GAY, LESBIAN, TRANSGENDER SUICIDES

GAY, LESBIAN, TRANSGENDER SUICIDES
26 August 2009
The media have been very busy over the last few weeks discussing whether the television programme, which was to go to air about the suicides of 4 young people from the same Geelong school, should be released at all.

A great deal of the fuss was being made by Jeff Kennett who started an organization called “beyondblue’ to deal with depression in the community.

The trouble with all of the fuss is that nowhere is there any mention of gay, lesbian, transgender and HIV/AIDS members of the community who are more at risk of suicide in the community than their heterosexual counterparts, and that is in part because of the homophobia of Jeff Kennett and much of the media in general.

Some of the arguments about publicizing the events in Geelong run along the lines of ‘if you give these suicides publicity it may, in all likelihood, lead to copycat suicides or ideations thereof.’

It seems, on the face of evidence available at the moment, that publicity would not only be a good idea, it may bring to the public attention the fact that there are very real problems among many young people in the community and these problems need to be addressed and addressed very urgently.

It is time the attitude changed of keeping so many taboo topics ‘in the closet’! Child sexual abuse is these days given a great deal of publicity – why would it not with so many religious men and male family members and their male friends guilty of child sex abuse, usually statistically of female children?

Other topics which are still taboo in the media are issues such as euthanasia, atheism, religious right-wing homophobia and intolerance and discrimination, elder abuse by governments and nursing homes and other government and non-government agencies, and other topics which haven’t been mentioned at the moment.

Suicide is a very real problem, youth suicide is an ongoing tragedy, and the refusal of all organizations such as beyondblue and the media to include gay, lesbian and transgender young persons’ suicide is part of the ongoing tragedy in the community of the endless homophobia we face on a daily basis.

Publicity is needed and organizations should be formed to address the issues which lead young people to feel so desperate that they kill themselves. It is not surprising, up to a point, when young people see how those who govern the country and those responsible for education, training and employment are so self-serving that they fail to see the tragedy at their doorsteps.

Unfortunately the present political and economic set-ups under which we live our daily lives do not provide a great deal of inspiration to young people, and if these young people do make cries for help to people in the community, these are often not heard or are ignored – ‘they will grow out of it and grow up eventually!’

People like Jeff Kennett should be told that their ignorance of the situation is such that they should shut up and get out of the business of interfering in matters about which they know nothing, or very little. And the media should publish and be damned!

HEFFERNAN'S HYSTERICAL HOMOPHOBIC HORRORS HIT THE HEADLINES!!

The Age daily poll on Friday 14 August 2009 asked the question: "Is Bill Heffernan fit to be a Member of Parliament?" Responses to recent poll questions have been in the low hundreds, but not this time! 2473 votes were recorded, and 13% said YES while 87% said NO!
This man has been trying for many years to subvert the business of government in the federal parliament, before John Howard became Prime Minister, then during the nearly 12 years of the Howard nightmare, and now continuing during the Rudd years. Hopefully at the next election this will come to an end, at least from him!

From Doug Pollard – Freshly Doug – Thursday 13 August 2009

Gay men called “faggots” and expelled from Parliament House during Marriage Breakfast
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Thurs at 14:43
EQUAL LOVE

Same-sex marriage campaign

MEDIA RELEASE


13 August 2009

Two gay activists have this morning been expelled from the Great Hall in Parliament House Canberra, for challenging Labor’s Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion’s stance on same-sex marriage.

The activists held placards reading “Social Inclusion means equality” at a breakfast held by religious groups to celebrate the ban on gay marriage in Australia.

Spokesperson for EQUAL LOVE, John Kloprogge said that August 13th represented a national day of shame in Australian political history.

After standing on the stage for a few minutes, religious members from the audience grabbed the men and forcefully removed them from the room.

It is understood one of the men said, “get out of here you faggots” before grabbing one activist by the neck.

“We were attending this unholy event to make a statement about the hypocrisy of the Rudd Government supporting and endorsing a ban on gay marriage”

“It is particularly galling that the Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion, Senator Ursula Stephens, provided the Rudd Government’s endorsement to this gathering of anti-gay lobby groups and offered ongoing support to excluding gay and lesbian people from civil marriage.”

“This gathering in our Federal Parliament represents the biggest anti-gay protest group since the marriage ban was implemented in 2004.”

“It is important that gay and lesbian people stand up wherever they are and make a statement that we are entitled, as Australian citizens to equality under the law.”

“The expulsion from this homophobic breakfast is just another indication of how gay and lesbian people are treated as second class citizens.”

“The real marriage here is between extreme religious view and the complicity of the Rudd Labor Government in acceding to those view.”

Mr Kloprogge warned the Rudd Government that fostering a closer relationship with anti-gay groups and the Christian Right would not be welcomed by mainstream voters.

“Overwhelmingly, Australians reject anti-gay discrimination. A recent galaxy poll revealed that up to 60 per cent of all Australians support same-sex marriage”.

Same-sex marriages are legal in Canada, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, South Africa and several US states, but are being blocked in Australia by the Labor Party under pressure from religious groups.


HEFFERNAN’S HYSTERICAL HOMOPHOBIC HORRORS HIT THE HEADLINES!!

Heffernan in hot water

Senator Heffernan (top right) sends a message to Senator Wong yesterday.
Stephanie Peatling
August 14, 2009 The Age
FEISTY Liberal senator Bill Heffernan created a further headache for his friend and leader, Malcolm Turnbull, when Senator Heffernan was forced to defend comments made to gay rights activists and a rude gesture in the Senate chamber.

At an event marking National Marriage Day, organised by his wife, Senator Heffernan had an altercation with three civil union activists.
The activists' group, Equal Love, later issued a press release accusing Senator Heffernan of allegedly saying to them: ''I don't mind gay people, I just want you to stop f---ing the kids." (As this blog is not a daily "family" newspaper, this word does not need to be edited and is, in case nobody had guessed, fucking!! The Age newspaper should really try and update itself a bit more!)
Senator's 'obscene gesture'
Senator Bill Heffernan denies giving Climate Change Minister Penny Wong the finger during heated exchanges over climate change policy in the Senate.
Senator Heffernan denied using those exact words.
''Everyone knows where I stand on protecting the institution of marriage and prosecuting the rights of the gay community,'' he told The Age.
''Everyone knows that I conduct a continuous war on people who use kids as sex objects and I don't intend to change now.''
The controversy will not help Senator Heffernan's bid to shore up his preselection before next year's federal election.
It was also an unwelcome distraction for Mr Turnbull, whose inner Sydney seat of Wentworth has a large number of gay and lesbian residents. A spokesman for Mr Turnbull last night declined to comment.
Senator Heffernan's day grew worse when he was caught on camera making an obscene gesture with his finger during question time.
The Government leader in the Senate, Chris Evans, complained that Senator Heffernan had made the gesture at Climate Change Minister Penny Wong.
But Senator Heffernan said he had actually meant it for West Australian Labor senator Glenn Sterle. ''I apologise to Senator Sterle. He knows I was sending him an obscene message,'' Senator Heffernan told the Senate.
Senator Heffernan later told The Age that the pair had an ongoing friendly rivalry due to their membership of the Senate's agricultural committee.
Letters in The Age, 15 August 2009
'Informed' stance
SENATOR Bill Heffernan is, as usual, completely correct. It is a scientific fact that all homosexuals are pedophiles and want to form families only so they can prey on children. Conversely, there has never been a case of children being abused in a heterosexual family, ever. The senator is to be congratulated on his informed public stance.
Andrew McIntosh, Glenroy
Liberal senator Bill Heffernan needs to realize the institution of marriage is not under attack from the gay community but heterosexuals. With such a high divorce rate, straight people themselves are doing an excellent job of destabilizing the institution.
Alexander Liddington-Cox, Hampton

It is an embarrassment to consider that one belongs to the same species as Bill Heffernan - homo sapiens, and it would be an even greater one if one belonged to the other same species - homo sexual!!!!!