Gay
I think I speak on behalf of any gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender Australian who lives in the suburbs of our big cities: being able to express who you are freely and without fear of judgement - or worse yet, fear for your safety - just because you are different is still an issue.
The controversy surrounding Parramatta Council’s homophobic approach to the allegedly “offensive’’ banners at Twenty10’s stall during the Rediscover the River event, only serves to exacerbate that issue.
Although I’ve lived in the Parramatta Council area - the gateway to western Sydney - since I was 11, it wasn’t until I became a journalist with the Parramatta Advertiser a year ago that I really saw it as gay-friendly and progressive.
Continue reading "Parra matters for gay people as much as the inner city" »
Ubiquitous media commentary on same-sex marriage assumes the moral debate is won, it is inevitable and those opposing it are on the wrong side of history.
Proponents assume no harm can come of it and that mindless bigotry is all that is preventing it becoming law.
So why then is it likely to be resoundingly defeated on the floor of Parliament?
Continue reading "Gay marriage debate is more complex than “free love”" »
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Dan says:
Shall we outlaw divorce then? Single parents must remarry ASAP and if you’re thinking of taking that job overseas and leaving child and spouse at home to finish school, that’s an outrage! Of course you also seem to be suggesting that un-married couples shouldn’t be allowed kids if we truly… Read more »
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Dan says:
@ the Razor… The fact is that marriage hasn’t always been hetero. What’s the big deal with having it the same, we’re all human. Or are you too emotionally fragile to cope with that? Read more »
Progressive Christianity is alive and well. It hasn’t yet got much of a toe-hold in the Australian imagination. But it will. Why? Because the old language of dogma doesn’t speak to people anymore.
Spiritual needs have changed, the church hasn’t, and people have voted with their feet.
I wrote Being Gay Being Christian to say that the Christian church’s traditional teachings on gay sexuality are wrong, harmful and unjust. I also wrote it to encourage gay people of faith that their sexuality does not preclude them from having a faith in God.
Continue reading "Modern Christians can trump Bible thumping fundies" »
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Rylore says:
The author of this article is NOT a Christian, despite all his/her protests to the contrary. He/she would do well to actually READ the Bible, which they obviously have not. Nature itself condemns homosexuality, as do their own relationships. Science condemns homosexuality. It is UNNATURAL! Yes, gay people need to… Read more »
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Rylore says:
...CONTINUED The old English term found in the 1560 and 1599 Geneva Bibles was “buggerer,” derived from the Anglo-Norman “bougre,” a term originally used to describe anal intercourse by a man with another man and anal intercourse between a man and a woman. As I have always said, a man… Read more »
Good on Christine Forster and her partner Virginia Edwards for coming out. The more the merrier. Most of us in the marriage equality movement have known about the relationship for a couple of years, so we have been viewing Tony Abbott’s comments on the issue of equality through the prism of knowing he had a sister who had left her marriage for another woman.
We had also been told the story was stitched up and kept out of the media for political reasons before the last election.
For goodness’ sake Mr Abbott - don’t you think your family is just like everyone else’s? We gay folk are everywhere.
Continue reading "Abbott’s one lame argument against gay marriage" »
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billydavistv says:
For instance, treasury bills and bonds, car titles, requirements are easier than others to fulfill. So don’t operate directly. presented for These truck purposes. consolidation to to get on as buck 18 years ahead, no matter what.Check These Guys Out|These brief loans are extremely all to easy to use for… Read more »
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Bloggs says:
This whole thing is socialist, left wing, mostly ALP led and is working on two fronts. One is the immediate homosexuals wanting something they are not allowed simply because they can’t have it. It is a childish “you won’t let me play therefore I want to play” approach. After all,… Read more »
Monday after Mardi Gras is busy in the House of Priscilla costume hire store on Sydney’s Oxford Street.
Customers traipse in to drop off their outfits, many still bleary-eyed after 48 hours of partying. Word is, this year’s Mardi Gras was a good one, even if American drag queen RuPaul was a letdown. But there’s one thing every gay man on Oxford St agrees with: Kylie Minogue stole the show.
Kylie appeared at her third Mardi Gras this year, performing a half hour set at 2am at the post-parade party. The crowd loved her. She loved them. And why wouldn’t she? The 43 year old has pretty much built her entire career around pleasing her gay constituency.
Continue reading "A National Treasure who treasures her gay fan base" »
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Audra Blue says:
I’ve never been a Kylie fan. Her voice is way too nasally for my taste and her music is really utter dance pop crap. I like a couple of her songs but not enough to buy any of her albums. Still, good on her for knowing her market and playing… Read more »
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Mark/Fox says:
The only Kylie I respect as an Australian represententive is Kylie Mole, Kylie Minogue, she is that British shelia isnt she. I bet there is some nasty infections getting around after the weekend. Read more »
People think I’m gay all the time. It could be the soccer or the lack of feminine wiles. A colleague once assumed I was a lesbian because I always wear purple. It’s a Teletubbies thing, apparently.
Anyway, I’m not, and what happened at uni stays at uni.
But if I was, I’d be out. I’m lucky in that I don’t think anyone I care about would have any sort of problem if I was gay. Well, except Bloke. He’d probably be upset.
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Ian says:
It’s not the individual, Lucy, it’s how other people define them. That’s why it’s an issue. There would be no need for this post at all if gay people were totally accepted in society. But guess what? They aren’t (yet!) Read more »
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Ian says:
If it’s John Howard we’re mocking Ian, I’m happy to go with that. Read more »
I’m going to say it – gay people have it easy.
The homosexual community may not have many rights when it comes to matters of the heart but in terms of negotiating bedroom bureaucracy things are so much more… uncomplicated. At least in the social networking space.
The other day I joined Blendr, the “straight” version of gay hook-up app Grindr, in the hopes it would make a good story.
I wanted to see if the new incarnation of the reportedly invaluable GPS/social networking Grindr app - used to arrange trysts with nearby users - would work for us straighty-180s.
Continue reading "There’s more fun to be had if you face your desires" »
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Mena says:
Hey, that’s poewrful. Thanks for the news. Read more »
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Wendy says:
@Marley Miles is right.Perhaps Marley you’re having lunch with the old girls talking about the “stud”. Us younger girls have had enough and want to be treated equally particularly on this subject. A male slut is a term we use often (and we usually stay clear of him). It’s only… Read more »
Should we allow the depiction of homosexuals in the media?
Well of course we should, shouldn’t we? The answer is pretty self evident. But then I have to ask – are depictions of homosexuals “sexier” than straight sex? You may have seen the news.com.au report that the Adshel company has pulled the “Rip and Roll” advertisements for HIV awareness for same-sex couples.
UPDATE: The CEO has just reinstated the advertisements, saying the company had been targeted by the Australian Christian Lobby’s orchestrated campaign, rather than a series of individual complaints as first thought.
Continue reading "Gay sex. Apparently sexier than straight sex." »
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Joel says:
Perhaps in creating equity within society, rather than showing two gay men practicing safe sex, they should be accompanied by a straight couple and a lesbian couple who are portrayed to also practice safe sex. Straight and lesbian couples are just as prone to sexually transmitted infections and viruses as… Read more »
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Jay says:
Homosexuality is growing more and more acceptable within society as the years go on. Give it ten to twenty more years and it will be a social norm, just as normal as heterosexuality; no one will think twice about it. Also, is it just me or does Christianity seem to… Read more »
In Victoria alone, almost 500 single women and lesbians have used IVF and other fertility treatments since a law change in January last year made it easier. Some see this rise in fatherless parenting as a violation of children’s rights. Others say kids can cope without dads - although they still need male role models. Susie O’Brien’s story is in the Herald Sun today and she will be blogging live.
Do we really need dads?
Absolutely. In an ideal world all children would grow up with both male and female adults to care for them.
But in the absence of a father, a father figure who might be a close male relative or family friend can do the job just as well. It just takes time, love and commitment.
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Maude says:
I married a man with a low sperm count.After many years we had IVF with donor sperm and had a child.My husband took his own life.I love my child,but I did not sign up for single parenthood.The whole experience has made me rethink our “rights”.No,we don’t have “right” to have… Read more »
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here's for fathers everywhere says:
It would be a little difficult to bring a child into the world if you didn’t have a sperm to fertilise the egg. Yes I agree fathers are required for the human race to continue. I think all children need a father figure some one that mum wakes up beside… Read more »
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