The government of New South Wales, the largest Australian state and the one that encompasses Sydney and Davey Wavey, has opted not to overturn a ban on letting gay couples adopt children. This, despite officials acknowledging amending the law would “ensure the best interests of children.”
A 4-2 vote on the matter in a Upper House committee signaled that “members were unable to reach a consensus, reflecting divisions on this issue in the wider community.” According to Community Services Minister Linda Burney, “The committee was given examples of successful parenting and fostering by gay and lesbian couples and in these case studies, adoption provided permanence, stability and security which are so important for children. However, I am also aware that there are very deeply held, divergent views on this issue and that is why a decision on this matter will not be taken at this stage.” This is actually as silly as it sounds, right?
terrwill
What a twisted bit of circular logic you have going there
Miss Burntout!
…….You have STUDIES indicating it is best
for the children to be placed with the Gays. But certain
persons VIEWS are against it. So therefore lets just give
these kids a big kangaroo kick to the balls and say “no
family for you” because certain people don’t approve of
this…….How freakin’ sad!
Greg Ever
New South Wales, the largest Australian state
Wrong! Western Australia is the largest Australian state. New South Wales is the most populous state, but far from the largest.
jason
In the last ten years, Australia has become very hostile to gays. One of the reasons for this is that Australians are inherently homophobic in the general sense. Secondly, the gay community there is appallingly non-activist.
Another thing is that the gays in Australia have been treating the ruling Labor Party with kid gloves when it comes to keeping it accountable. It’s the same problem you see in the USA with gays treating Democrats with kid gloves.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Jason is 100% correct. As a person who has lived in Australia, it likes to think of itself an “Accepting Northern California” like country when in fact it’s more like the state of Alabama when it comes to Gay Rights and ingrained homophobia beyond 2 postcodes in Sydney. Even Texas has made more significant advances than an apathetic Australian Gay Activist network of fringe dwellers with no coalitions formed with other groups. Why? Because, there’ll always be Happy Hour and Unemployment Benefits for Life! “Why bother?” is their collective mantra.
Michael Letterman
The Aussies already screwed up once with native kids. They are sure as heck not going to screw it up again by letting homosexuals raise them.
chris
Still commenting Michael? Guess you haven’t found that juicy cock yet.
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
@ Michael Letterman
Hey colonialist!
Yeah, was really fun the way they took the aboriginal kids from their actual parents after pumping them with cheap alcohol and taking their land. Took them to missionary orphanages and then tried to get them adopted to delusional white (ONLY) couples who rayed only to the lord, were conservative and told the kids they came from the devil because they were dark skinned.
And in your think, minute mind, you think people, like gays, who have been treated like crap and discriminated all their lives would not have anything in common with kids who’ve been treated like crap, disowned by straight parents and discriminated against?
Do you see a big fat hole in your logic? Actually you have none. Silly me. Carry on.
chris
@everyone
Well, I have to disaree with you ALL.
You visited Australia? Congrats.
You read about it on an online blog? I guess you’re an expert!
I live here. I’ve lived here every day of my 18 years.
I just graduated from my CATHOLIC high school, the last year of which I was out to everyone: my family, my teachers, my friends, students who didn’t even know me etc. And let me tell you, I have never ever been treated with disrespect because I’m gay. In fact this one guy even APOLOGISED to me because he said ‘that’s gay’. Straight after he said it he looked at me and his eyes widened and he started sputtering out an apology. I told him not to worry.
Is this the, quote, ‘inherant homophobia’ that you’ve heard about?
My high school even included sexual orientation in its policy of non discrimination. Might I remind you all that this was a catholic school.
And you wanna know the funny part? I live in MELBOURNE. You know, the city in Australia that’s not sydney?
Sydney is a pile of shit and is as representative of Australia like New York is of America.
You may think what you want about my country or my people, but all I know is that i’ve never been called a fag, never been beaten up, never had anyone make me feel down about myself and I’ve been completely out for a year now. I make out with guys at parties, I check out other guys while hanging out my hetero guy friends. This is the country I know and love and coming out only made me feel more patrioic than before.
While I respecfully agree that our community here is apathetic, it’s not as necessary as in America. Our kids are taught reason, logic and morality, whereas Americans are taught the pledge of allegiance and, in many places, the bible above the textbook.
Sure we have some backwards old folks, but all you need to do is talk to any Australian youth and they’ll tell you the same. In fact, 60% of the Asutralian electorate is in favour of civil unions, the only problem is that our Parliament is filled with the geriatric vanguard.
But, like I said, think what you wanna think. All I know is that in my country, people apologise for being offensive to me. Do they do that in yours?
chris
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1483797.php/Australians_support_gay_marriage_main_politicians_oppose_it
Case and point
Sydney's boy
@Chris
Agreed. Dont start talking shit about Australia just because you had an unfortunate event happen to you as a result of you being gay or just some dumb ass stereotype or view. Yes i’ll agree that we do have some homophobes like every other country does but the Australian population is FAR more accepting then you Americans with over 60% stating yes to gay marriages being legal. Thats almost 2people saying yes to same-sex marriage to 1 that are opposed. Also Australia’s no Christian dominated country like yours wheres LESS THAN 10% of actual Christians in this country actually go to church every sunday. Last time i check the lowest rate of sunday church goers where a state in New England where its abouts 36%. Therfore leaving the Christian community not very powerful in politics leaving our Australian politics very secular and having a big decline in numbers as i write this down.Now i can compare and go on and on. But why dont you go wikipedia LGBT rights in Australia and USA and see for yourself and stop hating on my beloved country!
chris
@Sydney’s boy
Also agreed and uhh….sorry for the comment about Sydney…
trickstertara
@Chris and Sydney’s Boy
All right. Michael, Jason and Dontblameme.. were DEFINTELY out of line in referring to all Australians as being inherently homophobic, backward, etc.
But that doesn’t make you right in implying that all Americans are illogical, amoral, fanatical Christian fundamentalists.
“You Americans..” I am one person and not responsible for the other 300 million people here. Kiss my ass.
Wen
Yeah, it’s generally known Australia is much more progressive and accepting of homosexuality than USA is.
chris
@trickstertara
I never said AMERICANS were illogical, I was referring to the bible thumping Americans’when I said ‘the bible above the textbook’ and let’s face it, who’s gonna argue that. And you’re right, you are not responsible for 300 million people and neither am I. That was what started this whole comment thing anyway, I don’t like being called homophobic because of a few douchebag politicians.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
I had three incidences of homophobic violence in Australia, one in Adelaide, one on Oxford Street and one near Centennial Park on the night of Mardi Gras. This was before the police-liaison unit existed in Sydney, or actually did anything. Australia is a virulently homophobic culture but it’s sometimes hard for complacent gays to notice when they are sucking back a joint pecking from the safety of their computer. Some of us feel that we can move freely through society. Conversely, while the word “faggot” has been used against me at the base of the Statue of Liberty, I have had no violence perpetrated against me in the U.S and I have lived in the most dangerous neighborhoods in America! The violence that is perpetrated comes from a machismo mindset, often alcohol-fueled, which is indicative of the “G’day” mentality which is a vernacular not so much used by the inner-city gay population for good reason. I do not dispute that the U.S is violent; especially gun violence and within the African-American populous but to deny other people’s experience puts you in the same category as the AIDS naysayers, Holocaust deniers and those who don’t want to face the epidemic child and indigenous slavery at the hands of Colonial Christians. How does it become the Gay person’s fault that they cannot move safely within your society, wherever it is. Australia likes to think it’s far more progressive on social values while it watches America’s never-ending crimes on CNN but if a gay person is bashed, would the news networks even report it or is it up to the gayborhood newspapers?
Read my Gay Lips: “Australia is inherently homophobic but like any society, there are good people, too!”
Travel tips: Don’t hold your boyfriend’s hand or venture beyond Sydney and Melbourne.
trickstertara
@Chris
The only distinction I saw in your statement separating the fundamentalists from other Americans was the phrase “in many places” about children being taught the bible above the textbook. I’m not going to argue about that. We’ve already had the embarrassment of presidential candidates debating whether natural selection and evolution even *exists* in the past ten years. And states like Kansas voting to teach “Creationism” in public schools. That’s true.
We also have schools with zero tolerance harassment policies. We have federal hate crimes laws. We even have people of varying religious stripes who don’t think it’s their place to affect secular politics and want nothing to do with it. I’m sick and tired of this ugly, hot-headed, gun-toting, Christian idiot image of Americans I have to deal with everywhere I go. We’re not the only country with struggles between populism and democratic action. We’re not the only citizens who have to contend with idiots taking to the airwaves and claiming to speak for all of us.
chris
@dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Well first of all my nation is not a country of drunk yobbos who say G’day I have ONE friend who says G’day on a regular basis.. but that’s not the point. And I don’t think you understood mine. I don’t live in the inner city, I live in the outer city, practically rural areas and I went to a catholic school and I’ve never been the victim of abuse, I’m not just sniping from a computer. While I don’t deny these things happened to you, I’m insulted by the fact that you continue to call Australia backwards and homophobic when 60% of my people support my right to marry, how many of yours follow suit? Plus, not everyone in australia is crocodile dundee…seriously guys it was from the eighties, get over it. There are actually cars in Australia! and these big steel thinks you yanks call skyscrapers!
Oh and by the way douchebag, we aren’t inherently homophobic society, my HETERO guy friends constantly ask me to rate which one is the hottest out of them. Ideal measure for societal progress? No. Ideal measure for tolerance and acceptance? Yes.
Dick.
chris
@trickstertara
Yeah I know what you’re talking about when you say you’re sick of the image. I have relatives in New York who constantly complain to us about the fundamentalists and once again I just wanna say that I never meant any harm with my comments. I guess every nation has their national stereotype and we’re all a little sick of hearing about it. I for one know that Americans aren’t all stupid, right wing, christian fundamentalists. I have relatives to prove it!
I for one am sick of hearing that my national stereotype is homophobia, shouldn’t that be Iran or Saudi Arabia or Uganda?
trickstertara
For the record, there are too many polls, state and nationwide, to form an accurate consensus of what percentage of Americans support gay marriage. To pad their articles, a lot of journalists report on the figures across the variables (‘Women are more likely than men to support it,’ X percentage of people over 65 support it’, etc.). And we have more than 100 think tanks working out of universities, media groups and government supported centers at any given time, with only five being heavily reported.
The most recent ABC/Washington Post poll claimed that 49 percent support same-sex marriage and 53 percent support marriages in legal states should have their rights recognized in other states, which is a new high for us. It’s a good deal higher than other nations, and much lower than a key few, Australia being one of them. Meanwhile, poll results from a USA Today Gallup poll released *just a month later* claimed that 57 percent of Americans oppose same-sex marriage and only 40 percent supported it.
With incidents like that, I’m inclined to believe poll results and percentages of who supports us/who’s against us mean nothing. It’s shit and masturbation for the masses to either congratulate themselves or despair over.
trickstertara
@Chris
Thank you. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve never heard anything about Australia being homophobic. One of my dearest friends is from Ballarat, goes to school in Melbourne and has a lesbian sister. I’ve never heard anything from her about Madel being harrassed or about there being an aggressive climate concerning LGBT people. She has the support of her family, friends and school. They’ve made it very easy for her to be herself and I applaud them for it.
chris
@trickstertara
Agreed.
I think we all know not to trust polls, especially when they come out in favour against us. But I think we can all admit that our hearts jump a little at the thought of being supported by the majority.
But I guess both sides use and abuse statictics and polls, and it’s not really fair to gloat that 60% of Australians support it whereas only 49 of Americans support it, when for all we know they could be false.
Oh and one last thing @dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Your travel tip is stupid. I hold my boyfriends hand all the time, an old lady once smiled at us for it. Plus, when we go to parties together we practically treat each other like stripper poles and still no incidents of abuse.
When did you go to Australia again?
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Chris – you spoke volumes with your cloistered life…. My only question is “Why don’t you have Gay Marriage?” if it is supported by 60% (we can drum up those stats, too!) but some Gays fight tooth and nail for freedoms and not ask their straight friends for permission. Hmmm, only 36 hours ago I called an Australian company and they said “G’day” to which I replied “It’s intermittent but the sun may come out!” and he was miffed that I didn’t think it was a gay-friendly greeting. “Cooee” was often used by some queers I know which loosely translates to “Watch out, here come the White People!” Australia needs to look towards Holland for an open society and how to market to Gays and offer real tangible federal protections. It might be cathartic for you to realize that the Great Southern Land is no paradise for some, even the Katoomba Ranges. I’m sure you move around in a Mattachine Society way and don’t encounter any homophobia, because it’s internalized already, especially given your religious cult background. Your lack of a secular education is showing through.
BTW – Ausralia is a country “Arse-wipe breath!”:
Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent (the world’s smallest),[8][9] the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.N4 Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the southeast.
For some 40,000 years before European settlement commenced in the late 18th century, the Australian mainland and Tasmania were inhabited by around 250 individual nations[10] of indigenous Australians.[11] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north, and European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,[12] the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, founded on 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in the following years; the continent was explored, and during the 19th century another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The population is 22 million, with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The nation’s capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory.
JohnathanHasHadIt
Let’s see if our gay super hero Davey Wavey posts anything about this. It would be the first intelligent thing he’s ever done.
chris
@dontblamemeivotedforhillary
….I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. G’day being a gay friendly greeting? Cooee? What in the hell has that got to do with what we’re discussing.
Regardless, your question ‘why don’t we have gay marriage?’ is easily answered.
Politicians are never representative of their constituents.
For instance, the majority of Americans support ending don’t ask, don’t tell. Why aren’t they allowed in yet? Because politicians are cowards and liars that’s why.
And I don’t suffer from internalised homophobia, I’m out and proud and I’m not really sure where that jab came from. As for me being part of a cult? I’m not religious. I’m athiest. The amount of times I got in trouble for arguing with my teachers over religion made me infamous at my school.
So, seeing as I have just DESTROYED your comment I have come to the conclusion that you are an idiot. Especially considering I know Australia is a country. WTF was that about!?
Andrew
@ dontblamemeivotedforhillary : G’day!! I have to reply to your statements about homophobic Australia. I am an Australian who has lived in the US for the past 6 years (but has kept close ties with what is going on back in the ‘old’ country). There can be no denying that to someone from the US Australia may appear homophobic. Culturally, we are a not a politically correct nation and at times would appear to be agressive when in fact it is just banter. Australia is not a homophobic nation – my boyfriend/partner WILL be recognised by the Australian government and WILL be able to obtain a visa to live permanently in Australia when we decide to move back. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE IN THE US (the only way I can stay here is to continue working here) regardless of the fact we have been together for four years.
I am sorry that you had a rough time when you were in Australia. Alas Australia does have bogans (think urban rednecks) who cannot accept or fear anything outside their limited experience or vision.
Also Sydney is NOT the only city in Australia as pointed out above. I am from Brisbane the capital of QUEENSLAND (see how can you say we are homophobic when we have a state named for us LOL). I have never once felt threatended or been verbally assaulted etc. We have an active gay scene/community.
By the way there are very few strong activist groups in Australia for any cause (except for more holidays and daylight saving changes) as we have such a lovely lifestyle over there we tend to be very politically apathetic (I am not saying this is good or bad but is simply a fact.
Finally while we do have our religous right wing nuts – unlike here in the US they are totally marginalised and do not impact on education curriculums of government policies thank goodnees. By and large the religous right wing rants are considered good entertainment. If you have attended Mardi Gra you may have noticed that the lead float of the parade each year always contains a hilarious parody of a religous nut Fred Miles who is a member of the NSW senate. Its all good fun.
Cheers Andrew
chris
@Andrew
Cheers Andrew!
I’m glad to hear that your boyfriend will be able to obtain a visa easily when you come back here and thanks again for helping me point out that our country isn’t homophobic.
I think you hit it right on the head when you said it’s just banter. I think that’s just the way we do things here, I remember before I came out my friends and family used to joke around and tease the crap out of me and I to them. But when I did come out the teasing stopped and it made me feel more like an outsider, eventually though it all strated up again. That may sound wierd to other people, even other Australias maybe? But I know that in my circle of people its a term of endearment to have people make a joke about you and maybe it’s just our nation’s way of showing acceptance….but hey, maybe that’s just me.
Andrew
Oooops me again! Sorry one thing I forgot to mention is that while the politicians are being total cowards and not passing leglislation to allow gay couples to adopt and I agree that this is inexcusable. In reality it is virtually impossible for anyone to adopt a child in Australia. So very few children are put up for adoption that the waiting list is years long and the requirements that are expected from the adopting couple are pretty unrealisitc (only a small percentage of couples would meet them).
The reasons for lack of adoptions are many but I would imagine include:
– proper sex education as part of our school’s curriculum. No abstinance garbage like here in the US.
– abortions are available and while there are pro-lifer crazies there they are no where near as virulent as in the US
– good social welfare system to support teenage mothers should they choose to keep the child.
Okay I will get off my soap box now.
Coooooo-eeeeeee
Uhaditcoming
Is there a local gay porn industry in Australia?
Michael Letterman
chris: Of course I haven’t but that is most likely because I’m not looking for a cock, I have one. As long as mine impresses my lady I’m not in the market for a replacement. Only a very greedy man would require an additional cock as most ladies prefer pleasing one at a time.
John: Thank you I like that term Colonialist, only I never lived under British rule nor did any of my ancestors so that title doesn’t quite fit. Gasp gays are treated like crap and discriminated against in America??? no you mean in Arabic lands where they kill them or Africa, or perhaps even China. In America we grant the queers the ability to live which is more than a lot of countries treat them. To allow people who live perverted lives in depravity to raise children is an abomination. Plain and quite simple.
You are correct sir, these is none, rather no hole in my logic as it is quite sound. Silly you indeed. I shall carry on thank you.
chris: I don’t get it. If no one has made you feel bad why have you only been out for a year? If your kids were taught reason, logic and MORALITY, then they would have taught you buggering other men is far from moral. Having sex at all outside of marriage is not moral in the slightest. You know nothing obviously of America’s schools and this is not the place to educate you. I know many Australians (mostly in Canberra) and they are very gay tolerant. Yet they still do not think gays should marry so they have their limits too. They also do not think gays should adopt and I agree with them on both accounts.
One can point to an article that says just about anything they want on a topic. It doesn’t mean the article is correct or reflects the majority of thinking.
trick: where did I say Australians were homophobic. They are a pissy little third world country almost place. Sure they approve of all sorts of things that are considered immoral in America. Heck they eat Vegemite and that alone proves they have no sense, although Kraft loves them. Come to think of it lots of their companies are now owned by America. Kind of makes up for Rupert Murdock, well only kinda.
BTW I don’t kiss ass, I believe that’s one of your sexual kicks not mine.
trick: Don’t let obtuse polls fool you they are often slanted and therefore way off. They appease those who agree with their results and reflect nothing other than the bias of the poll takers.
Truth is people have seen what the gay community is like, parades now somewhat televised, photos in the newspapers with stories about the extremely overt nature of some in the gay community have turned straight people away from the concept of those people having and raising children. Stories of gay celebrities who adopt due to their finances and then split up with sometimes rancorous results have illustrated the problem with this situation. Courts who are prone to giving primary custody to the mother are stymied when a child has two mothers and no fathers. This further fuels the anti gay adoption and anti gay marriage fires. I have long stated that in all respects the gays are their own worst enemy.
trickstertara
@Michael
Okay. I’ll admit, on a second a review of the comments, I could use a lesson in reading things more clearly.
And so could you. Because if you’d read my initial comment a second time, you would notice that the “Kiss my ass” was NOT DIRECTED AT YOU.
Michael Letterman
trick: Oh I noticed it wasn’t directed at me. However I took the opportunity to remind the forum that I am not into acts of perversion of any kind including kissing of areas best left for waste removal.
Peter
To deny a group of people their rights, is an act of perversion.
Thom
This has to be a joke. We have two nationalalities of people who are discriminated against in their respective countries and feel the need to go on nationalistic rants on who is less homophobic and more “progressive”. We’re never going to get equal rights if we make excuses for why our governments discriminate.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Andrew and Chris are using emotion to defend the homophobia in Australia, not intellectual arguments. This is not the USA Versus Australia argument. To quote funny British comedian, Kenny Everett; “Everyone knows where Australia is but no-one cares!” Sometimes I come across people who always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, saying things like “Australia must be so Great!” Truthfully, it’s probably one of the best vacation spots if you like beaches, beer and men who aren’t so hung up on looks but it’s social values are moored in it’s owner, Britain! Australians like to sweep their inner-demons under the rug, unlike America which airs it’s dirty laundry for everyone to judge and rightfully so. What about countries in the European Union that have afforded Gays full equal protections? Beyond the tit for tat about the U.S Versus an insignificant populous country, the actual attitudes of Australia mirror more that of the South. “G’day” is like “Howdy” to many of my more progressive friends in Australia. I guess that you probably hang around the more “suburban crowd” and I won’t even begin to discuss the perils of Queensland which makes Texas look like Woodstock, it’s so backwards! There, I said it! And, will again and again and again because, the Truth always Prevails and I would not want someone to go to Australia and think it’s a free and equal society for Gays because it isn’t by a long stretch as you secretly know but are caught up in blind patriotism and your own xenophobia!
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
@ Michael Letterman
You’re a hoot. Do you have a blog?
This happens every so often on Queerty-are you one of the editors? This is just too obvious. You’re just too obvious!
Lol! It’s just so silly and easy to offend isn’t?
‘perverts!’ ‘nanananaaaaaa……I hate you…you’re gross and perverts and immoral!’
_sticks tongue out_
Love it ML! So original DUDE!
jason
Oh, puh-lease, give me a break. Australia is a backwater. It is behind the USA in terms of gay marriage and gay civil unions. Adoptions by gays are also far more progressed in the USA than Australia. You Australians are deluded if you think you’ve progressed.
You’re a backward, isolated country with small-minded people.
Wen
@36 Jason, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Australia
I will say again it’s generally known Australia is much more progressive and accepting of homosexuality than USA is, everyone knows this. This shouldnt be a competition though, but since someone brought it up, it cant hurt to get the facts straight on it.
I had an American challenge me saying the USA are more progressive than Europe on gay rights, and I couldnt believe it, that I also had to defend this obvious nonsense and I didnt want to get into a competition about it. There are Americans that have a hard time accepting they are behind on this one and on human rights in general, compared to other western countries (including Australia).
But for anyone who likes to know, about 70% of Europe (which means European Union members) have either gay marriage or registered partnership, against 28% in the USA.
Michael Letterman
Peter: Good statement, “To deny a group of people their rights, is an act of perversion”, now kindly put this into context of your statement.
What “rights” should the group that believes in pedophilia have?
What “rights” should the group that believes in bestiality have?
What “rights” should rapists have?
What “rights” should toy collectors have? (threw that in as a curve ball 🙂 just to show you I’m not making a comparison solely on sexual choices.
What “rights” should blonde’s have?
This can go on and on my point being to deny a group of people ‘rights’ depends on the group in question and how their lifestyle choice affects others. Furthermore the concept of ‘rights’ comes from the Bill of Rights which does not in any way address such issues as marriage and adoption. Those items are dealt with on a state by state basis giving those entities the ability to make decisions based on their electorate. What we call rights, which I believe should and do apply to every human citizen of this nation are limited to…
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
I hope this helps explain what I am talking about here.
John: No I have no reason to have a blog my work, hobbies and home life keep me quite busy enough. Too obvious seems to be your code for truthful and dignified. Yes it seems no matter what argument I post someone is offended which illustrates the overly sensitive nature of the homosexual American and it seems homosexuals of other nations as well.
I don’t hate anyone for any reason, pity and disgust maybe but hate never.
Jason: Australia is a beautiful and amazing place both in people and culture do not let the minority of gays disparage an entire continent of friendly, outgoing and absolutely all around beautiful people. As for the progression of gays in America it has well and truly stopped and will, in fact, soon be backing up quite a bit. We blinked and gays thought they could take whatever they wanted, but now we have our eyes open and see you for what you are and we are letting those who need this knowledge have access to it and we are gaining in both political and popular support.
Thom
@Michael Letterman
You obviously haven’t learned anything at all from history. gays WILL have equal rights in this country. It isn’t a matter of if, but when. There isn’t a doubt in my mind.
me
Went to Sydney on a one week vacation MISTAKE. Got called poof on Oxford Street, called faggot at the beach. Insulted by moron border guards who knew NOTHING about Canada…ignorant fuckwits. Fuck you Australia you are NOTHING.
Sydney is full of drunken morons screaming insults from bar balconies at unfortunate tourists who walk by. Gay bashing is so bad there was a place called Oxford Street Safe Space to run to escape bashings. Don’t go to Sydney on vacation…it is NOTHING like what they portray in travel ads.
jason
Oxford Street is full of filthy drunken beggars.
Sydney's boy
@No. 34 · dontblamemeivotedforhillary
@No. 36 · jason
Dont pft me, You guys just cant top accept the fact thats Australia by-far in front of USA in terms of acceptance and rights of our LGBT community.While your guys are happily seeing your small increases in your fellow American’s view of the legalization of YOUR marriage,Australia would be ALWAYS in front as we are also seeing big increases of acceptance of our marriage being legalized wheres 60% agrees with the legalization of gay marriage while to according to YOUR most progressive polls only shows 49% agrees with the legalization of same-sex marriage. Sure we dont have gay marriages in some states by what? How many others ban them ? Around 40. If we had a political system like America’s i can assure you that by now MOST states would have gay marriages.
And to link Australia to the South’s views of acceptance of the gay marriage is just bluffing to myself. It was ONLY 2003 that America has only legalise being gay while wheres our state Tasmania took until 1998 to take back the anti-gay law and eventually Tasmania has became our most progressive of Australia whom became our first state to legalise civil union and to bring us our first openly gay senator,also we have EVERY state in that has a majority in favour of a legalization of gay marriage. And to also compare Australia to say the EU,sure we dont have the greater terms of right as they do but i can say that its the politicians thats behind population in terms of accepting the legalization of gay marriage.And most of the EU countries that have these expanded rights is mostly because they won it via the Courts like how your 4 states got their gay marriage wins through courts with the exception of Vermont. While our political system is different to theirs and would have to have the legalization of gay marriage via the parliament.
Finally, not to add salt to wound or laugh at your mis fortunate suffering losses in terms of battles of our LGBT rights in states. But if we had a referendum or proposition in terms our righst of marriage we would MOST LIKELY win ( trying to not to be TOO confident there haha) unlike America’s most ”progressive” states like Maine and California.
Michael Letterman
Thorn: What in history makes you believe that gays will have equal rights in this country? Name one other group in the history of this country that has had rights solely based on their sexual preferences?
The truth is that this nation has never been further from granting gays the ability to marry. State by state we are convincing those in power to either outright vote against it or in cases where it exists to rethink that decision. Not a week goes by without some politician either local, state or federal that is requesting our DVDs and documentation. It is only a matter of time before this ends up either in Federal Court or on a referendum and at that time it will be soundly voted down. We see it happening in even the most liberal of states now and the movement to take it federal will, in time, succeed.
Lukas P.
Flame wars are boring and pointless. Namecalling doesn’t lead to anything but more namecalling. Let cooler heads prevail.
jason
The problem with Australian gays is they were hoodwinked into voting for the Labor Party. Labor promised them the world and delivered virtually nothing. The gay newspapers in Australia have blindly supported the Labor Party for many years, only to find that they’ve now been stabbed in the back by Labor premiers and Prime Ministers.
Maybe Australian gays need to go back to the drawing board. Stop supporting the Labor Party.
jason
Sydney’s boy,
There are no gay civil unions recognized anywhere in Australia. The Tasmanian law you cite is actually a registry of same-sex relationships. It is NOT called a “civil union” in the Tasmanian law books. While the rights may be similar, the wording has been constructed so as to avoid the notion that this is a union of lovers.
Same with the ACT. The ACT is a territory of Australia which wanted to introduce civil unions. However, the words “civil union” were opposed by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Subsequently, the ACT changed the wording to “civil partnerships”.
All in all, you’ve got a situation in Australia where the wording suggesting a union of lovers has been avoided. In those states with same-sex registries, the relationship is on a par with a daughter caring for her invalid father, for instance.
Uhaditcoming
Austrialia is a dump, and Sydney a ghetto.
Thom
@michael Letterman
I know this for a fact because there will always be gay people in this country and they won’t quit until they’ve won. Homophobic bigotry will end the same way racist policies did. Like I said, just a matter of time. And I hope that you live to see such a time just so you can live the rest of your days a bitter and sad man, or atleast more bitter than you already are.
Wen
@42 Sydney’s boy, this talk is about gay marriage and stuff. I think what people forget is that Australia doesnt have a ban on gays & lesbians in the military. Also, you have basic anti-discrimination laws for sexual orientation, which USA doesnt have. It are these basic rights that makes the difference.
Just stating the facts. By the way, not one European country got gay marriage or registered partnership through courts, all by parliament.
Jason@46 at least in Australia gays & lesbians have rights (defacto-in every state)that are very similar to straight married rights, you cant say that about the the majority of USA states.
These are the facts, I wish the USA at least had basic anti-discrimination laws for sexual orientation ie for employment. I think the situation in the USA is grave. It will all change and is changing, thankfully, just saying these two countries cant be compared.
terrwill
To All, I found an interesting nugget about our friend Michael Letterman. It seems others are interested in his antics:
http://rainfish2000.blogspot.com/2009/12/wanted-information-on-cyber-terrorist.html
Check it out, very interesting. At the very least will get his head spinning! : P
Michael Letterman
Thom: No one is disputing there are gay people in this and perhaps most countries. They may not quit until they are win but then neither will those who oppose them. It is not homophobic to want to keep any form of perversion (other than what is ‘norm’ from being able to marry and adopt (as well as all the other privileges that come with both). There will always be people who want to do all sorts of wacky things and perhaps some of these things will become, in time acceptable as ‘norm’ such as happened with long hair for men, pants for women and many other things. However when it comes to decency and morality each time our country starts to slide towards perversity it always snaps right back to conservatism quickly. I will never see an America that allows gays to marry, nor will my offspring or their offspring. It just isn’t going to happen, ever.
I have nothing to be bitter about. I’m quite happy with my life. I see you ignored every one of my questions so I’ll go out on a limb here and say your the bitter one.
In all honesty I knew you wouldn’t answer them since to do so would weaken your point. I consider that quite a compliment.
Thom
@ Wen
dude if you’re going to be a smug asshole just be a smug asshole. don’t hide it behind a guise that you actually care about gay rights in the United States, everyone can see right through that. It makes you look even more like a prick. You just don’t like the fact that your country (Australia) discriminates against homosexuals, and are appalled to be compared to the United States, a country you were taught all your life that you were above “morally” give me a break. If you want to talk about “grave” situations, pray for gays in the third world whose very lives are threatened.
@Michael Letterman
I did answer your questions, time and time again this country has discriminated against certain groups, and time and time again federal laws have been passed to correct those wrongs and grant equality. Gays will be no different. If you must have someone explain the kindergarten logic of why homosexuality can’t be compared to pedophilia or bestialy I will. Homosexual relations are consensual, there isn’t any victim. Just two people who have the right to be loved and to be equals under the law just like straight people. You’re so bigoted and you don’t even realize it.
Thom
“rights that are very similar to straight married”
ahh I see, Australian gays stopped when they got “very similar rights”, here in the US we want full equality but whatever the hell floats your boat Wen.
Wen
@52, Thom, Im from Europe, and the USA has my fullest support, I have gay friends there and I support them all the way as I do any country on equal rights. I was just stating facts and yes, Im concerned about whats going on in USA. You might not believe that, but that wont make it not true.
If you read the link I posted previously you can see there is nothing to hide.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Australia should come with travel warnings for Gays:
Gay-hate murders ‘done as sport’
By Ruth Pollard
Many gay-hate murderers were exceptionally brutal, surprisingly young, and killed to support a society they believed approved of their actions, a report released yesterday says.
The Australian Institute of Criminology study of 74 gay homicides in NSW over the past 20 years said victims were usually killed by a stranger in incidents that involved high levels of violence.
The institute’s director, Adam Graycar, said the crimes in the report stood out as disturbingly different.
“We discovered so much more brutality than in other kinds of homicides – these killings were more likely to be done as sport,” Dr Graycar said.
Weapons used in the 74 murders included a claw hammer, a saw, a fire extinguisher, a spade, a car wheel brace, and a crossbow and arrow. Most victims died from being kicked and punched with great force, the report said.
“The great bulk of the fatalities have the quality of ‘poofter bashings’, retaliatory assaults intended to punish a homosexual advance,” the study, by the institute’s Dr Stephen Tomsen, found.
Many victims were middle-aged or older men, with a peak in the 30s and 40s.
Forty-three per cent of the perpetrators were teenagers at the time of the murder, 38 per cent were in their 20s and 11 were over 30.
These young assailants generally had a low socio-economic status, limited education and were often unemployed. Only six were classified as having a serious mental disturbance.
David Buchanan, SC, a member of the NSW Attorney-General Department’s Homosexual Advance Defence Monitoring Committee, said it was not unusual for those who murdered gay men to claim their actions were an uncontrollable response to an unwanted sexual advance.
“If women responded to unwanted sexual advances in the way these men claim they did, the streets of the state would be littered with corpses,” Mr Buchanan said.
Attitudes are changing, he said, noting that the justification of violence on the grounds that homosexuality was wrong or offensive was no longer acceptable.
The co-ordinator of the Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project, Brad Gray, said the institute’s study on gay-hate murders mirrored the statistics on anti-gay violence.
Anti-gay violence was dangerously underreported, and many gay men and lesbians had grown to expect a level of violence to affect their lives, he said.
While inner-city Sydney has one of the largest gay and lesbian subcultures in the world, it is also the scene of a large percentage of the state’s gay-hate crimes.
Terry Trethowan, chief executive officer of the AIDS Trust of Australia, believes he was attacked because of his sexuality. He was badly beaten while walking down Oxford Street in the early hours of June 30 and was in hospital for three weeks.
“Why else would you choose to bash a stranger on Oxford Street?” he said. “I was not even walking down a dark alley; I was on a main street with crowds of people around.”
Dr Graycar said education was the key to crime prevention. “People must be taught, in schools and elsewhere, that it is not acceptable to turn on someone because they are gay,” he told the Herald.
“Some of the perpetrators … do not believe they have done anything wrong, and in fact expect society to applaud them for what they have done.”
$0.02
When those kids grow up into criminals don’t say a word Sydney…
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
The Secret to Bondi’s Badlands excerpt:
The issue of gay, lesbian and transgender hate crimes is tied up with homophobia and religion and these two issues will be dealt with and linked in what is hoped to become a fairly definitive document by the time it has had a fair amount of input.
An article was published in the Weekend Australian Magazine of October 4-5 2003 with the heading BONDI BADLANDS.
The article is about gay murders 14 years ago, in 1989, when “a spate of vicious gay hate crimes bloodied the cliffs of Bondi, but many of the teenage killers – male and female – got off scot free. Now, one dedicated detective is hunting them down”.
This is an alarming story and one that is continuing to this day because of the hate perpetrated in the community by religions such as the Anglican church which today, Monday 3 November 2003, saw an outpouring of vitriol by leaders of the Anglican church in Sydney and elsewhere because a gay bishop was inducted in the United States.
Statistics of gay, lesbian and transgender hate crimes seem to indicate that the figures are on the increase throughout the world despite education efforts in many countries to reverse the trend.
Figures from the USA are alarming, but figures from other countries such as Australia continue to rise and it is quite obvious that gay, lesbian and transgender groups will need to put more time, effort and resources into countering the homophobia expressed by religious groups and echoed through some of our politicians with their reactionary agendas.
http://www.zipworld.com.au/~josken/glhate.htm
Wen
@57, I dont think anyone here denies or will deny there are no hatecrimes or murders of gays in Australia, or Europe. Just that USA is worse off, yes. I dont understand why this needs to become a competition, while all the facts have been stated already life for gays & lesbians is better in Australia than in the USA? Its fact. Unless the USA gets gay marriage through supreme court legalized in all states, bans DADT, enforces ENDA and builts anti-discrimination laws for sexual orientation, you might argue Australia is worse off.
But its good you warn gays who wanna travel to Australia. Just dont use it to make your point about Australia, because you dont and cant.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
More Sydney Violence, in Centennial Park where MArdi Gras is hosted:
Murder in the park: gay bashing feared
MATTHEW BENNS
September 27, 2009
TWO joggers on an early morning run found the brutally battered and bleeding body of a man in Centennial Park yesterday.
The man, in his 30s, was face down on a track next to Busbys Pond and had his trousers down.
Detective Inspector Paul Pisanos, of Maroubra police, said police were considering whether there might have been a homosexual link to the attack.
”There are gay beats in Centennial Park,” he said. ”I’m not familiar with exactly where they are. That’s one line of inquiry we’re looking at but it’s not exclusive to that. Our minds are open at the moment.”
Mr Pisanos said the man was not wearing sports clothing and appeared to have been bleeding. ”I’ve seen blood myself but I have not yet examined the body myself,” he said.
Forensic pathologists examining the body had not established the cause of death yesterday.
Mr Pisanos said it appeared the man had met with foul play in the park rather than his body having been dumped there.
It was not clear if the man had also been robbed. Detectives were still working to identify him yesterday afternoon.
The joggers found the body about 6am, shortly after the park opened to traffic, and called triple-O. Even from a distance it was clear the man had suffered brutal cuts to his arm and chest.
Ambulance officers reported finding the man in ”a pool of blood” when they arrived.
The man was found on a track between Busbys Pond and close to the public toilets at the McKay Sports Ground. A large area, including the toilet block, was cordoned off by police.
The body of murdered prostitute and police informer Sallie-Anne Huckstepp was found in Busbys Pond in 1986.
This year crime figures showed that gay men were four times more likely to be attacked in NSW than other men. The NSW Anti-Discrimination Board warned that an increasing number of homophobic websites was fuelling violence towards gay men.
Figures show that on average five assaults on gay and lesbian people are reported to authorities every month. At least a further 30 people are attacked each month without making an official complaint.
Mr Pisanos said anyone who might have heard or seen anything suspicious in Centennial Park yesterday morning should call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Brisbane is the Most dangerous city in Australia:
Gay-bashing ‘epidemic’ in Qld
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — An “epidemic of gay-bashing” has hit Queensland, but many homosexuals are afraid to report assaults, a crime conference was told on September 28. Nick Ward, spokesperson for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Anti-Violence Council, said there were up to 40 attacks a month, with youth gangs the most prominent gay-bashers.
Ward said many assaults were never reported and, in some cases, hospital treatment had been refused when a victim’s sexuality became evident.
He said the state-wide study showed a higher rate of homophobic violence than others carried out in Australia and around the world. “It showed that what we thought was a small percentage is in fact much larger.”
A survey of 157 gays and lesbians found one in three had been the victim of a violent attack but only 14% had reported it.
http://www.greenleft.org.au/1995/205/11131
Wen
@59 dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Wow, you are really amazing. Having ego problems or something? This is rediculous and childish, doesnt look good on you.
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
More Brisbane, Queensland horror:
Wollongbar man bashed because he is gay
Jacklyn Wagner
BASHING victim Sean Rich is no stranger to violence.
At the age of just 13 he was bashed by a gang in Brisbane, and two years ago he and his sister were with their father when he was bashed and stabbed in Brisbane.
On Tuesday night the violence became a recurring nightmare when the 20-year-old gay man, from Wollongbar, was attacked and thrown through a glass shop front in River Street, Ballina.
“It was a straight out hate crime,” Mr Rich said. “They were calling me a faggot.”
Mr Rich suffered a 12cm gash to his upper thigh, a 15cm wound across his upper arm, another deep gash to his left hand, a bruise in the shape of a thumb print on his neck, plus other cuts and abrasions.
A nurse caring for him at Lismore Base Hospital said the cut on his thigh was five centimetres from a major artery.
On Thursday, Mr Rich was still recovering in hospital, surrounded again by the friends he was with on the night of the attack.
The group, including Mr Rich and his boyfriend, another couple and several single friends had been at the Henry Rous Tavern in Ballina for the pub’s weekly trivia night.
Mr Rich said he got very drunk and had to be informed later that at some point during the night he had stepped outside and had an altercation with someone outside the pub.
The group left the pub at 9.30pm and immediately crossed to the river side of River Street. It is here
Mr Rich alleges he was attacked by a small group of youths, which soon swelled to a group of up to 20.
Mr Rich, who was a disability support worker in Brisbane, said he owed his life to his friend Tully Rodwell, who helped him.
Scared, bruised and bleeding profusely, he managed to get away and run to the foyer of the nearby Ballina RSL Club.
There he collapsed on a couch, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness until an ambulance arrived and took him to Ballina Hospital.
“I just needed to get somewhere safe. Before I even got there a woman was running along and screaming for help. I was trying to stay calm and make conversation with people in the club so they wouldn’t panic,” he said.
“But I was saying goodbye to my friends because I thought I was going to die. I was bleeding everywhere.”
Although Mr Rich only moved to Wollongbar from Brisbane two months ago, he said the attack would not send him packing. “I have my feet sunk in here. I love it. It is not the area that did this too me.”
Mr Rich said he was not going to invest any time or energy being angry with his attackers.
“They are not worth it, it’s not worth getting upset or angry. This is their problem, not mine. I’m just the one who has to wear the scars,” he said. “I came out of the closet for a reason, not for others to put me back in it.”
Ballina police yesterday charged a 17-year-old Ballina male with recklessly cause grievous bodily harm, affray, malicious damage and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The youth was refused bail and will appear before Parramatta Children’s Court via video link later today.
Police said investigations into the circumstances regarding others involved in the incident were ongoing.
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2009/04/11/wollongbar-man-bashed-because-he-gay/
Wen
Can someone please take care of dontblamemeivotedforhillary getting a psychiatrist?
dontblamemeivotedforhillary
Whither Gay Sydney: the decline of Oxford Street as gay space
by Brad Ruting
Oxford Street is a metaphor for Sydney’s gay community. The suburbs it passes through – Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington – are widely seen as the centre of gay Sydney. They’re home to gay clubs, shops and services. In the past decade, however, the area’s been losing its gay vibrancy and appeal. The shops and clubs are becoming less gay and many homosexuals are losing interest. The changes reflect both gay culture and wider socio-economic processes. Has the Golden Mile tarnished?
Oxford Street began to emerge as gay space from the 1960s, with gay bars, cafés and sex shops migrating from nearby Kings Cross. Until the early 1990s, Darlinghurst and Paddington were largely run-down – victims of manufacturing employment shifting out of the city centre. Yet they were cheap and had populations relatively tolerant to gay residents. Gay men moved in.
The Oxford Street precinct thus established itself as a “gay space”. Gay men (and a few women) could be visibly homosexual there, and established their own territorial political base. In 1978 the Mardi Gras parade was first held, with the gay community bravely marching down Oxford Street and claiming it for their own.
In the 1980s and 90s, the street’s role as a gay political, cultural and leisure precinct grew. Homosexuals from suburban and country areas migrated there, escaping the intolerance of home and finding a supportive, exciting community to “come out” into. The AIDS crisis further consolidated the gay population, seeking support and community services.
It was not so much a ghetto, but a self-made enclave offering flamboyant lifestyles and safety in numbers: a created community, in a sense. The hegemony of heterosexuality found elsewhere in the city had been visibly transgressed by being different. Gay culture was expressed through leisure, fashion, nightlife and sex.
In the past several years, however, things have changed. Gentrification, which first emerged in Australia in 1960s Paddington, gradually picked up speed over time. The move towards skilled inner-city service jobs in Sydney boosted demand for housing in the area. Run-down dwellings that were renovated by gay men became popular with families and young (often straight) professionals. Prices were bid up, and Oxford Street became less affordable for gay residents and shops.
Then commercialism took over. Mainstream retail chains and fashion boutiques became more prominent on Oxford Street from the mid-1990s. A slowing property market and the opening of a nearby shopping centre (Westfield Bondi Junction) lifted vacancy rates and slowed business in the early 2000s. Retail’s picked up a bit recently, but chain shops and “straight clubs” have prospered at the expense of gay-oriented businesses and clubs.
Some recent evidence also suggests that the homosexual population in the area may be shrinking. More gay pubs have closed than opened. Oxford Street, seemingly, is in decline.
Multiple social processes underlie this development, including changed wider social attitudes. Popular culture now embraces “gay”, with many movies and television shows featuring gay characters and themes. Metrosexuality is cool and children are growing up with gay friends and without having witnessed overt homophobia. “Gay” is being seen as an acceptable sexual and lifestyle preference, with the institutional barriers once constructed against gay men and lesbians gradually, but surely, falling.
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Whither gay Sydney: the decline of Oxford Street as gay space
By Brad Ruting – posted Friday, 9 February 2007 Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
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Oxford Street is a metaphor for Sydney’s gay community. The suburbs it passes through – Darlinghurst, Surry Hills and Paddington – are widely seen as the centre of gay Sydney. They’re home to gay clubs, shops and services. In the past decade, however, the area’s been losing its gay vibrancy and appeal. The shops and clubs are becoming less gay and many homosexuals are losing interest. The changes reflect both gay culture and wider socio-economic processes. Has the Golden Mile tarnished?
Oxford Street began to emerge as gay space from the 1960s, with gay bars, cafés and sex shops migrating from nearby Kings Cross. Until the early 1990s, Darlinghurst and Paddington were largely run-down – victims of manufacturing employment shifting out of the city centre. Yet they were cheap and had populations relatively tolerant to gay residents. Gay men moved in.
The Oxford Street precinct thus established itself as a “gay space”. Gay men (and a few women) could be visibly homosexual there, and established their own territorial political base. In 1978 the Mardi Gras parade was first held, with the gay community bravely marching down Oxford Street and claiming it for their own.
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In the 1980s and 90s, the street’s role as a gay political, cultural and leisure precinct grew. Homosexuals from suburban and country areas migrated there, escaping the intolerance of home and finding a supportive, exciting community to “come out” into. The AIDS crisis further consolidated the gay population, seeking support and community services.
It was not so much a ghetto, but a self-made enclave offering flamboyant lifestyles and safety in numbers: a created community, in a sense. The hegemony of heterosexuality found elsewhere in the city had been visibly transgressed by being different. Gay culture was expressed through leisure, fashion, nightlife and sex.
In the past several years, however, things have changed. Gentrification, which first emerged in Australia in 1960s Paddington, gradually picked up speed over time. The move towards skilled inner-city service jobs in Sydney boosted demand for housing in the area. Run-down dwellings that were renovated by gay men became popular with families and young (often straight) professionals. Prices were bid up, and Oxford Street became less affordable for gay residents and shops.
Then commercialism took over. Mainstream retail chains and fashion boutiques became more prominent on Oxford Street from the mid-1990s. A slowing property market and the opening of a nearby shopping centre (Westfield Bondi Junction) lifted vacancy rates and slowed business in the early 2000s. Retail’s picked up a bit recently, but chain shops and “straight clubs” have prospered at the expense of gay-oriented businesses and clubs.
Some recent evidence also suggests that the homosexual population in the area may be shrinking. More gay pubs have closed than opened. Oxford Street, seemingly, is in decline.
Multiple social processes underlie this development, including changed wider social attitudes. Popular culture now embraces “gay”, with many movies and television shows featuring gay characters and themes. Metrosexuality is cool and children are growing up with gay friends and without having witnessed overt homophobia. “Gay” is being seen as an acceptable sexual and lifestyle preference, with the institutional barriers once constructed against gay men and lesbians gradually, but surely, falling.
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The Mardi Gras festival has lost its political edge. It’s gone from outspoken activism towards being just another commercialised event, sanitised for the media and heterosexual spectators, and another date on the gay party calendar. Increasingly, numbers of straight men and women are also patronising Oxford Street’s gay clubs, considering them a fun night out. Homophobic violence still exists, but overall society recognises gays and accepts them more than ever.
However, despite this wider acceptance and property markets pricing many gays out of the Oxford Street area, there has been no corresponding emergence of a large, visible and vibrant gay community elsewhere.
The original gay political goals of previous decades have been achieved. Legalised gay sex, stronger anti-discrimination laws, local council support and legal equality (mostly, except gay marriage) have been achieved. There’s nothing left to fight for. Sydney’s gay community has been a victim of its own success.
Despite (or perhaps because of) these changes, “gay” lifestyle has lost its appeal to many younger homosexuals. Many openly gay people feel comfortable living and working right across the Sydney area and further afield. The Internet has reduced the need for gay services and entertainment to physically locate close together, and radically transformed the way gay people meet.
Diversity and individualism are also becoming more prevalent within the gay community. Younger gays are rejecting stereotypes about what their sexuality should entail, instead seeking out more meaningful communities. Cliché-gay is still popular, but it’s losing ground to a smorgasbord of other identities. Often, ethnicity, religion or one’s job define one’s identity more than homosexuality does.
Oxford Street no longer represents gay nirvana, the right-of-passage once sought by many young gay men. Conformity and the gay “scene” are going out of fashion. Arguably, this increased individualism marks the height of gay political achievement. Wasn’t the ability to be and act oneself the ultimate aim of the gay liberation movement?
Gay Sydney is losing its cultural distinctiveness along with its spatial concentration and character. Oxford Street is likely to remain “gay” in the near future, but other places are attracting more and more gay residents (such as nearby, cheaper, Newtown). The lifestyle benefits of the inner city (such as community services and jobs in creative industries) are likely to remain gay drawcards, but these are even being diluted as Sydney grows.
Oxford Street’s long-term gay future is unclear. Have changes to the retail and entertainment mix turned the precinct straight? Are increasing numbers of homosexuals perceiving Oxford Street to be little more than an over-rated, commercialised “fauxhemia”?
Perhaps the biggest existential concern of gay territories has changed from repression to assimilation. In post-industrial cities worldwide, visibly gay communities are fragmenting. It must be asked: Have diversity and acceptance lead to decline?
About the Author
Brad Ruting is in the School of Geosciences at the University of Sydney. He is currently studying human geography and economics. His research interests include tourism, migration, urban change, labour economics, rural Australia and sustainable development. Email: [email protected].
Andrew
Okay dontblamemeivotedforhillary
I guess you are not planning to holiday in Australia at any time in the near future or am I reading too much into your posts.
Michael Letterman
terr will: Yes my head is spinning, filled with all the ways I can use this to completely mess up Mr. Evans. By the time my personal lawyers finish with him, he will be lucky to own two pennies to rub together.
I’m almost giddy with excitement finally I can ‘get personally involved’ and not just sit on the sidelines taking abuse. This is going to be fun.
Wen: Name one group that Federal law protects in anyway based solely on sexual preferences. Please, since I don’t think there is a single answer you could provide.
We could argue till the cows come home about if an animal can express their ‘consent’ to anything. If you ask my wife if she can tell when her pets are happy she’ll say definitely while I wouldn’t know a happy pet from a sad one. Bestiality and pedophilia are just two of the many comparisons I can make, I could have said those who want to inanimate objects such as walls, roller coasters, and robots (yes such people exist) those who want to marry anime characters (already done in Japan). There is a victim, society. No one said you couldn’t love who you want, no one even said you couldn’t have sex with the one you love. THIS ISN’T ABOUT LOVE… it’s about marriage. So take the bile out of your mouth stop insulting me just because I have different beliefs then you do, this is what makes YOU the bigot and YOU the hetero phobic. My point (in another post) is that even when someone just speaks in calm non insulting and non confrontational tones you gays always get all riled up and make personal vicious comments. This is the tool of someone with the weak argument or the inability to debate coolly with facts and calm, collected opinion. You begin your posts this way but always seguay into the common low point.
A bigot would say get rid of all gays, make them illegal, I do not feel this way. In fact the decorators of both my houses are gay and they are the greatest guys with the best sense of style I know. I try to explain this to you and others but I don’t think you can calm down long enough to get the message before your hate circuits kick in.
Furthermore may I butt in on another topic. In law enforcement the concept of ‘hate crime’ is laughed at. All violent crime is ‘hate crime’ no matter who the victim is. So why consider it a worse criminal action if the victim is gay. Is a murder worse if a gay is killed. Does the family of a murdered man feel less upset if he wasn’t gay? Is killing a buff gay muscleman worse then killing a weak handicapped child? Yet our laws as written say it is so.
Help me make sense of this please.
tolinadea
psychic test online
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