Little by Little
As the trash is swept up on Oxford St following last weekend’s revelry, we celebrate our community.
We celebrate those who marched,those who danced, and the friends and family of gay and lesbian Australians who came out in support of not only their loved ones, but of equality.
On March 17, we at the GLRL will be launching our education campaign.脗聽 The main aim of the campaign is to inform our community of their new rights and responsibilities following the removal of over 80 pieces of discriminatory legislation at a federal level last year.脗聽 People in our community need to know what rights they have in order to assert them.
A second element of our education strategy is the daunting task of脗聽 dismantling homophobic attitudes and prejudices.脗聽 Although legal reform removes discrimination under the law, it does not remove discrimination, harassment and prejudice from the everyday lives of gay and lesbian Australians.
Celebrities and leading public figures go some way to combating homophobia. So does legal reform removing discrimination.脗聽 Signals at the highest levels that we are indeed equal trickle down to the general public.
But what is often most powerful is the power of education that each of us holds in our own hands.脗聽 As we talk to friends, colleagues, neighbours and family members, let us become ever bolder in being who we are, in not shrinking from ourselves in order to fit in. These small and personal actions constitute a large part of脗聽 how attitudes change.
It can be a painful process, and certainly people should not put themselves in harm’s way in homophobic environments.脗聽 But as the laws keep changing, as the tide of equality slowly rises, let us, little by little, change attitudes.
I would like to pay tribute to one of those brave educators, Ghassan Kassisieh.脗聽 An educator, an astute lobbyist and brilliant policy strategist, Ghassan has been a tireless advocate for gays and lesbians in his capacity as policy and development coordinator and as a volunteer at the GLRL for many years now.脗聽
This Friday will be his last day at the office, and everyone past and present at the Lobby, along with the hundreds of stakeholders he has worked with, is devastated to see him go.脗聽 So to you Ghassan, an infinite thank you.脗聽 And bon voyage!
Emily Gray is the convenor of the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.
Yes my dear my grammar may be a-bit crook but I bet a good grand stand barrier marshall like yourself Kevin understood it’s message ?
Dear oh dear Gary, grammar grammar.
There is no such thing as “positive discrimination”.
Either you are equal or you’re not.
Sadly the homosexuality community embarrasses me with it’s imagery of a group of people constantly claiming persecution.
Now at long last we have a Commonwealth Government,unlike the intolerant Hitler government of the past that has legislated to treat same sex couples equally and the grandstand wingers are still crying foul.
A lot of you forum scowlers need to get out into the forum of public opinion as I to have any real understanding of what ordinary people actually think of homosexuals.
One thing I have tried to do is garner respect to the homosexuality because without any respect how can we bring people with us to achieve the necessary legislated change required for equality ?
My message is “full equality before the law for all Australians”.
The govt has adopted a cynical definition of equality which assumes that same & opposite sex couples started from an level playing field which is patent nonsense (See HREOC report).
Equality for men & women in relation to eligibility for Aged Pension was phased in over 20 years & even now in 2009 the age for women in 63 1/2. Is that equality? No its called a transitional provision to provide for past disadvantage.
Why are older gays & lesbians not afforded similar treatment?
Sadly this is what happens when we allow children to represent the homosexuality community.
Having said that I do not support the grandfather clause because it is asking the Commonwealth Government to treat homosexuals differently to opposite sex couples.That is hardly EQUAL.
The homosexuality community only has itself to blame because it stood where it always stands (in the grandstand) and did nothing to stop this.
Generation “y” were at home shitting their nappies while older homosexuals like me were out fighting bigotry.Now they are now speaking on our behalf.
Now you know why I stay clear of these so called “community spokespersons”.
They don’t have a f..k.. clue what they are doing !
Good luck to Ghassan in his new job.
However, Little Miss Emily has still not explained how their brilliant policy strategy work resulted in them accepting a flawed reform model which is so damaging to the lives of older gays & lesbians who have had none of the benefits of relationship recognition but bear the brunt of the disadvantage. WHY WERE THE REFORMS ACCEPTED WITHOUT GRANDFATHERING?
PLEASE EXPLAIN.