Missing In Gay Marriage Action
Openly gay Labor senators Louise Pratt and Penny Wong were among 26 senators to miss the vote on same-sex marriage in Canberra. In a crushing blow for gay marriage advocates, the Marriage Equality (Amendment) Bill was defeated 45 votes to five. Only the Greens were in favour. The low turnout was due to ‘dissent’ within the major parties, according to Australian Marriage Equality national convenor Alex Greenwich. ‘The fact that 26 senators were absent from (the) debate is an indication that there is dissent in the ranks of the major parties, dissent which we believe will only grow,’ he told the Sydney Star Observer. The AME vowed to make same-sex marriage an election issue.
Sydney’s Mardi Gras Wrap
History came alive as this year’s Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade celebrated the world’s past. The parade was led by US model Amanda Lepore, who made her own history by being the first transsexual to ever head-up the march. Behind her 9000 people shimmied, marched, and rode atop 135 sparkling floats, along Sydney streets, while a 10-person-deep crowd watched from the sidelines, according to media reports. Onlookers saw Osama Bin Laden come out of hiding and 150 dancing George Michaels performing the best of Wham! Police largely commended the crowd despite two teenage boys being stabbed and 35 people being arrested, ABC reported. For Mardi Gras photos, see page 9.
McGuire In The Hot Seat
Gay jibes aimed at Winter Olympic athletes by Channel Nine commentators Eddie McGuire and Mick Malloy ended the games on a sour note, according to bloggers. McGuire and Malloy were focused on the male iceskaters, when they made the controversial on-air exchange in which Molloy said, ‘They don’t leave anything in the locker room, these blokes, do they?’ To which McGuire replied: ‘They don’t leave anything in the closet, either, do they?’ McGuire suggested one of the skater’s costumes was ‘a bit of Brokeback.’ Consequently a facebook group ‘Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage’ was created and the anti-Eddie sentiment went into over-drive on Twitter.
NSW Registers Relationship Interest
The New South Wales Government plans to create a relationship register, which will help same-sex couples gain recognition for their de facto relationships. However the register is not a substitute for same-sex marriage, which provides full legal equality as well as cultural recognition, Australia’s Marriage Equality spokesman Peter Furness says. ‘State civil partnership schemes benefit unmarried partners by providing them with official recognition and a way to prove their relationship status if required,’ he said. ‘They are ideal for couples seeking legal recognition who have no desire to marry.’ Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, said the register did not extend far enough and should include civil ceremony recognition, which Tasmania recently included.
Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’
The internationally recognised expert on challenging homophobia, Daniel Witthaus, is coming to Western Australia. Touring with his new book, Beyond ‘That’s So Gay’: Challenging Homophobia in Australian Schools, he will travel from Albany to Perth, up through Geraldton and Broome, from March 29 to May 7. Witthaus will be convincing school staff that within six weeks they can change the attitudes of children, parents and even themselves over the issue of homosexuality and creating practical strategies and frameworks for understanding sexual identity and coming out, and ways to challenge a variety of homophobic behaviours in young people and adults. www.thatssogay.com.au
Aja Stlyes
