MARDI GRAS PARTY AND PARADE SPLIT -New Mardi Gras (NMG) has announced changes to the format of the 2010 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, including separating the Parade and Party over two weekends. In a media release last month, NMG CEO Anna McInerney says the changes come after careful consideration and comparison to other world-famous events. ‘We’ve looked at how other major festival-type events are produced around the world and one of the clear lessons is that they run as a series of parties. Rio and New Orleans are not just a single parade – though they have that as their core. They encompass many small parades and parties and go on for days. That is what we want to bring to Sydney at Mardi Gras and in particular that final week’.
OK TO BE GAY – AFL -The AFL has extended its vilification policy to include disability and sexual orientation. The rule in question, rule 30, already prohibits vilification on the basis of race but will now include ‘vilification on the basis of a special disability (which includes a disease or illness) or sexual orientation, preference or identity’. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou spoke about the changes on the ABC’s Offisders program, saying they reflect current social attitudes. ‘We’re living in an age now where those things are unacceptable,’ he said. ‘I hope nobody in society is criticised or ridiculed based on their sexual orientation, their ethnicity, their background. We live in a very multicultural, diverse community which we should all be very grateful for’.
NSW REPORTS DECREASE IN NEW DIAGNOSES -NSW Health has reported a one-year decrease in new HIV diagnoses in that state. However, some people diagnosed with HIV in NSW were not counted in the state statistics if they contracted the virus and initially tested outside the state. NSW Health stressed that the 16.9 percent drop in new HIV diagnoses in 2008 did not mean the HIV infection rate was in decline, only that it has been stable over the last decade. According to ACON CEO Stevie Clayton, gay men account for 76 percent of new diagnoses in NSW and the rate of infections has remained stable because most gay men use condoms most of the time. ‘It is critical we maintain this high rate of condom use together with a high rate of testing so all gay men know their HIV status,’ she told Sydney Star Observer.
WEDDING PROTEST FOR EQUAL LOVE -Equal Love, a national campaign for same-sex marriage is planning simultaneous, mass illegal same-sex weddings in every state on August 1 to coincide with the Labor Party’s national conference. Spokesperson for Equal Love, Tim Wright is calling on the ALP to adopt a policy in favour of same-sex marriage rather than civil unions, calling civil unions a ‘system of relationship apartheid’. ‘We mustn’t accept anything less than full equality. For most lesbian and gay couples, civil unions would be a completely unacceptable compromise. A national civil union scheme would only reinforce our status as second-class citizens,’ he said.
HUMAN RIGHTS SUBMISSIONS CLOSING -Time is running out to have your say on human rights in Australia as submissions to the National Human Rights Consultation close on June 15. The National Human Rights Consultation is an independent committee which will compile the public’s ideas and views on human rights into a report presented to the Government to assist them in developing a human rights policy for Australia. More information can be found on the website: www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au
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