Gay Mayor for Melbourne?
Melbourne may have its first-ever gay mayor after Melbourne’s openly gay Deputy Lord Mayor Gary Singer nominated for the job. Singer was key to the establishment for the city’s relationships register open to same-sex couples. Other queer candidates for Deputy Mayor include Greens member Kathleen Maltzahn and Tim Wilson.
Wanted: GLBTI foster carers
Gay men and lesbians in Victoria are being urged to become foster parents to help with a critical shortfall. A recent report commissioned by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare has encouraged foster care groups to appeal to the GLBTI community. ‘Your personal circumstances are not the issue; the real issue is: do you have capacity to care for a child?’ said the centre’s president, Kevin Zibell.
Lesbian trio bump homophobic councillor
A former Queensland council member has been found guilty of inciting hatred for displaying a bumper sticker with the words: ‘Gay Rights? Under God’s law the only rights gays have is the right to die.’ Former Cooloola Coast councillor and local gun shop owner Ron Owen was also ordered by the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal to pay the three lesbian complainants, Richelle Menzies and couple Sue Turner and Tina Coutts $12,500 in compensation.
Qld gets its Pride on
More than 700 locals and visitors turned out recently for the inaugural Sunshine Coast Gay & Lesbian Pride Fair Day in Queensland. The event was organised by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities. QAHC president Mark Morein dubbed attendees the ’08ers’, a reference to attendees of the first-ever Sydney’s Mardi Gras in 1978, known as the 78ers.
Feast’s big fat grant
Adelaide’s Feast Festival has received its largest-ever grant, a $99,000 gift from The Australia Council for the Arts Community Partnership Committee. Organisers of the Festival, which runs November 15-30 with the theme of diverseCITY, will be put towards Feast’s Community Arts Projects for 2009.
Mardi Gras funded then threatened
Soon after the NSW State Government finally pledged financial support for Sydney’s iconic Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, organisers began receiving threatening and abusive phone calls. Mardi Gras chair David Imrie received the phone calls after the government announced the funding for New Mardi Gras, believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Mardi Gras has announced the theme for 2009: United Nations. Through the theme they hope to shine a light on gay issues internationally.
Lewis still a homophobe
On a recent visit to Sydney, comedian Jerry Lewis angered the GLBTI community by calling cricket a ‘fag’s game’ during an interview with Channel Ten. He then jumped about in a camp manner pretending to hold a bat with a limp wrist and squealing, ‘Ah! The ball is coming towards me!’ last year he also used the word ‘fag’ on television.
