This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/12/mardi-gras-may-be-fun-but-being-queer-in-australia-is-no-picnic

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Mardi Gras may be fun, but being queer in Australia is no picnic Mardi Gras may be fun, but being queer in Australia is no picnic
(7 months later)
Each year at the end of summer we are treated to the sight Each year at the end of summer we are treated to the sight of glittering drag queens and buff men in small underpants on our TV screens – or, if you live in Sydney, on the street. While this celebration provides an important (not to mention fun) outlet for self-expression, we must not forget that life for GLBTIQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) people in contemporary Australia is not all beer and skittles.
of glittering drag queens and buff men in small underpants on our TV screens – According to a report released last week, 16% of young people identifying as GLBTIQ have attempted suicide, while 33% have harmed themselves as a result of homophobia or transphobia. Of the 1000 participants aged between 16 and 27, two-thirds reported experiencing homophobic or transphobic harassment or violence. Forty-two per cent of those surveyed had thought about self-harm or suicide. Other research has found that GLBTIQ people are much more likely to report anxiety and depression than the rest of the population.
or, if you live in Sydney, on the street. While this celebration provides an While the previous government put a lot of work into eliminating most types of legal discrimination based on sexual orientation (the obvious exception being the symbolic issue of gay marriage), many are still reluctant to treat GLBTIQ people as fully-fledged members of society.
important (not to mention fun) outlet for self-expression, we must not forget Conservatives who claim this is a question of “political correctness” obviously don’t know the feeling, familiar to so many, of having to change their mannerisms, speech, or clothes to avoid being confronted with the possibility that someone at school, work, or on the street will decide that they disapprove of your personal life and have the right to tell you so. Although we can all get caught up in the political to-and-fro of these issues, every now and then I am struck by how weird it is that there are a lot of people in the world who don’t like me because of how my brain happens to operate.
that life for GLBTIQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) I know a few people who have suffered physical violence, or who have been harassed by police, for looking gay. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had men yell homophobic things out of cars at me. And on a more mundane level, gay and transgender people are faced daily with a litany of awkward questions and assumptions that reinforce the sense that we are a strange novelty for many.
people in contemporary Australia is not all beer and skittles. It’s hardly surprising that many young people struggle to deal with their identity when we have people like Kevin Donnelly, ex-Liberal staffer and one of the men reviewing the national school curriculum, telling us we are “decidedly unnatural” (despite same-sex sexual activity actually being one of the few habits of modern humans regularly found in the animal world). Cory Bernardi has likened homosexuality to bestiality – and the Liberal party’s response was to give him the number one spot on the South Australian Senate ticket at last year’s federal election, ensuring he would be re-elected.
According to a report released last week, On the other side of politics, right-wing unions call the shots on gay marriage in the supposedly progressive Labor party. The influential national secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, Joe de Bruyn, has led the charge against Labor supporting same-sex marriage, despite a lack of evidence that the shop assistants, hairdressers, bakers and call-centre workers he supposedly represents have any great interest in the issue.
16% of young people identifying as GLBTIQ have attempted suicide, while 33% Reforms made under the Gillard government still allow religious organisations – including many schools and some of the largest employers in the country – to discriminate against those it deems sinners. Instead of protecting those discriminated against, too many of our politicians end up siding with the discriminators.
have harmed themselves as a result of homophobia or transphobia. Of the 1000 Although gay marriage has become the headline issue, there are other important problems that need to be addressed. Transgender people seeking surgery often find that it’s far too expensive because of a lack of Medicare support. The Queensland government has refused to reform a law that allowed two men to be let off murder charges and convicted of the lesser crime of manslaughter because they claimed their victim was hitting on one of them. And Australia is probably breaking international law by sending gay asylum seekers to a country where they could be imprisoned for up to 14 years for homosexual relations.
participants aged between 16 and 27, two-thirds reported experiencing So while you’re enjoying the colour and movement of Mardi Gras on TV, spare a thought for some of the discriminatory nonsense the queer community has to put up with the other 364 days of the year.
homophobic or transphobic harassment or violence. Forty-two per cent of those surveyed had
thought about self-harm or suicide. Other research has
found that GLBTIQ people are much more likely to report anxiety and depression
than the rest of the population.
While the previous government put a lot of work into
eliminating most types of legal discrimination based on sexual orientation (the
obvious exception being the symbolic issue of gay marriage), many are still
reluctant to treat GLBTIQ people as fully-fledged members of society.
Conservatives who claim this is a question of “political
correctness” obviously don’t know the feeling, familiar to so many, of having
to change their mannerisms, speech, or clothes to avoid being confronted with
the possibility that someone at school, work, or on the street will decide that
they disapprove of your personal life and have the right to tell you so. Although
we can all get caught up in the political to-and-fro of these issues, every now
and then I am struck by how weird it is that there are a lot of people in the
world who don’t like me because of how my brain happens to operate.
I know a few people who have suffered physical violence, or
who have been harassed by police, for looking gay. I can’t count the number of
times I’ve had men yell homophobic things out of cars at me. And on a more
mundane level, gay and transgender people are faced daily with a litany of
awkward questions and assumptions that reinforce the sense that we are a
strange novelty for many.
It’s hardly surprising that many young people struggle to
deal with their identity when we have people like Kevin Donnelly, ex-Liberal
staffer and one of the men reviewing the national school curriculum, telling
us we are “decidedly unnatural” (despite
same-sex sexual activity actually being one of the few habits of modern humans
regularly found in the animal world). Cory Bernardi has likened homosexuality
to bestiality – and the Liberal party’s response was to give him the number one
spot on the South Australian Senate ticket at last year’s federal election,
ensuring he would be re-elected.
On the other side of politics, right-wing unions call the
shots on gay marriage in the supposedly progressive Labor party. The
influential national secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees
Association, Joe de Bruyn,
has led
the charge against Labor supporting same-sex marriage, despite a lack of
evidence that the shop assistants, hairdressers, bakers and call-centre workers
he supposedly represents have any great interest in the issue.
Reforms made under the Gillard
government still allow religious organisations – including many schools and
some of the largest employers in the country – to discriminate against those it
deems sinners. Instead of protecting those discriminated against, too many of
our politicians end up siding with the discriminators.
Although gay marriage has become the headline issue, there
are other important problems that need to be addressed. Transgender people
seeking surgery often find
that it’s far too expensive because of a lack of Medicare support. The
Queensland government has refused
to reform a law that allowed
two men to be let off murder charges and convicted of the lesser crime of
manslaughter because they claimed their victim was hitting on one of them. And
Australia is probably breaking
international law by sending gay asylum seekers to a country where they could
be imprisoned for up to 14 years for homosexual relations.
So while you’re enjoying the colour and movement of Mardi
Gras on TV, spare a thought for some of the discriminatory nonsense the queer
community has to put up with the other 364 days of the year.