ABC Drum: Still not OK to be Gay

By Alistair Webster

“…same-sex attracted people are still not afforded legal recognition for their relationships in the same way as heterosexuals. The exclusion of gays and lesbians from the institution of marriage sends a strong message that it is OK to discriminate on the basis of sexuality.

But the introduction of same-sex marriage itself will not solve all the problems.

It won’t make the streets safer at night. It won’t decrease the extraordinary high levels of bullying in the schoolyard. It won’t stop young men (particularly) from taking their lives in rural and remote areas because of fear of discrimination. It won’t stop gays and lesbians from continuing to feel threatened by the popular use of the term ‘gay’ in a pejorative sense; as a synonym for ‘shit’, ‘crap’ or worse.

Overcoming these things is about more than just obliterating prejudice from our political and social institutions. It’s about obliterating it from our behaviour, our language and from our hearts and our minds. We cannot rely on government to do this. We must do it ourselves.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

Campaign Review: GALE’s 2010 Campaigns

To kick off 2010 for the community involved in working towards sexuality & gender equality in WA, this post has been written to provide a review and analysis of our work last year – for which we would love your comments & opinions. This post will be followed by an entry from GALE’s 2010 Convenor Kitty Hawkins, introducing the next steps in our campaign for 2011 – informed by this review.

Shane C - Community Networks Coordinator

This will also be my last post as a member of the campaigns team at GALE, as I’m moving to Sydney this February to work with the Inspire Foundation, and on the national lobbying effort in which GALE will be taking part. It has been an inspiration and a blast being a part of the action, and I believe 2011 will be GALE’s biggest ever year. Thank you everyone for being a part of this movement for equality!

 

Anti-Discrimination Consultation – Submissions needed

This Friday the 26^th November marks the end of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Consultation into Discrimination on the basis of sexuality and gender identity.

Unlike State and Territory laws, at present there is little in the way of protection of people of diverse sexuality and gender against discrimination on a Federal level. The Human Rights Commission is seeking submissions from members of the public relating to what needs to be changed.

For more information on the background of the consultation and the need for Federal protection from discrimination, you can read the Commission’s Discussion paper here:

Gay and Lesbian Equality have made the following suggestions to the Commission:

i)               That Discrimination on the basis of gender and sexuality be prohibited by Federal law.

ii)             That religious organisations (such as charities, private schools and churches) not be exempt from such legislation.

iii)            That this legislation applies to GLBTI individuals, as well as to couples and families.

iv)            That protection from discrimination on the basis of gender-identity extends to people at all stages of transition, rather than just to those that have had sex re-assignment surgery.

v)             That the Commission recognises the negative impact that discrimination has upon the mental health of GLBTI Australians.

vi)            That the Commission include vilification and incitement of hatred or violence as discriminatory behaviour, and unacceptable.

Once the commission is over, a report will be compiled which will make recommendations to the Government regarding whether Australia needs federal protection from discrimination for people of diverse sexuality and gender identity. It is important that the consultation receives as many submissions as possible from people that support anti-discrimination legislation, as there will be many submissions from organisations that oppose these .

Please take some time to make a submission before midnight on Friday 26^th November.

Submissions to the consultation can be made here:

Or you can email the Human Rights Commission on lgbti@humanrights.gov.au

Fair go at Fairday

It was a beautiful, blazing hot day last week when Gay and Lesbian Equality set up a corner stall in Russell Square for the Annual Pride Fairday. From ten in the morning through til eight thirty at night the small yet tenacious tribe of GALE committee members and volunteers spent time giving out information about the latest community actions and events – sweetening the deal with lollipops and energy drinks.

GALE’s brand-spanking new committee of passionate and experienced individuals have put together a campaign to address the inequality and discrimination against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Intersexed people. With a focus on the creation of supportive and strong community networks of professional organisations, non-GLBTI allies and GLBTI identified individuals, GALE will be seeking to engage, educate and collaborate with anyone that is happy to take the pledge for full equality.

But what does full equality mean? Despite extreme sleep deprivation and a newfound iPhone addiction (I think Steve Jobs officially owns my soul…it was in the contract somewhere) I set out armed with a video camera and a sign-up sheet to talk to the assembled, rainbow-coloured masses to conduct short interviews to promote upcoming GALE campaigns. Participants were asked the question “What does equality mean to you?”

Of the dozens of people that I filmed, there was a near unanimous response – Equality meant being treated just like everyone else. It was about having the same rights, the same respect and the access to services and institutions, social and legal. It was about our policy makers not using an ‘us and them’ approach, and about our families and our relationships not being considered second rate to anyone elses. In a nutshell –to have Equality was to have a Fair Go.

It should be of no surprise then that GALE’s latest endeavour is named exactly that: The Fair Go campaign was formulated after considerable engagement and collaboration with the GLBTI community and other advocacy groups, and focuses on three main areas of concern that were raised at the consultative forum on the 4^th of September. These are:

–       Mental health and inequality; Addressing the greater rates of poor mental health amongst people of diverse sexuality and gender as the result of discrimination and inequality.

–       Accessibility and Recognition of Trans* and Gender-diverse people: GALE will be collaborating with and supporting organisations such as the WA Gender Project to support and promote initiatives to support Transgendered, Transsexual, Intersexed and gender-diverse people. We will also be assisting in lobbying for changes to restrictive and archaic laws that bar trans people from being recognised as their identified gender.

–       Equal Relationship Recognition: The third tier of the Fair Go campaign will focus on the introduction of legislation that removes discrimination in the legal recognition of same-sex and gender-diverse couples. On a state level we will be campaigning for the introduction of Civil Partnerships schemes which will grant  de-facto couples the ability to formally register and record their relationships, and will allow for same-sex couples to formalise their relationships with a civil ceremony. On a National front, we will be continuing to lobby policy makers and support on-going community campaigns to scrap the ban on same-sex marriage and to implement full access to marriage for all Australian adults, regardless of sexuality or gender identity.

Walking around Fairday that scorching afternoon was a really wonderful experience and I was reminded why Fairday has always been my favourite community event of the year: it is a time when we can come together and celebrate how far we’ve come. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation, or the wafting odours coming from the ‘natural herbal highs’ stall – but what I got from Fairday was an overwhelming sense of optimism. After twelve hours spent at our stall (amid an increasingly large pile of empty energy drink cans) GALE had several hundred people sign up to take the pledge to support a Fair Go for all Australians, with a groundswell of support for the campaign that for the most part I’m sure had absolutely nothing to do with the free lollipops.

Fair Go is more than just a soundbite to be tossed around before an election or a hackneyed cliché of Aussie culture. Fair Go means everyone is equal – we all get the same opportunities, we all get the same respect, we all get the same treatment. It’s something that Fairday exuded in spades – and it’s definitely something that is still worth fighting for.

For more information about GALE, the Fair Go campaign or the Community Networks – head over to www.galewa.asn.au or email info@galewa.asn.au

Kitty Hawkins

GALE WA Co-Convenor

 

Learning some good habits!

Lollipops!  Everyone loves lollipops!

Smile for the camera!

Jen – keeper of the lollies!