On August 14, rallies will take place in 13 different cities around Australia for the sixth annual national day of action for equal marriage rights. Last year鈥檚 national day of action drew more than 10,000 people, making it the biggest demonstration for queer rights in Australian history. The movement has claimed 2010 as its 鈥渘ational year of action鈥.
Activists have taken some colourful initiatives to build this year鈥檚 rally. Sydney鈥檚 Community Action Against Homophobia threw eggs at cardboard cut-outs of Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard.
Farida Iqbal
Canberra鈥檚 bus service, Action, is trying to impose a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) on bus drivers to undermine their rights at work.
Under the current EBA, 40% of Canberra鈥檚 bus drivers are part-time and have to wait four years until they can get full-time work. If the part-time to full-time ratio that Action wants is implemented, workers will have to wait seven to eight years for a full-time job.
鈥淲e鈥檙e fighting to protect bus driving as a profession鈥, one bus driver said.
On July 25, climate change minister Penny Wong, Australia鈥檚 first openly queer government minister, came out against equal marriage rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people.
鈥淥n the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect鈥, she told Channel 10.
Wong鈥檚 statement dramatically shows the utter moral bankruptcy of the Labor Party on the issue.
May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). The day of protest began in 2004, and has been held every year since. This year, IDAHO events will be held in more than 60 countries.
In 2004, the Coalition government, with Labor support, banned marriage for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people. This year, the Greens introduced the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill to federal parliament, to try to overturn the ban.
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly passed a civil unions bill on November 11 to allow same-sex couples the right to legally binding ceremonies. Civil unions with ceremonies have been a key demand of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) movement in the ACT since 2006.
Eighteen-year-old South African athlete Caster Semenya has done nothing wrong. Yet she has been accused of deceiving the world about her gender. There is nothing wrong with Semenya鈥檚 body. Yet her body has been paraded in front of the world by the mass media as if she were a sideshow freak.
In June, a raft of new legislation was presented to parliament to in effect, outlaw homebirth midwifery in Australia. Indemnity insurance would be a legal requirement for medical practitioners, under a new national registration and accreditation scheme.
The August 1 national day of action for equal marriage rights was the biggest demonstration for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights in Australian history.
A high number of homeless youth in Australia are lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual or intersex (LGBTI).
Over the past year and a half, Australia鈥檚 rental crisis has hit Canberra especially hard. The nation鈥檚 capital has the highest rents in the country.
Plans are underway for the fifth national day of action for same-sex marriage rights. Rallies are already planned in seven cities across Australia on August 1.
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