same-sex marriage rallies … here’s where i’d be if i wasn’t at work right now

hot off the presses from AAP:

BRISBANE, Aug 13 AAP – Hundreds of same-sex marriage advocates, some dressed as Jesus Christ and the Pope, have gathered in Brisbane as part of a national day of protest.

Gay and lesbian rights’ protests were held across the country on Saturday ahead of the ALP National Conference in December.

Queensland Greens Senator Larissa Waters was among the speakers at the rally in Brisbane’s Queens Park.

She encouraged them to write to their federal MPs and call for the Labor party to allow their members to have a conscience vote on the issue.

“The Greens have got a bill before parliament to remove that definition of marriage as being only between a man and a woman to allow anyone who loves them to marry them,” Ms Waters told AAP.

“The Labor party is well aware of the bill before parliament and we are holding off on bringing it back in until the federal Labor party gives its members a conscience vote at the national conference.”

Ms Waters said state Labor governments, including the Queensland government, have shown support for same-sex marriage.

“The Queensland Labor conference recently supported marriage rights for all but the problem is the marriage act is a federal law,” she said.

“SA, ACT and WA state Labor also supported gay marriage rights at their conferences but the NSW Labor party did not.”

Go spend a buck … save a journalist.

Penny Wong’s partner is pregnant … good news all round

hot off the presses this morning:

CANBERRA, Aug 9 AAP – Federal Finance Minister Penny Wong and her gay partner are having a baby.

The senator released a statement on Tuesday revealing her long-term partner Sophie Allouache was expected to give birth in December after falling pregnant through IVF.

“Like any expecting parents, the prospect of welcoming this child into our lives fills us both with joy,” Senator Wong said.

“We are extremely grateful to our IVF service and staff, and to our donor, for giving us the opportunity to raise a child together.”

The couple know the biological father who will be known to the child.

But his name will not be released to the media, Senator Wong said.

“We have chosen to make this statement about Sophie’s pregnancy as we understand there may be public interest due to my position.

“I do not propose to make any further statements following today,” she said.

Treasurer Wayne Swan was the first of Senator Wong’s colleagues to congratulate the couple.

“As any parent knows, starting a family is one of the most exciting times in your life, so this is just great news for Penny and Sophie,” Mr Swan said in a brief statement.

“On behalf of my own family and all my staff, I wish them both all the best on the long but enormously rewarding road of parenthood.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Julie Bishop passed on the congratulations of the coalition.

“The birth of a child is a cause for great happiness for Penny Wong and her partner,” she told AAP.

“I wish them all the very best in the coming months.”

Thank you, AAP. Now, everyone, go out and spend a buck on your local newspaper … keep a journalist in a job.

ACT Labor supports same-sex marriage

This hot off the wires, courtesy of AAP:

SYDNEY, July 30 AAP – Advocates for same-sex marriage are a step closer to getting the support of the Australian Labor party, following a vote by the ACT branch.

Branch conference delegates were asked to vote on Saturday on a raft of resolutions, including a call on the ALP National Conference to allow all adult Australians to be married, regardless of sexual orientation or gender.

An estimated 90 per cent of delegates supported the resolution, ACT Deputy Chief Minister Andrew Barr said in a statement.

Delegates also called on the ALP National Conference to reject the idea that civil unions could act as a substitute for marriage.

The announcements have been welcomed by Australian Marriage Equality National Convenor Alex Greenwich.

“Not only has the ACT Labor party convincingly declared support for full equality, but Mr Barr has also ruled out civil unions which would threaten to entrench discrimination against gay and lesbian couples by creating a second-class scheme,” Mr Greenwich said in a statement.

ACT Labor now joins Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory, and Victoria in passing motions of support for full marriage equality.

now go buy a newspaper so i don’t feel so guilty about giving you the news for nothing. Save a journalist.

couple of chicks having a kiss

Gay marriage support unstoppable, say Greens

Hot off the wires from AAP:

CANBERRA, June 26 AAP – The West Australian Labor party’s support for same-sex unions shows there is unstoppable support for gay marriage, the Australian Greens say.

The West Australian Labor Party passed a motion supporting same-sex marriage at its state conference on Saturday, following the lead of the Queensland ALP, which passed a similar motion last week.

It also follows the approval of the Marriage Equality Act by the New York Senate on Saturday, legalising gay marriage.

Greens marriage equality spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said the votes show increasing momentum for marriage equality in Australia and overseas.

“These wonderful results in New York state and the WA ALP conference indicate unstoppable support for same sex couples to have the same rights under the law,” Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said on Sunday.

“The decision by WA Labor members yesterday follows their counterparts in Queensland earlier this month, with the NSW ALP due to discuss marriage equality at their state conference in July.”

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is under pressure from her party’s left faction to support gay marriage despite her stated view that marriage should be between a man and a woman.

“The Greens hope the prime minister and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will act now and let their MPs and senators have a conscience vote on our marriage equality bill which is before parliament,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

As ever, there’s more. Go keep a journalist in work and spend a dollar on your local paper to get the rest.

WA Labor Party backs same-sex marriage

Hot off the wires from AAP:

PERTH, June 25 AAP – The West Australian Labor Party has passed a motion supporting same-sex marriage in a move which will put greater pressure on the federal government to back the changes.
However the motion, supported by WA Labor leader Eric Ripper, came under attack from party heavyweights during the state conference in Perth on Saturday.

Labor MP John Hyde said the Labor Party had a history of ending discrimination by giving women the vote, campaigning to end the White Australia Policy and granting equal rights to Aborigines.

“WA is a better place because of these changes, because we moved to make a far more equal society in WA,” Mr Hyde said.

“Now we need to move towards equality in the federal legislation.”

WA Labor powerbroker Joe Bullock spoke against the move, saying marriage was more than just about the legal recognition of a same-sex relationship.

“Ask yourself would society ever afford a special status to marriage if it had nothing to do with reproduction,” said Mr Bullock, head of WA’s shop workers union, SDA.

“Marriage is special because it provides a stable, balanced environment for children raising. Homosexual relationships are naturally and necessarily infertile; it’s not marriage.”

Upper house MP Kate Doust also criticised the move, saying she was concerned the party was tackling a “populist” issue while ignoring the needs of the broader community.

Ms Doust said the issue of same-sex marriage was more of a “CBD issue” rather than one affecting people in regional areas.

“Sometimes I’m worried as a party when we respond to these types of issues we don’t think more broadly about how this plays out in the community and how it affects those people in the suburbs,” she said.

However former MP and planning minister Alannah MacTiernan said such comments were “demeaning” to people in the suburbs and regional areas by suggesting they were incapable of having “sophistication, sympathy and empathy” on the issue.

“It’s not just confined to the inner city, there’s gay people in Armadale, there’s gay people in Pinjarra, there’s gay people in Mandurah,” Ms MacTiernan said.

“They don’t just all live around Highgate (in the heart of Perth).”

Ms MacTiernan said heterosexual couples were the biggest problem for the sanctity of marriage, saying 40 per cent of marriages had ended in divorce.

There’s more. Go buy your local media publication to get the rest.

UN passes ‘historic’ gay rights resolution

hot off the presses from the good folk at AFP:

GENEVA, June 17 AFP – The UN Human Rights Council has passed a historic resolution that seeks equal rights for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, marking progress for gay rights despite strong Arab and African opposition.

The resolution was passed narrowly with 23 votes in favour, 19 against and three abstentions, after an emotional debate that saw African states accusing South Africa of breaking ranks with the region and siding with the West after it introduced the issue.

Presenting the text on Friday, South Africa said that “no one should be subject to discrimination or violence due to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

It also stressed that the resolution “does not seek to impose values on states, but seeks to initiate dialogue” on the issue.

However, Arab and African states were strongly opposed, with countries of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference demanding a vote.

There’s more … go pay for your local news outlet to give you the rest.

Gay couples to share $31k dinner with PM Julia Gillard

this, hot off the AAP wires:

CANBERRA, June 15 AAP – Prime Minister Julia Gillard will soon be hosting dinner at her place for three gay couples keen to persuade her on the merits of same-sex marriage.

The lobby group GetUp on Wednesday paid a whopping $31,100 for the privilege of dinner with the PM, which was auctioned off as part of the Canberra press gallery’s annual charity ball.

It’ll hand the dinner date to three same-sex couples, including Sandy Miller and her fiancee Louise Bucke, to make the case for same-sex marriage.

The two women have been engaged for the past two years – and counting.

“Our youngest often asks us, `Mummies, are you going to be engaged forever? Why don’t you get married?,”’ Ms Miller said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It has been hard trying to explain that our government won’t let us get married, and he doesn’t understand why everyone else can get married and become a family legally and we can’t.

“We don’t want to be considered special or better than anyone else. We only want the same rights as every other person and couple in Australia.”

GetUp said it used leftover funds from its marriage equality campaign to pay for the dinner, as well as a last-minute email to its members calling for donations.

“We’re just a couple of grand shy of the $31,100, but we’re confident we’ll get there,” spokesman Paul Mackay said.

It’s not the first time GetUp has tried such a tactic. Last year, it paid a more modest $16,100 for a surfing lesson with Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.

my latest blog over at goldcoast.com.au … Till death us do part

View it here, or view it there.

SOMETIMES I forget how conservative this city is.

I shouldn’t be able to forget. After all, you only have to look at the many and various polls that we run on this website to know that the majority of people who come here lean to the right, politically, economically and socially.

Look at the poll running on our Gold Coast news page just as an example. Over 80% of respondents so far are against a carbon tax.

So, yes, I shouldn’t forget, but when I do I am soon reminded that I am in the minority, not just here on goldcoast.com.au, but in the Gold Coast in general.

Nevertheless, every now and then I feel the need to stick my head above the ramparts and represent my people, damn it.

The gay community on the Gold Coast doesn’t have a very loud voice.

Oh sure, we have our own things. Gay Day. The Meeting Place, the city’s oldest gay and lesbian nightclub, and rumoured to be close to closing just a couple of weeks ago. Awesome website Gay Gold Coast. Escape Bar and Club.

But we’re not a very vocal lot, as gay communities go. Why that is, I don’t really know.

Perhaps it’s because the only time our issues get an airing is when something like the whole Adult X brouhaha that happened a couple of months ago comes up. Complete with its accompanying ‘hide the children from the nasty gays’ commentariat.

And then this week, here on goldcoast.com.au, we ran a story called Gay marriage ‘only a matter of time’.

In it the latest Galaxy poll was quoted, in which it’s revealed that 75% of Australians believe same-sex marriage will be legalised in this country. Even 68% of people over 50 believe that.

Predictably, out came the haters.

“Look up the definition of marriage. It is “union of man and woman”. “Gay marriage” is a contradiction in terms. Simply not possible. What is wrong with the way things are?” asked ‘Xanthia’.

Well, Xanthia, I guess if you’re comfortable with your fellow human beings being denied basic human rights that you take for granted, then nothing, I guess.

“God, I hope it doesn’t get through. I can’t even stand the thought of my ex-husband’s gay brother being around our kids. Gives me the creeps,” said ‘lollipop’, perpetuating the age-old pile of manure equating homosexuality with pedophilia. Inaccurate in the extreme.

Let me know if you want a list of links to the research that says otherwise, lollipop, and I’ll gladly provide a page worth.

Regular commenter Bruce Whiteside said: “In this matter the moral high ground is with those who recognise a man and woman union. Always has been and always will. Live the life you want but stop flaunting it and trying to justify and legitimising it.”

Moral high ground? Oh Bruce, you disappoint me. We usually get along so well. Also, just quietly, we DO recognise a ‘man and woman union’. We’d just like reciprocal recognition.

If ‘always has been and always will’ was the way the world actually ran, then blacks would still be slaves, women wouldn’t be allowed to vote, interracial marriages wouldn’t be allowed, and Pauline Hanson would never have been allowed to stand for Parliament.

Newsflash: The world is changing. Opinions moderate. What once was considered impossible, becomes possible.

Why? Because ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice’. Martin Luther King, if you were wondering.

Gay marriage is coming. You can say the polls are rigged all you like, you can rail against it all you like. All we have to do is outlive the haters. And we will.

Gay marriage is coming. Even to this conservative city.

Late breaking news: AAP reports that the Australian Labor Party has launched a website calling on members and individuals to suggest changes to party policy up for debate at the party’s national conference in December. Gay rights advocates have urged submissions be made in support of same-sex marriage, a hot topic at this year’s ALP national conference. Submissions can be made here.

gay rights sign of the day …

found on Facebook.