads for sex drug Cialis, he was unable to publish the word "socialist".
Another problem, according to civil libertarians, is that policing the net should be left to parents - not a big brother-style bureaucracy.
And, if it is disingenuous to compare Labor's policy to China's malevolent control over web access to its citizens, it is equally disingenuous of Rudd's Government to claim the issue simply relates to child pornography.
There are genuine concerns that the Government - backed by morals groups such as Family First - will in time extend the powers outside of their intended target area.
Also of concern is that, under the Government's plan, users would be permitted to "opt out" of the scheme - and might therefore find themselves listed as possible deviants.
Service providers fear any legislation would be "the thin end of the wedge", heralding widespread censorship. Besides, what evidence is there that young children using the web are regularly stumbling across child pornography?
Sites used by paedophiles are well hidden and frequently relocated to avoid detection.
On a practical level, ISPs fear the mass blocking of sites could slow internet speeds and cost millions of dollars to implement.
Crucially, the Government has not explained how such a system would be paid for or who would monitor it.
The truth is, despite the policy having been part of Labor's manifesto since 2005, and following claims the Government is "engaged constructively with the sector", no one has the faintest idea how such a system would work.
It is expected any future filtered feeds would be based on a current voluntary UK system operated by British Telecom.
Sites identified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (AMAC) would be "blacklisted" and then blocked by the servers.
The ability for download speeds to be maintained would depend on the exact number of sites blocked - it is suspected around 2000 sites could cause problems.
A user typing in the address would be sent to an error page or possibly - as in Scandinavia - redirected to a police page.
However, ISPs fear a system based on key indicator words could rapidly clog the system.
In the UK the Internet Watch Foundation has its encrypted list of 1200 paedophile and race-hate sites updated twice a day.
Even still, it is unlikely to deter computer savvy paedophiles here from simply relocating their sites or from swapping pictures on message boards or in forums, thus rendering any filter impotent.
So far the industry, although eager not to be seen to be dragging its feet on child pornography, has been noticeably reticent in its response to Labor's plans.
Internet Industry Association spokesman Peter Coroneos was keen to emphasise the work already being done by service providers in supplying free filters.
They are likely to clarify their position after ACMA runs simulated tests on a filtered network later this year.
"We obviously want to know if this will have an impact on network performance," Coroneos said.
"At the moment we don't know what the extent of it will be, what it will cost, and whether it will set a precedent for other changes. We just don't know if it is feasible."
Source: www.news.com.au
LOVNEY TO STAND DOWN
by Cara Davis (13/12/07)
Adrian Lovney has announced his resignation as president of ACON, to take effect in March 2008.
Lovney's speech was made at ACON's annual general meeting last week, in which he declared he would hand over the baton to current ACON secretary Mark Orr.
After seven years in the job, Lovney said it was time for a new leader to further sharpen the organisation's strategy.
Lovney's term as the chair of ACON kicked off with a tumultuous debate about the future of the organisation, which saw ACON go from being an AIDS council to a gay and lesbian health organisation with a central focus on HIV.
While it was controversial at the time, Lovney said, "it is now absolutely clear that it was the right thing to do" - with almost every other AIDS council in Australia
"We have managed to reinvigorate the organisation, and broaden our focus on a whole range of issues that impact on the health of our community," he said.
"We asked people to take us up on our promise that the decisions we were taking weren't about lessening our focus on HIV but were about making sure we were doing our work better, and we have.
"There is more to do, but HIV prevention in NSW has been more successful than almost anywhere in the world, and our services to positive people have improved out of sight."
Lovney welcomed the incoming Rudd Government, adding that there was now an opportunity to capitalise on the commitments made.
Obtaining funds for ACON services had been extremely challenging under the previous government, Lovney said, with four out of five funding applications over the last four years declined.
"On the basis of documents that were leaked to us it was obvious that our applications had been ranked extremely highly by the bureaucrats, but there was clear evidence of interference by very high levels of government," he said.
"Malcolm Turnbull was instrumental in helping to shift that, and we congratulate him for his leadership, but it was four or five years after we made our first application for funding. With Labor, I am now confident that the dam is broken."
ACON CEO Stevie Clayton said that as well as helping to create a new vision for the future of the organisation, Lovney went on to provide stability and leadership at a time when HIV infections were on the increase.
"It would have been really easy for ACON, as we saw some other organisations do in other cities, to be defensive about the increase rather than trying to respond to it," she said.
Lovney would not take full credit for ACON's achievements, however, instead commending the "outstanding" staff and volunteers at ACON, and the "extraordinary" work done by Clayton. SSO News Link
ACT Govt renews push for gay marriage
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell says he will take up the issue of gay marriage with his new federal Labor counterpart.
The ACT Civil Unions Bill has been proposed in the past but was quashed by the former federal attorney-general Phillip Ruddock.
Mr Corbell says he is now hoping to revive the push for gay marriage in the Territory.
"Federal Labor has maintained a consistent position on these matters," he said.
"They have indicated that when it comes to regulating and providing for same sex relationships that that's a matter for the states and territories.
"Clearly that's where the constitutional authority resides and certainly I am very hopeful that will continue to be the case."
Source: ABC NEWS ONLINE
Justice Kirby Bashes The Bishops
Local News, By Christian Taylor, 26th November, 2007
High Court judge and Same Same 25er Michael Kirby has spoken out about Peter Jensen and George Pell - the Anglican and Catholic archbishops of Sydney, saying that their homophobic attitudes rub off on the general public, and stand in the way of people adopting a more tolerant attitude towards gays and lesbians.
"Often, it has to be said, [people are uncomfortable with gays because of] religion," Kirby told ABC Radio's Sunday Profile. "It comes from people's religious upbringing, reinforced even to this day by religious instruction, and it has to be said, religious instruction from the two archbishops of
While his partner Johan has urged him to leave the church, Kirby has remained despite the discrimination.
"My partner, Johan, is not a believer and he constantly says to me, 'I don't understand how one of the most intelligent people in this country can take any of this stuff seriously'."
Kirby's also quite philosophical about the discrimination that he faces from some of his colleagues.
"We have our different values and our different life experiences, and they have theirs and I have to respect theirs," says Kirby. "If I'd had a different life experience, maybe I would have been a bit different."
Kirby says that while a variety of judges' philosophies can be a good thing, "because then you have an interaction and a frisson of opinion within the court," he also at times feels like he is in a minority of one, "and that really is different," says Kirby. "You can't have as rich a human relationship with people in those circumstances."
http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/1683/Justice_Kirby_Bashes_The_Bishops
| The News | |
| Wednesday, 07 November 2007 | |
|
The Greens and Democrats have come out on top in relation to support for the GLBTIQ community in a survey by Australian Coalition for Equality (ACE). The lobby group surveyed the ALP, Liberal/National, Greens, Democrats and Family First parties on a range of issues including support for a federal gender identity anti-discrimination law, various relationship recognitions, parenting equality, and recognising the gender identity of transgender and intersex Australians in official documents. In addition, the parties were asked if they would establish formal liaison between federal government agencies and the GLBTIQ community and if they will protest against GLBTIQ human rights abuses overseas. Both the minor parties indicated unqualified support for all the above, while Labor supported some of the initiatives such as parenting equality including opposing a ban on adoption from overseas by same-sex couples, supporting relationship registries and recognition of same-sex defacto partners. However, it fell down in other areas, such as same-sex civil unions and marriage. The party also only gave qualified support to other issues around trans and intersex rights and while it supports a federal sexuality and gender identity anti-discrimination law, it only does so on the basis that religious organisations are exempt from such a law. The Liberals/Nationals only managed unqualified support for same-sex couples as interdependent partners - as did Family First - and qualified support for protesting international GLBTIQ human rights abuses and funding anti-discrimination programs with a queer focus. ACE spokesperson Rodney Croome expressed concern that the Coalition has refused to give concrete commitments to tackling discrimination against same-sex couples if it wins government, while the ALP has watered down its commitment to a national law preventing discrimination on the grounds of sexuality and gender identity in areas such as employment, education and housing by ruling out this reform in its first term. "The ALP is sending a mixed message by saying it will remove discrimination against same-sex couples, but not protect individual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people from discrimination," Croome said. The results of the ACE's survey can be found at http://www.movingforward.org.au/ . |
|
Rudd under fire over gay marriage remarks
http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/news/rudd-under-fire-over-gay-marriage-remarks.html
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
GLBTIQ advocates have expressed disappointment over Opposition leader Kevin Rudd's reiteration on the Austereo network this week that neither he nor the Labor Party believed in same-sex marriage.
On Monday Rudd told listeners of the Kyle and Jackie O show on 2day FM: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman." Despite being informed by the radio station's gay news reader Geoff Field that this made him feel like a "second-class citizen", Rudd stood by his comments.
Not even parallels made by Sandilands comparing the issue of same-sex marriage to the fight by black people to be allowed to sit at the front of the bus moved Rudd. "I know [mine] is not a popular view on this programme," he acknowledged.
While praising Rudd for his commitment to removing discriminatory legislation against GLBTIQ people, Australian Coalition for Equality spokesperson Rodney Croome said not allowing same-sex couples to marry meant they remained second-class citizens.
"Even if Labor fulfils all of its promises it will still not be possible for same-sex partners to publicly and officially declare their love for each other in front of their family and friends, as they can in Canada, Britain, New Zealand and many other western countries. It was traditional for interracial marriages to be banned, but that didn't make it right. Labor is effectively saying same-sex couples can get on the bus, but we still have to sit at the back."
Greens Senator Kerry Nettle weighed into the debate, pointing out that without universal access to marriage for all Australians, relationship equality would never be a reality.
"Mr Rudd's rhetoric is much better but does nothing to overturn the Labor/Liberal ban on same-sex marriage," she said.
Groups survey politicians on queer rights
http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/news/groups-survey-politicians-on-queer-rights.html
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
ACON, the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby of NSW and the Australian Coalition for Equality (ACE) are carrying out surveys of politicians from all major and minor parties in the lead up to the election, asking for their views on GLBTIQ rights.
ACON's survey will focus on queer health, while ACE is keen to know where the parties stand on a wide range of issues, not just relationship recognition.
"While headline issues like relationship recognition are in our survey, we've also asked questions on issues like GLBTI health, education, violence and suicide programs, Defence Force anti-harassment policies, and Australian government advocacy against GLBTI discrimination in other countries", said spokesperson Rod Swift.
Trans activist Martine Delaney, also a spokesperson for ACE, said a range of transgender and intersex issues are canvassed on the survey because of the failure of the major parties to so far articulate a clear, positive policy on gender diversity.
"One way to move major parties towards recognition of transgender and intersex human rights is to quiz them on these issues at election time", Delaney said.
The only response to the survey so far has been from One Nation. Queensland Senate candidate, Rod Evans, declared on behalf of his party: "My Christian Bible tells me that homosexuality and buggery is an abomination."
Meanwhile Tasmanian activists have praised Liberal federal election candidate, Vanessa Goodwin, who made a commitment not to issue campaign materials that vilify sexual or gender minorities. Goodwin made the commitment on ABC Radio after the Liberal Party refused to allow her to sign a pledge on its behalf against inciting anti-gay hatred.
Howard unclear on GLBTI reform
http://sxnews.e-p.net.au/news/howard-unclear-on-glbti-reform.html
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
With the federal election now announced for November 24, Prime Minister John Howard is under increasing pressure to confirm his position on gay and lesbian rights. After speculation he will support moves towards an increase in pro-gay legislation it is still not clear which amendments he intends to make to legislation.
In a recent press conference Howard stated the government's position is that, "We have no desire to discriminate against people on the basis of their sexual preferences. I want to make that very clear. We, however, have a very strong view in relation to the institution of marriage, which is articulated in the amendments we made to the Marriage Act."
When asked if he would give gay and lesbian couples the same rights as de facto couples the Prime Minister responded, "If you're asking me does the government endorse all of the recommendations of the Human Rights Commission on this, no it doesn't."
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) report titled 'Same Sex: Same Entitlements', outlining the 58 areas of discrimination against same-sex couples, was presented to parliament in June this year. Following this, an ad hoc parliamentary committee formed last month and, after their inquiry, recommended the passage of the Bill 'as a matter of urgency'.
The Howard government has so far failed to act on those recommendations despite pressure from their own members.
Graeme Innes AM, Human Rights Commissioner, told SX he takes a more positive stance for the outcomes of the HREOC report:
"There has been support across all political parties for reform. It is my expectation there will be reform next year regardless of which party wins the election. Labor has said they will remove the discriminatory 58 laws we have found and the Coalition has said they will examine the issues on a case-by-case basis. We will continue to encourage all parties to take these reforms seriously. We have done our work but of course we are hoping to see a fully resolved outcome."
Gay adoption issue 'a matter for the states'
October 23, 2007 - 6:12PM
Source: ABC
http://www.bigpond.com/news/breaking/content/20071023/2068183.asp
Labor leader Kevin Rudd has been questioned extensively today about his views on gay marriage and gay adoption.
Mr Rudd says he does not believe in gay marriage but he does want to see an end to all other discrimination against gay people.
He says there should be some exceptional cases where gay people can adopt children, but says it is a matter for the states.
"If for example you have parents deceasing and you have a set of arrangements where next of kin may be in a particular same sex relationship then you need to have some discretion within the state adoption agencies to take care of those circumstances," he said.
"That's why I say these things are properly left within the discretion of state governments."
Archbishop says condoms infected with AIDS
report by Africa correspondent Andrew Geoghegan
September 27, 2007 - 7:10AM
Source: ABC
The head of the Catholic Church in Mozambique is reportedly claiming that condoms and some drug treatments are deliberately infected with the AIDS virus as a part of an international plot to kill African people.
Archbishop Francisco Chimoio made the startling allegations to the BBC in the Mozambique capital, Maputo.
He claims that some European-made condoms and anti-retroviral drugs are deliberately infected with HIV in a conspiracy to finish the African people.
Mozambique, like many African countries, is losing the battle against HIV-AIDS and activists are frustrated with the Catholic Church's opposition to the use of condoms.
Archbishop Chimoio is well respected in Mozambique, but his comments have stunned AIDS activists.
Source http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/09/27/2044558.htm
FRIDAY 17 AUGUST 2007
SENATOR LYNALLISON
AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS LEADER
DEMS SET UP ADHOCINQUIRY INTO SAME-SEX DISCRIMINATION
The Australian Democrats have set up their own inquiry into the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Bill 2007 following a decision on Wednesday by all Coalition senators to block a formal Senate inquiry into the bill.
"It seems the Government doesn't want to address this issue in an election year. But the Government's veto in the Senate can't prevent us from holding our own inquiry at Parliament House," Democrats leader Senator Lyn Allison said.
This is only the second time that a "private" Senate inquiry has been conducted in the history of the Parliament— the first by Democrats Senator Sid Spindler in 1995.
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Bill will implement the recommendations of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission inquiry which found that 58 federal laws deny same-sex couples the same entitlements as heterosexual couples.
"The Government says it wants to remove financial and work-related discrimination against same-sex couples. So what's stopping it? We've identified the discriminatory laws, and we've put together a bill to amend those laws," she said.
"I hope this inquiry will demonstrate to the Government the urgency of bringing about these reforms, and I hope it will help to answer any questions the Government might have about the financial cost of implementing the bill if it were to become law."
Other political parties will be invited onto the committee which will be chaired by Senator Allison.
The committee is calling for submissions from interested groups and individuals. Details for making submissions are available at www.democrats.org.au/glbti. The closing date is September 3 and the committee will report by September 10. It will hold a public hearing at Parliament House in the first week of September.
Senator Allison will also set up a board at Parliament House containing photos of same-sex couples who want to see an end to the discrimination. Photos can be emailed to tim.wright@aph.gov.au.
Media contact - Media Officer 0408 056 167 (Paul Watson)
Australian Trans People Denied Passports by Minister for Foreign Affairs
The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer in May 2007 signed an order to stop many of the
This means that transsexual people in transition would have to travel aboard with a passport of the opposite gender to which they are presenting or with a Document of Identity which states their name but does not disclose any sex or gender identity. This even applies to someone travelling overseas for the express purpose of completing their transsexual surgery (Breast surgery is common in Australiabut genital surgery is often carried out outside
Transgender people who do not want to have genital surgery will also now have to travel on a passport which will read the opposite sex and gender to which they present or with a DOI which will make them stand out ie by not having a passport. These people will now not be able to travel outside Australiasafely and anonymously, making them susceptible to abuse, violence, and discrimination abroad. This change in the law was brought about by the Howard government without any community, medical, healthcare or public consultation. It is an act of violence against the transgender community by the Howard government to please the arch conservative right-wing voters in the run up to election. It is a hate crime.
Sign SAGE's petition to campaign for a passport review at :
http://www.mrsite.co.uk/www.petitiononline.com/sagepass/petition.html
(international signatories very welcome)
Contact your MP
Send a letter to the Australian Minster for Foreign Affairs, Canberra
Send this email to a friend and any networks you are on.
Thank you!
Sex And Gender Education (SAGE)
Campaigning for the rights of all sex and gender diverse people in Australia
http://www.mrsite.co.uk/www.sageaustralia.org
See related article:
http://evolutionpublishing.com.au/sxnews/features/danger-zone.aspx
SX News, 9 August 2007
Danger Zone
An amendment to the passport legislation to plug a loophole allowing same-sex marriage compromises trans people's safety. Katrina Fox reports.
Two weeks ago, a pre-operative trans woman, Stefanie Imbruglia (singer Natalie's cousin), went to the Australian Passport Office in Sydney to obtain a temporary passport showing her sex as female, which would allow her to travel to Thailand for genital realignment surgery. She didn't anticipate any problems, since hundreds of trans people before her had successfully applied for and received such interim passports as a matter of course. However, in what she describes as a "twilight zone moment", things went awry: she was subjected to a passport officer insisting on calling her 'Sir' when she was presenting as obviously female, and denied a passport that reflects her gender identity.
"I handed my documentation across to him [and] almost immediately, he referred to me as 'Sir', but the first two times, I thought I was just hearing things," Imbruglia recalls. "He then told me that I could not get a passport with the letter 'F. I asked to see where I couldn't in writing and he went away for about five minutes or so."
Upon his return, the passport officer, still referring to Imbruglia as 'Sir', handed her a copy of the July 2007 issue of Passport News, an internal newsletter for staff, with a story titled 'Transgender Passport Applicants: New Policy'.
The story, seen by SX, states that the Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, signed an amendment to the passport legislation in May this year that disallows trans people to obtain a passport in their "intended sex". Applicants may obtain a passport stating the sex on their birth certificate or be issued with a Document of Identity (DOI), which states their new name and the fact they are an Australian citizen, but does not disclose their sex.
This piece of legislation was slipped through without any consultation with the trans community and has caused an uproar with trans advocacy groups and professionals who work with trans people. Sex and gender specialist psychotherapist, Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, tried unsuccessfully for a week to get Downer's office to supply full documentation on the new amendment and lambasted him for putting trans people wishing to travel overseas in danger.
"This will put members of the trans community in danger when they are travelling because they will not have a passport that matches their gender presentation," O'Keefe told SX. "The psychological damage as well as the security risk to
these already vulnerable people will be enormous."
Information officer at the Gender Centre NSW, Katherine Cummings, agreed. "Our clientele are forced to carry documentation which doesn't include their innate gender, leaving them open to be harassed in customs areas."
Imbruglia's case has been taken on by lobby group Sex and Gender Education (SAGE) which is planning a campaign and online petition. Spokesperson Norrie May-Welby told SX: "You can't travel with breasts and 'male' on your passport and this is what Downer is making trannies do. A DOI creates fuss and bother and someone travelling overseas doesn't need that. They could be travelling through fundamentalist countries or just going through high-security post-9/11, where if there's something out of the ordinary, they can target someone. It's most unfair to single trans people out to travel with dodgy paperwork."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the purpose of the amendment was to "strengthen the integrity and security of Australian passports", arguing that only the State and Territory Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship have the legislated power to amend records when people have satisfied their requirements to record a change of gender.
"It would be inconsistent ... for the Department to continue to issue passports, albeit limited in validity, to persons in a sex other than that shown in the records held by the State or Territory BDM Registrar or the Department of Immigration and Citizenship," a spokesperson told SX.
Trans activists, however, have suggested that that the move was precipitated by the government wanting to plug a loophole which could open the door to same-sex marriage.
A post-operative trans woman has a case pending in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in which she is suing the federal government for refusing to grant her a female passport because she is still legally married to a woman. The trans woman married her female partner using her male birth certificate. She is challenging the federal government on the grounds that it was out of its jurisdiction by taking any other information from the birth certificate apart from residency. If she wins the case, she and her partner will be the first legally recognised same-sex married couple in
As for Imbruglia, the change in law leaves her fearing for her safety. "I'm now unsure about my travel to
To join SAGE's campaign and sign the online petition, visit http://www.mrsite.co.uk/www.sageaustralia.org
A HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE ON HIV TESTING
Justice Michael Kirby
24 July, 2007
http://www.illawarraqinfo.com/userimages/HIV_Testing_Kirby.PDF
HREOC ANNOUNCES REPORT
SAME SEX: SAME ENTITLEMENTS
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/samesex/report/pdf/report_ch4.pdf
Executive Summary
At least 20 000 couples in
Same-sex couples and families are denied basic financial and work-related entitlements which opposite-sex couples and their families take for granted.
Same-sex couples are not guaranteed the right to take carer's leave to look after a sick partner.
Same-sex couples have to spend more money on medical expenses than opposite-sex couples to enjoy the Medicare and PBS Safety Nets.
Same-sex couples are denied a wide range of tax concessions available to opposite-sex couples.
The same-sex partner of a federal government employee is denied access to certain superannuation and workers' compensation death benefits available to an opposite-sex partner.
The same-sex partner of a defence force veteran is denied a range of pensions and concessions available to an opposite-sex partner.
Older same-sex couples will generally pay more than opposite-sex couples when entering aged care facilities.
This is just a small sample of the discrimination caused by the many federal financial and work-related laws which exclude same-sex couples and their children.
It is not just
This discrimination breaches human rights. And it can be stopped. All it takes is a few changes to the definitions in some federal laws.
Same-sex families; second-class citizens
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry spent more than three months travelling around Australia holding public hearings and community forums to hear, first hand, about the impact of discriminatory laws on gay and lesbian couples. Those public consultations, and some of the 680 written submissions received by the Inquiry, clearly describe the financial and emotional strain placed on gay and lesbian couples who are trying to enjoy their lives like everybody else in the community.
A same-sex couple from
We are an average suburban family. We are working hard and contributing to our community. We don't want special treatment - just what others can expect from their legal and social community. Our rights are denied simply because of who we love. We just want equality.
A lesbian parent in
I am not a second class citizen and resent my family and I being treated as such. All I ask is to be treated equally, no more and no less than any other Australian. Just equal.
A gay doctor put it like this:
I am a first-class taxpayer but a second-class citizen.
Federal laws breach human rights
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry conducted an audit of federal laws relating to financial and work-related entitlements in order to identify those which discriminate against same-sex couples and their children.
The Inquiry has identified 58 federal laws (listed in Appendix 1) which breach the rights of same-sex couples and in some cases the rights of their children.
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry finds that:
1. The 58 federal laws in Appendix 1 discriminate against same-sex couples in the area of financial and work-related entitlements. Those laws breach the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
2. Many of the federal laws in Appendix 1 discriminate against the children of same-sex couples and fail to protect the best interests of the child in the area of financial and work-related entitlements. Those laws breach the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Simple amendments will remove discrimination
It is simple to remove discrimination against same-sex couples in federal financial and work-related entitlements: change the definitions in the 58 laws listed in Appendix 1 to this report.
There is no need to rewrite federal tax legislation, superannuation legislation, workers' compensation legislation, employment legislation, veterans' entitlements legislation or any other major area of federal financial entitlements. There just needs to be some changes to a few definitions at the front of each relevant piece of legislation.
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry recommends that:
1. The federal government should amend the discriminatory laws identified by this Inquiry to ensure that same-sex and opposite-sex couples enjoy the same financial and work-related entitlements.
2. The federal government should amend the discriminatory laws identified by this Inquiry to ensure that the best interests of children in same-sex and opposite-sex families are equally protected in the area of financial and work-related entitlements.
http://www.humanrights.gov.au/human_rights/samesex/report/Summary.html
PRESS RELEASE 21 June 2007
New Poll finds 71% of Australians
Want Equality For Same Sex Couples
Today, GetUp! released the results of an explosive Galaxy poll demonstrating Australians' widespread support for same sex couples' rights. A commanding 71% of Australians agree that same-sex partners should have the same legal rights as de facto heterosexual couples, while only 23% disagreed. This represents a 3-1 margin in support.
"Australians have made it clear that they oppose government discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation," said GetUp! Executive Director Brett Solomon. "We are far from the days when granting rights to same-sex couples was political suicide - instead, it is now electoral necessity."
Support for equal rights for gay couples is remarkably resilient across demographics, with majorities of every demographic agreeing that same sex partners should have the same rights as heterosexual de facto couples. Remarkably, equal rights for same sex couples are supported by greater than a 2-to-1 margin even among Coalition voters (63% agree, 31% disagree).
"Australians don't want their gay friends and family to feel like second-class citizens," said Mr Solomon. "Why is it that when Australians favour equal rights for same-sex couples by more than a 3-to-1 margin, neither major party will give it to them?"
Among demographic categories, young people aged 16-24 (82% agree, 14% disagree) and women (80% agree, 15% disagree) are the most likely to support same sex equality.
GetUp will be launching a national email campaign in support of equality for same sex couples.
In addition, for the first time ever a majority of Australians support gay marriage - 57% of Australians agree that same-sex couples should be able to marry. The right to marry also garners overwhelming support among younger voters, who are generally acknowledged as the key to this year's federal election: 69% of those 16-24 and 72% of those 25-34 agree that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, compared with only 27% of each group in disagreement.
"This is about both major parties recognising the realities of a modern Australia - clearly the people already do - and legislating to reflect that. An important first step towards equality must be for the government to grant same sex couples de facto status," said Mr Solomon.
Although comparisons over time are difficult due to differences in exact wording, public sentiment appears to have shifted significantly over the past three years. In a 2004 Newspoll that asked, "Thinking now about gay marriages, that is same-sex marriages either between two men, or between two women. Are you personally in favour or against same sex couples being given the same rights to marry as couples consisting of a man and a woman?" only 38% of Australians were in favour, with 44% against.
And just last year, when Newspoll asked whether respondents agreed or disagreed with the statement "The federal government should introduce a new law that formally recognizes same-sex relationships," only a slim majority of 52% agreed, with 37% disagreeing.
For more information please contact Brett Solomon on 0407 419 320. About GetUp: GetUp.org.au is an independent movement to build a progressive Australia. GetUp brings together like-minded people who want to bring participation back into our democracy. GetUp has over 170,000 members nationwide.
PRESS RELEASE 20 June 2007
National Galaxy Survey
Conducted for GetUp! June 16-17, 2007
N=1100 (adults 16+)
Q1. Currently, same-sex partners do not have the same legal rights as heterosexual de facto partners in areas such as Medicare and superannuation. Do you agree or disagree that same sex partners should have the same legal rights as those in a heterosexual de facto relationship?
| Agree | Disagree | Don't Know | |
| TOTAL | 71% | 23% | 5% |
| HR Vote: ALP | 77% | 19% | 4% |
| HR Vote: Coalition | 63% | 31% | 6% |
| HR Vote: Green | 84% | 15% | 1% |
| Sex: Male | 62% | 32% | 6% |
| Sex: Female | 80% | 15% | 5% |
| Age: 16-24 | 82% | 14% | 4% |
| Age: 25-34 | 78% | 17% | 4% |
| Age: 35-49 | 75% | 21% | 5% |
| Age: 50+ | 60% | 32% | 8% |
Q2. Do you agree or disagree that same sex couples should be able to marry?
| Agree | Disagree | Don't Know | |
| TOTAL | 57% | 37% | 6% |
| HR Vote: ALP | 63% | 31% | 6% |
| HR Vote: Coalition | 43% | 49% | 8% |
| HR Vote: Green | 77% | 20% | 3% |
| Sex: Male | 48% | 47% | 6% |
| Sex: Female | 65% | 28% | 7% |
| Age: 16-24 | 69% | 27% | 4% |
| Age: 25-34 | 72% | 27% | 2% |
| Age: 35-49 | 63% | 32% | 6% |
| Age: 50+ | 39% | 51% | 10% |
Source: http://beta.getup.org.au/files/media/equalityforsamesexcouples.pdf
Aussie leader pooh-poohs pro-gay poll
Thursday, June 21, 2007 / 12:57 PM
SUMMARY: The prime minister stands firm against marriage as a new poll reveals that 71 percent of Australians believe gay partners should have equal rights.
Prime Minister John Howard stood firm against same-sex marriage Thursday as an opinion poll revealed that 71 percent of Australians believe that same-sex partners should have the same legal rights as common-law heterosexual couples.
"We are not in favor of discrimination, but of course our views on the nature of marriage in our community are very well-known and they won't be changing," Howard told Sky television.
Howard's center-right government amended federal law in 2004 to ensure that gay and lesbian couples cannot legally marry and to close any potential room for legal challenge to the ban.
Gay groups accused Howard of prejudice, and also attacked his recent statements that
An independent human rights group GetUp! released a poll Thursday that showed 71 percent of Australians agreed that same-sex couples should have the same legal rights as heterosexual partners in common-law marriages while only 23 percent disagreed.
The national random telephone survey conducted by Galaxy Research on June 16-17 of 1,100 Australians over the age of 16 had a 2.7 percent margin of error.
''Australians don't want their gay friends and family to feel like second-class citizens,'' GetUp! executive director Brett Solomon said.
With the elections due late this year and Howard's government trailing in opinion polls, Solomon said granting rights to same-sex couples is an ''electoral necessity.''
The main opposition Labor party supported the ban on gay marriage.
Howard will come under further pressure to change the law to give gays and lesbians more rights when a report by the government's chief discrimination watchdog is made public late Thursday.
http://www.planetout.com/news/article.html?2007/06/21/5
Ruddock says no money for gay reform
Published: 03-05-2007
Despite predictions that this year's Federal budget will deliver another substantial surplus, Federal Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock said 'budget concerns' were the reason for the government's lack of action on remaining discrimination, including same-sex war widow pensions.
Speaking on the ABC's PM program, in relation to war pensions specifically, Mr Ruddock said if the eligibility criteria were to include same-sex partners, it adds to the money that has to be found to pay the pension "and the proposition is a very simple one."
"Issues that can be readily addressed that don't involve significant budgetary outlays which do bring different considerations to bear will be examined by the government," Mr Ruddock added.
With the current government surplus estimated to be worth about $16 billion, Rod Swift, spokesperson for the Australian Coalition for Equality told Sydney's Star Observer, he rejected the notion that the money couldn't be found. Instead, Mr Swift labeled the comments an attempt by the Federal Government to create a wedge issue in an election year.
"Rights become a convenient thing to support only when they don't cost money," he said.
"The financial argument that is coming out now is deliberately designed to divide on this policy so the Howard government can fudge and do nothing until the next federal election."
Mr Swift added that the federal Government is yet to fulfill its 2004 promise to remove remaining discrimination from federal superannuation laws.
The Department of Finance and Administration refused to release the cost assessment requested by the opposition under Freedom of Information laws. However, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) report into financial discrimination against same-sex couples is due to be delivered to Mr Ruddock this month, after the 2007 budget is handed down. (Cath Pope, Gay.com)
Source: http://www.gay.com/channels/article.html;jsessionid=71798b28aa4c63574934be370750?id=1159
Same-sex register for Victoria
April 24, 2007 11:48am
Article from: AAP
A SAME-sex relationship register should be in place in
He said he remained opposed to gay marriage, but said the register would allow improved legal recognition of gay couples and also those in defacto and long-term care giving relationships.
"It operates in
"It eases the pressure on continual proof, for example if you have an accident and somebody is in intensive care obviously those proof arrangements are difficult.
"I think this step removes any legal impediments and makes sure the law works equally no matter what your situation."
Mr Bracks said several municipal councils had made representations to government in support of the move, and Melbourne City Council had already introduced its own register.
A discussion paper would be released ahead of the required changes to state law later this year, he said, while the issue of gay marriage fell under federal law.
"What we're saying is we're not going to (take) any step in relation to civil unions or gay marriages, we actually have made a statement about removing discrimination," Mr Bracks said.
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission described the planned register as a critical step in reducing discrimination.
"Federal laws are standing in the way of true equality for gay and lesbian couples across
She said couples on the register would receive a certificate which proved their relationship in dealings with government, courts and agencies.
The move would place
Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21611975-29277,00.html?from=public_rss
Gay marriage evil: Vatican
From correspondents in
April 24, 2007 05:14am
Article from: Reuters
THE
The attack by Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the latest in a string of speeches made by either Pope Benedict XVI or other Vatican officials as
In an address to chaplains, Archbishop Amato said newspapers and television bulletins often seemed like "a perverse film about evil".
He denounced "evils that remain almost invisible" because the media presented them as "expression of human progress".
He listed these as abortion clinics, which he called "slaughterhouses of human beings", euthanasia, and "parliaments of so-called civilised nations where laws contrary to the nature of the human being are being promulgated, such as the approval of marriage between people of the same sex ...".
Archbishop Amato spoke at a time when the
The church and Catholic politicians, even some in Prime Minister Romano Prodi's centre-left coalition, see the proposed law as a Trojan Horse and say it could lead to gay marriages.
Archbishop Amato, who is said to be very close to the Pope, criticised the media's coverage of ethical issues.
After denouncing "abominable terrorism" such as that carried out by suicide bombers, he condemned what he called "terrorism with a human face", and accused the media of manipulating language "to hide the tragic reality of the facts".
"For example, abortion is called 'voluntary interruption of pregnancy' and not the killing of a defenceless human being; an abortion clinic is given a harmless, even attractive, name: 'centre for reproductive health'; and euthanasia is blandly called 'death with dignity'," he said.
Gay rights group have criticised the Pope and Catholic church officials in the past over such comments, accusing them of interfering in
Groups opposed to gay marriage and recognition of unmarried couples are planning a national rally in
Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21611159-38200,00.html?from=public_rss
One-in-four don't want gay neighbours
By Rosemary Desmond
April 19, 2007 05:42pm
ALMOST one in four Australians don't want homosexuals as neighbours, an international survey has found.
Australians are less bigoted on the subject than people in
Prof Mangan is co-author of a paper interpreting statistics from the Human Beliefs and Values Survey, conducted in 24 Western countries between 1999 and 2002.
He said the results showed anti-gay prejudice was by no means confined to
"The conclusion is the most prevalent form of bigotry is homophobia," he said.
"It's everybody except Scandinavians, so it's not a particularly Australian thing."
Of the 2048 people sampled by phone in
But the figure was exceeded by survey respondents in
And
The least prejudiced nationality in the survey was
Australia fared relatively well in other categories, with only 4.6 per cent of people saying they would not like people of a different race as neighbours and 4.5 per cent objecting to immigrants or foreign workers next door.
Italians, on 15.6 per cent, topped the list of those who didn't want a different race next door.
The Northern Irish held the strongest views on immigrants and foreign workers, with 19 per cent saying they were not desirable neighbours.
Prof Mangan said the reasons why the various national attitudes evolved would be the subject of further research.
Factors influencing bigotry included income levels, whether people were employed or not, education levels and political leanings.
"Tolerance seems to rise with education more than anything else," Prof Mangan said.
"But you can have quite wealthy people who are older and probably have less formal education who tend to have more fixed beliefs."
His research has been published recently in the international economics journal, Kyklos.
The paper, entitled Love Thy Neighbour: How Much Bigotry is there is Western Countries, was co-authored by Professor Vani Borooah (Vani Borooah) of the
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21585267-1702,00.html?from=public_rss
Men would 'rather die' than admit to gay affairs
By Katelyn Jenn
April 18, 2007 01:00am
AN Australian survey shows married men who have sex with other men would rather commit suicide than risk admitting it and losing their families.
But trying to protect their family could do much more harm, with sexually transmitted disease quickly passed on through a lack of caution.
A
The participants, recruited through the internet or "sex on'' venues like saunas, all lived in western
The results showed that more than half of the men's female partners were not aware of their sexual activities, and that most of the men had married because they wanted a family, heterosexual "normalisation'' and believed their sexual feelings for men would eventually go away.
"A lot of men will commit suicide because they don't see any other way out,'' researcher Jeff Hudson said.
"Instead of hurting their wives or damaging their marriage or ending up with nothing, they would rather kill themselves.
"They can't see exposure to their wives as being a solution because they don't want to hurt their wives, they want to protect their wives.''
But Mr Hudson said not telling at least their doctors could do a lot more harm than good to their wives, whom almost 50 per cent of those surveyed claimed to love.
"Health professionals should know it occurs,'' Mr Hudson said.
"If someone comes in to get a test at the doctor because they're sick, just because they're married the doctor would not say you should have an STI (sexually transmitted infection) check, or HIV check.
"That's where often the disease spread happens, because these men don't see themselves as at risk or at risk for their wives because they don't identify with the usual gay man or bisexual man and so the health professionals don't ask about sexual history.''
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21573566-2,00.html?from=public_rss
Gay judge praises gay Idol
Published: 03-04-2007
Within Australian gay circles, in what has come to be known as the highest form of praise possible, Australia's most revered gay man, High Court Justice, Michael Kirby congratulated former Australian Idol contestant, pop star Anthony Callea for coming out.
During a speech he delivered to the Southern Cross University in Lismore this week, Justice Kirby praised the Idol finalist Anthony Callea and told the packed audience that "the time for hiding the truth about one's sexuality because people do not want to face it is over."
Justice Kirby told the audience he would write to Mr Callea to congratulate him for his decision.
"I'm going to write to him and congratulate him because frankly I'd trade 10 judges for one pop star," he said, adding, "I think it's a wonderful thing that he's expressed the truth and he's getting on with his life."
Justice Kirby urged Australians to "face up to the scientific fact that a small proportion of every society are gay, and that's just part of the reality."
During his speech, Justice Kirby also criticised federal laws that do not protect homosexuals in the same way as married or de facto couples.
Reflecting on his 12 years on Australia's highest court, Justice Kirby said he made no mention of his own male partner when he joined the bench.
"My partner and I had never denied our relationship. However, a point was reached when it became appropriate to be more explicit in the acknowledgment of someone who had contributed so much to my life," he said. (Cath Pope, Gay.com)
http://www.gay.com/channels/article.html;jsessionid=d1b4354ca94dc73ffca8f0f020?id=1096&channel=news
Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby
The GLRL has been doing major community consultations in Australia on the recognition of same sex relationships under federal law.
You can read the report All Love is Equal ...... isn't it? which was launched on 23 February, 2007, at the GLRL website:
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
- Sex Discrimination http://www.hreoc.gov.au/sex_discrimination/index.html
Same Sex Discrimination
28 September 2006 (Media Release)
Research identifies federal laws discriminating against same-sex couples
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) today released a discussion paper and detailed research paper which identifies Commonwealth laws that discriminate against same-sex couples and their children.
This is the second discussion paper released as part of the Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry - the National Inquiry into Discrimination Against People in Same-Sex Relationships: Financial and Work-Related Entitlements and Benefits.
HREOC President John von Doussa QC said: "Same-sex partners living in genuine relationships are denied the entitlements most families take for granted, such as: carer's leave when their children are sick; tax rebates for dependants; and a guarantee that their partner will receive their superannuation death benefits."
"This research demonstrates how pervasive the discrimination experienced by same-sex couples is."
Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes AM said: "Discrimination occurs in many of the fundamental aspects of family life governed by the Commonwealth, including: employment conditions; health entitlements; social security; tax; superannuation; family law; aged care and migration."
"This research confirms the compelling personal stories that the President and I have heard from many same-sex couples during recent consultations."
The Same-Sex: Same Entitlements Inquiry received more than 350 submissions in response to its first discussion paper. The Inquiry is now inviting comments on this second discussion paper by 3 November 2006.
The Inquiry aims to finalise its report in early 2007 so that it can be tabled in Federal Parliament by mid-2007.
http://www.hreoc.gov.au/media_releases/2006/79_06.htm
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