Focus on Mental Health
Same-sex attracted youth featured in the first ever International Youth Mental Health Conference held last month in Melbourne. La Trobe University researcher Lynne Hillier said her presentation focused on the experiences of 25 SS-attracted young Victorians, many of them living in rural areas. ‘It’s really hard for them, access to services and their groups of friends are reduced if they come out. They don’t have the anonymity like you would in the city,’ Hillier said. Hillier also announced the third ‘Writing Themselves In’ survey had just closed, notching up over 3,000 participants with the release expected for October this year.
Discrimination Case before VCAT
The right of religious groups to discriminate against LGBT people came under the spotlight last month when a Victorian tribunal heard of a Christian youth camp that refused a LGBT youth support group. On July 8, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard of how gay youth group WayOut was refused accommodation by the Phillip Island Adventure Resort. The resort – run by Christian Youth Camps and owned by the Christian Brethren – refused the organisation as it thought WayOut promoted a homosexual lifestyle.
Gay Friendly Hinch?
Controversial radio announcer Derryn Hinch came out in support of gay marriage early last month on his Melbourne drive show. The 3AW personality spoke about PM Julia Gillard’s announcement to keep the current gay marriage ban on July 1. The shock jock called the move ‘hypocritical’ since the PM herself was an atheist and lived with her partner out of wedlock. ‘The only encouraging thing for gay people is that they know their day will come. Equality will prevail. One day,’ Hinch said.
Survey At Odds With PM
In a recent online poll, a resounding 75 per cent of Australians disagreed with the PM on the continuation of the marriage ban in Australia. Almost 25,000 people responded to the Sydney Morning Herald survey posted on the first of July with only 25 per cent of participants agreeing with Ms Gillard.
Coming Out Campaign
A new advertising campaign aims to help young people show their true colours by connecting parents with same-sex attracted children. Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria launched the ‘Coming Out’ AFL poster campaign last month, a collection of six posters that look at young people coming out. The series take a comical view at the often awkward situation surrounding young people coming out to family and friends. One of the posters depicts a relieved father bound in Collingwood colours, saying to his son, ‘Thank god, I thought you were going to tell me you were switching to Carlton’.
Gay Zombie Porn Ban
The Melbourne International Film Festival has rejected a gay zombie porn film after the Australian Film Classification Board refused to classify it. Director Bruce LaBruce told Fairfax his first thought on hearing of the ban was ‘Eureka’. ‘I’ll never understand how censors don’t see that the more they try to suppress a film, the more people will want to see it,’ he said.
Benn Dorrington
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