And John Laws still at it 24 years later! What is his problem with homosexuals and homosexuality? Is there something we ought to know about?
Australian
Communications and Media Authority,
Belconnen
ACT 2616
Mannie De Saxe and
Kendall Lovett, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity,
Vic 3072
Phone: (03) 9471 4878
Email: josken_at_zipworld_com_au
Web: http://www.zipworld.com.au/~josken
26 July 2005
HOMOPHOBIA
Homophobia in
As a consequence, gay,
lesbian, transgender people and people living with HIV/AIDS are being denied
their basic human rights.
Religious bodies foster hatred of groups which are not part of
their religious dispensations.
Sports people –
particularly in tennis (Copy of our letter to Tennis
Added to their verbal
abuse, both on and off the tennis courts, is the abuse by radio and television
personalities who have behaved disgracefully and the organizations which employ
them believe that these people have done nothing wrong.
Not only have they
done wrong, but the consequences of their behaviour are immeasurable. Their
words are assumed to give carte blanche to young people, both in schools and
other institutions, and out of schools, to go and bash a poofter, either
verbally or physically, resulting in traumas that may last a life time, if the
assaults haven’t left dead bodies in their wake, as they often do.
The time has long
passed when we can ignore the lack of responses from official bodies and
organizations and regulating authorities
who fail to discipline those involved in the ongoing homophobia.
JOHN LAWS, STEVE
PRICE, SAM NEWMAN -
Apart from John Laws,
Steve Price and Sam Newman, dating back
to last year and early this year, the most recent “on air” manifestations have
come from Eddie Maguire of the Nine Network, and also Network Ten which has a programme called
Big Brother, both programmes of which went to air on Monday 18 July 2005 with
“Nancy Boy”, “Poofta and Poof” expressions being used repeatedly. These programmes
were followed by the 60Minutes Channel 9 programme on
TELEVISION HOMOPHOBIA –CHANNEL 9
AND CHANNEL 10:
The following is an
extract from the Sixty Minutes programme on Channel Nine on the night of
“SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: If you prefer
the name of somebody on your clothes other than the name of the Muslims, if you
prefer the clothing of the Kaffers other than the clothing of the Muslims, most
of the names that's on most of those clothing is faggots, homosexuals and lesbians.
God is very straightforward about this — not we Muslims, not subjective, the
Sharia is very clear about it, the punishment for homosexuality, bestiality or
anything like that is death. We don't make any excuses about that, it's not our
law — it's the Koran.
PETER OVERTON: And this on why young
Muslims shouldn't attend university.
SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: The university is
a gateway for deviation. You forget your Islamic direction. Now you have become
compromised through some kind of intellectuality.”
The Prime Minister of
Australia has been very vocal in condemning the Sheikh’s comments about
terrorism and bombings, but so far he seems very mute when it comes to the
abuse of homosexuals – why?
If these people had all
used racist and sexist epithets in their programmes or in their sports, they
would be called to account by their governing bodies. Because they are abusing
homosexuals, no one stops them or censures them.
Well, enough is
enough. If these situations are allowed to continue without restraints it is
time for gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS Rights Groups to demand of
governments and regulating authorities that penalties be applied to those who continue these abuses.
Mannie De Saxe and
Kendall Lovett
(Attachment – copy of
letter to Tennis
Copies: (Shown on next
page)
Channel 9 “Who wants to be a millionaire?” Executive Producer,
Network 10 “Big Brother” Executive Producer Private Bag 5000
South Yarra Vic 3141
Channel 9 “60 Minutes” Executive Producer
NSW 2068
Editor, MCV,
Editor, BNews and
Editor, Sydney Star Observer,
Editor, SX, Level 3,
AND RELEVANT GAY, LESBIAN,
TRANSGENDER, HIV/AIDS COMMUNITY GROUPS – BY EMAIL AND LETTER
During the period of the last 10 to 15 years we have been fighting homophobia in the News South Wales education system.
At the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board’s gay and lesbian consultations, held between 3 and 6 times a year, members of the NSW Department of Education were asked to explain why a particular module dealing with sexuality was not compulsory in schools, whereas the modules dealing with issues such as racism, were compulsory. We didn’t ever receive a satisfactory resolution to this issue.
In the event, due to ongoing homophobia in the NSW government and its Department of Education, the situation is once again critical due to the intervention of the NSW Minister for Education, Carmel Tebbutt. The issue this time is over the Daily Telegraph article headlines “School sex furore: Students asked to imagine being gay.”
Carmel Tebbutt reacted to a complaint about the class lesson, which she has banned after “a community member” had complained to Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson.The Federal Government’s homophobia is well known – the Prime Minister and his government, heavily influenced by the religious right – are trying to turn the clock back on the very hard-won gains by gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS communities during its 9 years in office.
The Carr government’s record is not much better, and every gain by these communities has only been achieved after intensive battles at all levels.
Now we have a minister of the Carr government responding to an article in the Daily Telegraph – further proof of the Murdoch and other media’s influence in governments and their responses to sexuality issues.
There are many ironies in the current situation, not least being the fact that the Daily Telegraph’s readers responded positively to the issue as did parents and students at the school in question.
We intend to publicise the issue as much as possible and demand that the Minister reverse the decision to ban the lesson. Homophobia is on the increase in Australia, due to most governments around the state, be they Coalition or Labor, and the religious right, and the outcome is an increase in violence, bashings and murders of gays, lesbians and transgender people around the country. Many young people struggling with their sexuality, particularly in regional and rural communities, where there are few, if any, support systems, attempt, or succeed in committing, suicide, and governments have a great deal to answer for in this regard.
Sexual minorities are entitled to the same human rights as all citizens in this country, but we have a long way to go, and issues like the latest one make the struggle that much more difficult.
We trust that the Carr government and the Minister for Education will reverse their decision immediately.
COPY TO: EDUCATION: journal@nswtf.org.au Member No.: 66011
-- Forwarded message follows --
From: Self
Subject: Yasin and Parkin Date sent: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 17:48:40 +1000
To Attorney General Philip Ruddock, Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600
From Mannie De Saxe and Kendall Lovett, for Lesbian and Gay Solidarity (Melbourne)
2/12 Murphy Grove, Preston, Vic 3072 Phone:(03)9471 4878 email: josken_at_zipworld_com_au
The double standards of the Federal Government are well known to the Australian communities, but the one illustrated in the examples below plumbs new depths.
Federal Governments of any persuasion are known for their homophobia, and we now have an example of what we may expect as gay, lesbian, transgender, HIV/AIDS communities in the next few years.
Sheikh Khalid Yasin comes to Australia and is on a television programme available and accessible to people around the country. He makes the following statements, but the Attorney-General sees no reason for him to be deported:
TELEVISION HOMOPHOBIA -- CHANNEL 9:
The following is an extract from the Sixty Minutes programme on Channel Nine on the night of Sunday 24 July 2005:
"SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: If you prefer the name of somebody on your clothes other than the name of the Muslims, if you prefer the clothing of the Kaffers other than the clothing of the Muslims, most of the names that's on most of those clothing is faggots, homosexuals and lesbians. God is very straightforward about this -- not we Muslims, not subjective, the Sharia is very clear about it, the punishment for homosexuality, bestiality or anything like that is death. We don't make any excuses about that, it's not our law -- it's the Koran.
PETER OVERTON: And this is why young Muslims shouldn't attend university.
SHEIKH KHALID YASIN: The university is a gateway for deviation. You forget your Islamic direction. Now you have become compromised through some kind of intellectuality."
The Prime Minister of Australia has been very vocal in condemning the Sheik's comments about terrorism and bombings, but so far he seems very mute when it comes to the abuse of homosexuals -- why?
If these people had all used racist and sexist epithets in their programmes or in their sports, they would be called to account by their governing bodies. Because they are abusing homosexuals, no one stops them or censures them.
Well, enough is enough. If these situations are allowed to continue without restraints it is time for gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS Rights Groups to demand of governments and regulating authorities that penalties be applied to those who continue these abuses.
Then we have a peace activist who comes to Australia, who is demonstrably not here threatening members of the Australian communities as Sheikh Yasin has done in the above extract. Anti- war protester Parkin is deported without valid explanation by the authorities responsible for the deportation.
We expect an explanation from the government and from ASIO, who apparently is not accountable to anyone and does not have to give reasons for its actions. This is simply not good enough and leaves us with the thought that Australia has become a police state, unaccountable to anyone for its actions.
When are you going to tell us why deportation in one case and not in the other?
Signed: Mannie De Saxe and Kendall Lovett, Lesbian and Gay Solidarity (Melbourne)
------- End of forwarded message -------
The following reply was received from Philip Ruddock, Federal Attorney General, on 22 November 2005:
The following article appeared in The Age newspaper in Melbourne on 10 September 2005, and is yet another example, if indeed one was needed, showing how homophobia throughout the world continues to undermine, and discriminate against, the lives of gays, lesbians, transgenders and people living with HIV/AIDS.
The report was from AFP in Kuala Lumpur:
Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad claims he was forced to sack his one-time protégé Anwar Ibrahim to prevent mainly Muslim Malaysia getting a homosexual leader.
Dr Mahathir yesterday (9 September 2005) defended his actions and maintained that Dr Anwar was guilty of sodomy, a crime in Malaysia. Dr Anwar has always denied the claims and insisted he was the victim of a conspiracy to blacken his name.
“In our society sodomy is not acceptable. Of course, among some media people even, they are gay. They don’t like my taking action against a person for the kind of things that they indulge in. So I became a bad guy because of that,” he said.
“But I cannot have a person who is like that in my cabinet who may succeed and become the prime minister. Imagine having a gay prime minister. Nobody would be safe,” he said.
Dr Anwar, who was once Malaysia’s deputy prime minister under Mahatir, was jailed on sodomy and corruption charges in 1998 for allegedly conducting a sexual relationship with his official driver, then abusing his power to conceal it.
Human rights groups and Dr Anwar himself maintained the charges were trumped up to prevent him challenging Dr Mahathir, whose 22-year reign as Malaysian leader ended when he retired in October 2003.
Dr Anwar was released from jail in September last year (2004) after the sodomy convictions were overturned. However, as the corruption charge still stands, he is banned from politics until 2008.
Dr Anwar said last month after a court awarded him 4.5 million ringgit ($A1.58 million) in damages over a book that aired the sodomy allegations, that the decision had cleared his name and proved he was the victim of a conspiracy.
Just days before that ruling he also won an apology from the former police chief who beat him after his arrest, as well as undisclosed damages, in a result he hailed as a step forward for human rights in Malaysia.
Gay students suffer as government schools continue to resist the introduction of anti-homophobic bullying policies and sexuality education classes.
By CATHY ANDERSON
Many students across Victoria still suffer from homophobic abuse, leading many to contemplate suicide.
Researchers, education policymakers and teachers who attended Schooling and Sexualities “Ten Years On” conference in Melbourne last weekend heard that while some schools have embraced sexual health education classes which incorporate GLBTI discussion, many continue to resist it.
Many presenters felt the problem was an absence of a national, compulsory program and the unwillingness of principals, politicians and parents to allow GLBTI issues to be raised formally in schools.
At present, school curriculum is a state issue. While there are excellent resources available, such as the national Talking Sexual Health program developed by LaTrobe University, and various state programs such as Shine in South Australia and work being done by Victoria’s youth-based Rainbow Network, schools are not required to teach these programs.
“Parents are a main obstacle, as well as politicians and organisations from the Christian right who often block programs,” said co-conference coordinator Lisa Hunter, lecturer at Queensland’s Griffith University.
“The moment you put the word ‘sex’ in a school program you are shooting yourself in the foot. Even states with mandatory curriculum, it’s not necessarily carried out as it’s still on a school-by-school basis,” she told Bnews.
Ms Hunter said it as easier to introduce the issue of sexuality within a course based on social justice and equity, which also included the topics of race, ethnicity, Aboriginality and disability.
A panel of young Victorian GLBTI students shared their experiences, a common theme among them being isolation from their peers, homophobia and a lack of support structure within schools. Yvonne, a year 12 student from regional Victoria, spoke of how she was ostracised from her classmates through most of her high school years, bullied in front of teachers who refused to help and denied access to sexual health information specific to lesbians. She said that by the age of 16 she was suicidal. Several other students who spoke at the conference experienced similar emotional torment, depression and loneliness.
Conference attendees also heard how gay teachers are often unable to help gay students because they fear being outed themselves and suffering discrimination.
Tania Ferfolja, School of Education lecturer at the University of Western Sydney, shared her research on lesbian secondary teachers in government schools in NSW. She told the conference that most of the women were fearful of coming out and often led double lives.
Ms Ferfolja said the rise of neo-conservative politics and the influence of the Christian right had a huge effect on attitudes in schools. Policies such as the ban on gay marriage, IVF access for lesbians and the adverse reaction to ABC TV’s Play School episode featuring two lesbian parents contributed to a reluctance of gay teachers to be out at school.
Co-conference coordinator Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli said the conference, facilitated by US GLBTI education policy pioneer James T Sears, had some very positive outcomes. She said a primary focus for those involved in education policy is to work towards a uniform approach, the introduction of programs into early childhood education and a more positive focus on GLBTI sexuality.
“We need to focus on the positive aspects of GLBTI issues for kids in schools, not just the negative aspects like homophobia. We should be celebrating their sexuality and actually talking about sex,” she said.
“Programs are slowly getting into schools but we need to find a way to mandate their inclusion. Schools have an inherent heterosexuality which is supported by a lack of equity in law and the use of language such as ‘phase’ and ‘choosing a lifestyle’. That’s the sort ofattitude we need to change.”
Gay students suffer as government schools continue to resist the introduction of anti-homophobic bullying policies and sexuality education classes.
Sydney radio hosts John Laws and Steve Price may be forced to issue an apology after a complaint of homosexual vilification was upheld today by the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal.
Gary Burns lodged a complaint to the tribunal after comments made by Laws and Price on radio station 2UE on June 16, 2003, about a gay couple on the lifestyle television show The Block.
Mr Burns alleged the comments, made during an on-air exchange between the two broadcasters, "incited hatred towards, serious contempt for, and severe ridicule of homosexuals''.
During the broadcast, Price had called Gav and Wazza "young poofs'' while Laws described them as "a couple of young poofs''.
The tribunal found comments made by Price and Laws were "homosexual vilification within the meaning of the Anti-Discrimination Act'' and that "even if done in good faith and in the public interest (were) not reasonable''.
The tribunal's Equal Opportunity division proposed ordering the two Radio 2UE hosts to issue an apology or a retraction.
Mr Burns described today's decision as the "sweetest victory of all''.
"It's against the law, it's un-Australian behaviour and it took a gay man to teach him a lesson - a pillow biter as he wants to call me,'' he said.
The tribunal heard that Price had said during the exchange that ''(on) the uncut version of The Block ... they could do all sorts of grubby things at about 11 o'clock at night''.
Laws had told listeners, "I don't know what's happened to Kerry's taste'', referring to the Nine television network's owner Kerry Packer.
Mr Burns claimed he had been made physically ill by the comments.
"I was distressed I vomited,'' he said. "I felt that as a homosexual male, that I was less important, of less value in society.''
Mr Burns' solicitor, Alexis Goodstone from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, said commentators had a responsibility not to breach anti-discrimination laws.
"People must realise that they can't just say anything they want on radio, that you've got to balance entertainment with being responsible in terms of what the community expects, which is not to vilify people based on their sexuality,'' Ms Goodstone said.
Mr Burns said he was seeking financial compensation and a public apology, on air and in writing.
A final decision on the nature of an apology or retraction and any damages to be awarded was reserved awaiting submissions, to be made in December.
The decision comes only a few days after Laws made a public apology in the gay newspaper Sydney Star Observer after he described Carson Kressley, from the TV program Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, as a "pillow biter''.
Comment was being sought from Laws and Price.
AAP - MEDIA RELEASE - Thursday, 24 February 2005
The Rev Fred Nile MLC, Leader of the Christian Democratic Party, will defend free speech, particularly media personalities such as John Laws and Steve Price, from the draconian NSW Homosexual Vilification Act.
“Next Tuesday I will introduce a Repeal Bill to repeal the Anti Discrimination Homosexual Vilification Act which is gagging free speech, even humour, in New South Wales.
“To persecute persons such as John Laws and Steve Price for their harmless, humorous remarks on radio station 2UE is an abuse of this Act.
“This Vilification Act is being used to harass and intimidate media personalities, to force them to be ‘politically correct’.”
Mannie De Saxe, for Lesbian and Gay Solidarity, Melbourne, 2/12 Murphy Grove, Preston, Vic 3072
Phone:(03)9471 4878 email: josken_at_zipworld_com_au
John Howard's latest racist outburst attacks extremist Muslim groups in Australia, and Keysar Trad responds by accusing Howard of Islamophobia in Australia.
Strangely enough, both are united in their other extremist phobia - they both hate the homosexual communities - ongoing discriminatory homophobia at a time when assaults on gays, lesbians and transgenders are on the increase.
So, extremists of all sorts can combine when they have a common agenda just as in Jersualem last year and the year before, when Muslim, Jewish and Christian clerics combined to protest the approaching Pride celebrations due to take place in Israel.
Howard also criticised Muslim treatment of women - remember his take on the drug RU486 very recently? This was his Christian (?) attitude to women.
"Oh, what a tangled web we weave-------!"
Created: 16.02.2006 20:01 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 20:01 MSK MosNews
Three days after Russia’s top Islamic leader called for violent protests against this spring’s planned gay pride march in Moscow the country’s Chief Rabbi has joined him in denouncing gays.Rabbi Berl Lazar on Thursday told Interfax that if the gay pride parade were allowed to go ahead it “would be a blow for morality”.
Lazar, who also holds U.S. citizenship, did not go as far as calling for violence, but warned the Jewish community would not stand by silently, 365gay.com website said.
On Tuesday Chief Russian Mufti Talgat Tajuddin said gays could be beaten if they go ahead with pride celebrations in the capital.
“Muslims’ protests can be even worse than these notorious rallies abroad over the scandalous cartoons,” Tajuddin, of Russia’s Central Spiritual Governance for Muslims, told Interfax.
Rabbi Lazar on Thursday said that anything promoting what he called “sexual perversions” does not have the right to exist.
“I would like to assure you, that the parade of homosexuals it is not less offensive to the feelings of believers than any caricatures in newspapers,” Lazar said, linking the pride parade with the current furor over the cartoons of the Islamic Profit (sic) Mohammed published in Denmark.
Nikolai Alekseyev, one of the organizers of the pride festival called the comparison “outrageous”.
“Any comparison between the march for human rights and against discrimination with the publication of cartoons is nothing more than an attempt to incite hatred toward sexual minorities,” Alekseev said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the city of Moscow said a parade permit would not be granted to the LGBT rights groups.
“Moscow authorities will not allow the conduct of gay pride in any form,” Sergei Tsoi said on Thursday.
“The Mayor of Moscow said firmly that Moscow government will not allow the conduct of gay parade in any form — neither open, nor indirect, and all attempts to organize non sanctioned action will be severely suppressed.”
Alekseyev said any attempt to prevent the march would be countered with court action.
“In case of denial to conduct the match of sexual minorities we will immediately sue in court. The right to meetings, marches and demonstrations is guaranteed by the Russian Constitution to every citizen of Russia including gays and lesbians,” he said.
If necessary the organizers will go all the way to the European Court of human rights in Strasbourg, said Alekseyev.
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