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Home » All tags » Australia-NZ (RSS)
  • Wednesday, June 04

    Reports: Laws against gay bias in Australia slowed, but on track

    Source: Sydney Star Observer , The Age A gay paper in Australia reports that official discrimination against gay couples in Australian federal laws could be outlawed before next month despite parliamentary maneuvers by the opposition party. Other reports, however, say that the legislation could be delayed for months. The "Coalition" -- a group of the country's conservative parties -- last night vowed to delay any changes until all the proposed reforms are put before the Parliament, The Age newspaper reported. But Australian gay paper, Sydney Star Observer (SSO), reports that the possibility...
  • Monday, June 02

    Gay couple, together for 25 years, finally get an official union in Canberra

    Source: ABC News (Australia) , The Age Canberra -- It wasn't a marriage, or even a civil union, but Kevin Boreham and Edwin Ho became "partners for life" on the shores of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin Monday. Mr Boreham, a university lecturer, and Mr Ho, a public servant, were the first same-sex couple to hold a commitment ceremony under new civil partnership laws for the the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). A small gathering of friends witnessed the historic event on Monday afternoon within view of federal parliament. It was the first ceremony of its kind to be held in the...
  • Monday, May 05

    Christian groups welcome it, but some from ruling party blast veto of civil unions in Australia's capital

    Source: Canberra Times , AFP , The Australian , ABC News (Australia) SYDNEY -- Right-wing Australian Christian groups Monday welcomed a decision by a local territory government to abandon its plans to legalize same-sex civil union ceremonies after intervention from the Labor government of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. But some members of parliament from Rudd's own party blasted the federal intervention. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government, home to the national capital, wanted to introduce civil partnerships legislation that would have allowed gay couples to hold ceremonies legally...
  • Sunday, May 04

    No civil union ceremonies for gay couples in Canberra

    Source: The Age , ABC News (Australia) , Sydney Morning Herald SAME-SEX couples in Canberra have lost a legal battle for civil unions, after the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government was forced into a humiliating backdown on the issue during tense negotiations with the Federal Government. ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the Commonwealth (the federal government) threatened to veto its bill on same-sex unions, leaving the ACT with "no choice" but to amend it. "We are angry, disappointed and frustrated with the approach of our federal colleagues," Mr Corbell told...
  • Tuesday, April 29

    Forum hears call for gay-friendly retirement homes and religions

    Source: news.com.au , ABC News (Australia) Sydney -- For many people, growing old is a difficult process. But a forum in Sydney Monday night heard it is particularly hard for members of the gay and lesbian community. The AIDS Council of New South Wales says older gays and lesbians are probably the most invisible and least cared for of all senior groups, suffering discrimination on many fronts. Outspoken High Court judge Michael Kirby said at the forum that a major part of the problem can be traced to churches whose teachings continue to be a cause of hatred and prejudice against the gay community...
  • Tuesday, April 29

    Still no marriage, but other legal biases against gay couples to fall in Australia

    Source: Sydney Morning Herald , ABC News (Australia) , The Age A major victory is on the horizon in the long battle by gay and lesbian partners in Australia for the same legal and financial rights as de facto heterosexual couples, Sydney Morning Herald reports. Australia's federal government plans to remove inequalities in 100 areas of the law. But Rodney Croome from the Australian Coalition for Equality says discrimination will not be eliminated until same-sex couples are allowed to marry. "While this is a very important reform in itself and it'll certainly remove many of the more...
  • Thursday, April 24

    Gay couple wins 'landmark' foster care case as NSW readies expansion of gay parenting rights

    Source: News.com.au , SameSame Sydney -- A GAY couple have won a landmark discrimination case after they were banned from becoming foster parents because they are homosexual. The couple, whose identities have been suppressed, took legal action when their application to become foster carers was refused by a welfare agency linked to the Uniting Church. After a hearing the New South Wales (NSW) Administrative Decisions Tribunal has ruled that they were "unlawfully discriminated against on the ground of homosexuality". In its judgment the tribunal said: "The evidence makes it clear that...
  • Tuesday, April 22

    Civil union dispute heats up in Australian Capital Territory

    Source: Australian , Sydney Star Observer Canberra -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been presented with his first major challenge on gay law reform from within his own party. The political leader of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) -- a small semi-autonomous area that includes the federal capital of Canberra -- has challenged him to allow gay and lesbian civil unions in the territory. On the partnership law in ACT, Rudd's government has followed the lead of the even more conservative Howard government that it kicked out of office. Howard twice overruled a civil union law passed...
  • Tuesday, April 15

    'Churchie' school formal still embroiled in gay rights debate

    Source: Herald-Sun (Melbourne) , Courier-Mail (Brisbane) , Australian , Daily Telegraph (Sydney) , ABC News (Australia) Students at the Anglican Church Grammar School, a prestigious boarding school in Brisbane known as "Churchie", may consider a boycott of the school's annual formal dance if the administration does not reconsider its decision not to allow gay partners at the event, reports the Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper. The report appears to represent a possible escalation in a simmering dispute at the school. A year 12 student told the newspaper that he made a request...
  • Saturday, April 12

    Gay students want to bring boyfriends to ball at famous Aussie all-boys high school

    Source: AAP via Sydney Morning Herald , news.com.au One of Brisbane's most prestigious all-boy schools says its willing to debate a ban on gay students taking same-sex partners instead of girls to the senior formal. The Anglican Church Grammar School, or Churchie, was in defence mode after several students made it known they want to escort boyfriends to the June 19 formal. The school is insisting they take a member of the opposite sex. Churchie headmaster Jonathan Hensman said none of the students had approached him directly, but a staff member had raised the issue on their behalf. "The...
  • Tuesday, April 08

    Gay developer pulls out of Tasmanian town; activist blames homophobia

    Source: The Age , Advocate (Tasmania) A town in the Australian island state of Tasmania is up for sale, and gay rights activists say homophobia is to blame. Property developer Stephen Roche had plans to transform the spectacular ramshackle town of Penguin, on Tasmania's north-west coast, into an exclusive holiday spot. Just an hour by air from Melbourne, via the nearby town of Burnie, the town of 3000 was to become the "Noosa of the South". But Roche's development dreams were tainted last year after he was subject to death threats and a mail campaign that urged residents to say...
  • Thursday, March 27

    Teacher avoids jail for blackmailing man after gay tryst

    Source: AAP via The Age A Melbourne teacher who blackmailed his gay lover using a video of them involved in a sex act has been fined and given a suspended sentence. David Robert Hicks, 31, has pleaded guilty to one count of blackmail. Hicks, whose address has been withheld for legal reasons, appeared yesterday in the Victorian County Court for sentencing. Judge Michael McInerney convicted and fined Hicks $3,000 and gave him a three-year suspended jail sentence. The court was told that Hicks had a sexual liaison with his victim, who cannot be identified, when he was 29 years old. The pair met in...
  • Wednesday, March 26

    Some of the '100 Reverends' who marched in Mardi Gras risked their jobs

    Source: Sydney Star Observer The careers of some of the clergy who marched in this year's Sydney Lesbian & Gay Mardi Gras Parade under the banner "100 Reverends" have been threatened, Sydney's gay newspaper, the Star Observer ( SSO ), reports. But the ministers told the paper that they have also received support from lay churchgoers. 35 ministers marched in the event to apologise for the Christian Church’s past mistreatment of GLBT people. Eight others chose to remain anonymous by sending a proxy. They marched with an accompanying float to cheers along the parade route. Footage...
  • Monday, March 24

    Lesbian activist killed in hit-and-run incident in Tasmania

    Source: Mercury A WOMAN killed in a hit-and-run incident near Burnie, Tasmania on Good Friday was a prominent gay activist. Yvette Suzanne Sneddon, of Natone, was riding a motorcycle in a collision with a car on a road south of Burnie in the Australian state of Tasmania. Police are investigating and want to speak to anyone who saw a red Ford on Natone Rd. Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesman Rodney Croome said yesterday that Dr Sneddon, 49, had been the convenor of a North-West gay support group in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mr Croome said she had stood up to the challenges of...
  • Monday, March 17

    Jodie Foster plays for laughs in new film role that mirrors her own very private life

    Source: Brisbane Courier-Mail Brisbane, Queensland -- WORD-association time. Jodie Foster. Intense. Anguished. Dramatic characters. The Accused . Silence of the Lambs . Performances so tightly coiled, so raw and personal, it's sometimes uncomfortable to watch. Panic Room , Flightplan . If like most people, this is where your brain immediately travelled, you're about to be reprogrammed. For the first time, the screen veteran and former child star has tried her hand at a family-rated physical comedy as an adult. The result is Nim's Island , a delightful fast-paced romp about a magical...
  • Monday, March 10

    Analysis: Safe sex still key to stopping more HIV infections

    Source: The Age Sydney -- A NEW report on HIV predicts a more than 70% increase in new infections in the Australian state of Victoria by 2015 if nothing fresh is done to curb the spread of the disease. Many people have little recollection of the background of the epidemic in Australia, so it is worth revisiting some of these facts. In 1983 a new disease, AIDS, arrived in Australia. Its cause was unknown and there had been many deaths in the US among male homosexuals, intravenous drug users and, for some strange reason, immigrants from Haiti. There were claims of a new "black death" about...
  • Saturday, March 08

    Australian lesbian lovers get life terms for sadistic murder

    Source: Reuters , News.com.au , BBC News Two lesbian lovers, one who drank blood as part of a vampire culture, were sentenced to life in prison on Friday for what an Australian judge said was the "evil" killing of a girl they bludgeoned to death before dumping her body in a wheelie bin. Jessica Ellen Stasinowsky, 21, and her girlfriend Valerie Paige Parashumti, 19, were sentenced in the West Australian Supreme Court after pleading guilty to Stacey's wilful murder at a Perth house in December 2006. They were each handed a strict security life sentence, with a minimum of 24 years in...
  • Monday, March 03

    Sydney Police praise organizers, revelers for few incidents at Mardi Gras

    Source: UK Gay News , New Zealand Herald , and ABC News (Australia) Sydney Mardi Gras SYDNEY -- Police have praised revelers at this year’s gay pride parade for their good behavior, with only a small number of incidents occurring. About 300,000 of people watched 10,000 participants in the 30th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras sing and dance their way along Oxford Street Saturday night for the annual celebration of gay rights. This year’s festival attracted large numbers of people to the area surrounding Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Police were pleased with what they called the "outstanding...
  • Saturday, March 01

    Sydney's 30th gay Mardi Gras looks back as it welcomes first-timers

    Source: Associated Press , AFP , Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Mardi Gras Images from Flickr of 2008 Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras Flickr photo by ssbuchanan Flickr photo by Unforgettable Flickr photo by paul_syd01 Flickr photo by sillypucci SYDNEY, Australia -- Around 300,000 revelers cheered as a sequins-sparkling, 10,000-strong parade sashayed down inner-city streets Saturday in Sydney's 30th annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. What began in 1978 as a protest march by 1,500 brave homosexual, lesbian and transsexual men and women that was harshly disbursed by police has grown into one of the world's...
  • Friday, February 29

    Sydney's 30th annual Mardi Gras will focus on anti-gay violence and welcome cops and soldiers for first time

    Source: Sydney Morning Herald , News.com.au Rob Summers and Amelia Dzakaria do some last-minute shopping at House of Priscilla. Sydney Morning Herald photo by Bob Pearce Sydney -- Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has put violence against gays and lesbians at the forefront of its political agenda, asking the two men who were bashed while walking hand-in-hand in Darlinghurst three months ago to lead tonight's 30th anniversary parade. With more than 9000 participants and 150 floats, tonight's extravaganza is expected to be the parade's biggest ever, finishing with an after-party at the...
  • Wednesday, February 06

    Christian ministers will march in Sydney Mardi Gras to apologize for churches' hostility to gays and lesbians

    Source: Sydney Star Observer and SXNews Sydney Mardi Gras A group of 100 Christian ministers have declared they will march in this year's Sydney Mardi Gras to apologise for what they describe as the church’s unwelcoming attitude to gays and lesbians. “As ministers of various churches and denominations we recognise that the churches we belong to, and the church in general, have not been places of welcome for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people,” the group said in a statement. “For these things we apologise. We are deeply sorry and ask the forgiveness of the GBLT community.”...
  • Wednesday, February 06

    Australian governments continue to argue over civil unions in Canberra

    Source: News.com.au , Sydney Star Observer , and Wikipedia CLAUSES in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) civil partnerships bill that would allow gay couples to hold a public ceremony marking their union are unacceptable, Attorney-General Robert McClelland says. "We think a civil unions register along the lines of Tasmania is appropriate," Mr McClelland told The Australian newspaper. "The ceremonial aspects of the ACT model were inappropriate." ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell said this week the territory would not back from its plans to allow gay couples some form of...
  • Friday, January 18

    Rally planned in Sydney gay neighborhood after spate of anti-gay attacks

    Source: Sydney Morning Herald A SPATE of brutal attacks on gay men in Oxford Street has sparked an internal investigation of the Surry Hills police command--- and a controversial campaign to rally gays behind a street protest against homophobic violence. The NSW Police Professional Standards Command, the branch that oversees internal investigations, has confirmed it will investigate the Surry Hills police complaints system after more than two years of allegations that officers have refused to record acts of anti-homosexual violence or investigate some bashings. The gay activist and barrister David...
  • Thursday, January 17

    In major report, New Zealand commission says transgender discrimination widespread

    Source: compiled by seaQwa's Qnews from reports by Radio New Zealand and New Zealand Herald The New Zealand Human Rights Commission today released what it says is a world-first inquiry into discrimination against transgender people. The report, which has taken about 18 months to complete, is based on public consultation and 200 submissions to the commission. Commission spokesperson, Joy Liddicoat, says four out of five submissions have highlighted discrimination as an issue, ranging from physical and verbal abuse, to transgender people not being served in shops and missing out on jobs. Other...
  • Tuesday, January 15

    Gay man accused of murdering partner appears in court while questions about their business are aired

    Source: News.com.au and West Australian Perth -- AN entrepreneur accused of murdering his gay lover in their luxury East Perth penthouse has made a brief appearance in court this morning. Gerurdas Gerrit Heijne, 44, appeared in Stirling Gardens Magistrates Court via videolink from Hakea Prison. His partner Frank Cianciosi was found dead in the apartment on January 4, but police are yet to reveal how he died. Dressed in prison issue clothing, Heijne said just two words during the appearance, acknowledging his correct name and that the videolink transmission was operating correctly. His barrister...
  • Saturday, January 12

    Sydney cops accused of ignoring rising tide of gay-hate crimes

    Source: News.com.au and Sydney Star Observer GAY-HATE crimes are on the rise in Sydney, with activists warning violence may spiral out of control in the lead-up to the 30th year of Mardi Gras. The AIDS Council Of NSW (ACON) said it had received 22 reports of homophobic violence in the past six weeks alone, compared with 30 over the previous five months. "If you look at the rate, it's basically doubled since about November," Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project co-ordinator Carl Harris said. The council will lodge a formal complaint with the NSW Ombudsman against Surry Hills police...
  • Friday, January 11

    Police want help in New Zealand to track events before brutal murder of gay man

    Source: New Zealand Herald Auckland -- Police investigating the killing of Ronald James Brown, 69, a month ago want help from the the gay community. Hungarian tourist Ferdinand Ambach, 29, has been charged with his murder. Constable Brent Clark said police needed to speak to anyone who interacted with Brown to ensure all relevant facts and evidence were put before the court. Ambach faces charges of assault, intentional damage and murder after allegedly attacking Mr Brown in his home early on December 8. Mr Brown was found badly beaten on the ground floor of his home in the early hours of December...
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  • Wednesday, January 09

    Group gets explicit and graphic in ads to combat HIV

    Source: The Age This explicit ad encouraging condom use is part of a series sponsored by Victorian AIDS Council FULL-PAGE images of men having sex will be splashed across gay newspapers in Melbourne today as part of a bold advertising campaign designed to stem rising HIV infections in Victoria. Four advertisements -- which show men having sex, with a dialogue box discussing safe sex issues covering their genitalia -- will appear in Bnews and MCV newspapers as part of the Victorian AIDS Council 's latest campaign to target gay men who have unprotected sex. Executive director Mike Kennedy said...
  • Tuesday, January 08

    'Glam Reaper' resurrected in HIV-prevention ad campaign

    Source: GayWired.com Two decades ago, the Australian Department of Public Health launched a disturbing, yet informative, ad campaign to help educate the gay community about HIV and AIDS. With the number of new infections still on the rise over the past few years, Sydney has revised a new viral video campaign which highlights the Glam Reaper and hopes to once again show the community that this is a disease that effects everyone. The original Grim Reaper campaign depicted images of death mowing down a range of victims in a bowling alley. Although the ad was widely criticized at the time, it did succeed...
  • Saturday, January 05

    Police allege that lovers' spat ended in death of prominent gay businessman

    Source: NEWS.com.au Perth -- DOMESTIC argument between gay lovers spiralled out of control and ended in the death of one in a Perth riverfront penthouse, police will allege. Frank Cianciosi, 51, was found dead in the chic East Perth apartment on Friday afternoon. His partner, Gerurdas Gerrit Heijne, 44, appeared in East Perth Magistrates Court yesterday charged with murder. The men, well known in Perth's affluent social set, became millionaires after establishing the Lenard's chicken franchise in Western Australia. Det-Sgt Terry Rakich, from the Major Crime Squad, said: "Police will...
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