Newly elected senator Louise Pratt who is the third openly gay member of the current senate - along with Greens leader Bob Brown and Climate Change Minister Penny Wong - has renewed the debate on gay marriage in Australia. She is also the first and only member of parliament known to have a transgendered partner.
In her maiden speech this week, Pratt, Senator for Western Australia said: "I look forward to a time when we will have removed at a federal level all discrimination on the grounds of gender identity and sexuality, to a time when my partner is not denied a passport because his gender is not recognised under our laws; to a time when my friends' children all enjoy the same rights and protections under commonwealth law regardless of whether their parents are straight or gay; to a time when if my gay friends wish to be legally married, they can be."
The 36-year-old revealed that her partner of two years Aram Hosie, came out as a lesbian at 15 and began transitioning to male in 2006 at the age of 23. He is reported to be the founding president of the Western Australia (WA) Gender Project which is currently lobbying for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to allow transgendered people to have a passport which states their new gender.
"Conservative forces in this country do not offer the kind of leadership we need to face this and other challenges. Far from it: they have a history of fostering division," she said.
She spoke of her experience in advocating equal rights as a state MP in WA. Prior to her election to the WA Legislative Council in 2001, she was spokesperson for Gay and Lesbian Equality, a prominent advocacy group.
"I was, and I remain, very proud to have been part of the West Australian government that completely removed this discrimination against same-sex couples and their children in all state laws," said the Labor member who was elected to the federal Senate last year.
WA's legislative reform included a complete ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, access for same-sex couples to adopt children, lowering the age of consent from 21 to 16 and repealing legislation which had otherwise made it an offence to 'promote' homosexuality in schools.
Penny Wong: Senator for South Australia and Minister for Climate Change and Water on same-sex marriage
Earlier this month, Wong who made headlines last years for being the first openly gay member and the first Asian-born member of an Australian cabinet, was chided by the Australian gay press for toeing the party line on the issue of same-sex marriage. Maiden Speech - Reclaiming One Nation: 21 Aug 2002 criticised the Howard Government for overturning the Australian Capital Territory Civil Unions Act
Gay site Samesame.com.au quoted Wong as saying on Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Q&A programme, "My view is that I'm a member of the party, the party's got a very clear view and that is a view that is supported, let's be frank, by the vast majority of Australians."
She was criticised by Tim Wilson, another openly gay member of the panel and from the Institute of Public Affairs for her stance. "But what have you done, Penny Wong, from inside the party to advocate for an alternate position? There're two gay people on this panel, you and I, and I find it very frustrating that in your party room you may very well be vocal, but when you come out here you defend it. It's okay to have a different opinion from your party. I think the public expects that people have different perspective from time to time."
SX News's Sam Butler wrote in an Aug 6 column: "Wong of course has as much right to a private life as any other MP, and clearly she's not willing to adopt a 'personal is political' approach to her sexuality that underlies the perspectives of former Democrats Senator Brian Greig and (we hope) incoming Labor Senator Louise Pratt. And from all reports, Wong is one of the strongest internal allies of LGBTI law reform and equality.
"More's the pity, then, that she refuses to carry her admirable work beyond the closed doors of cabinet meetings, and into public forums, where she could easily inspire a generation of young women to be open, proud, and - perhaps most importantly - vocal, about being queer."
Bob Brown: Senator for Tasmania and leader of the Australian Greens on same-sex marriage
Elected to the Australian Senate for Tasmania in 1996, Brown is the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia and is an outspoken advocate for civil marriage for same-sex couples in Australia
"Like women getting the vote and Britain giving up its empire, gay marriage is inevitable. It's logical. It's part of the future," Brown said in 2004 when the Marriage Act was amended to recognise marriage to only be between a man and woman, and that same-sex marriages solemnised in other countries would not be recognised in Australia.
The Australianmarriageequality.com web site quotes Brown as saying, "In the 1950s there was a song which claimed 'Love and marriage... go together like a horse and carriage'. In the 2010s same-sex couples in Australia are treated like we are still in the horse and carriage age - and no marriage with love. The Greens will continue to campaign against the Rudd Government's regressive thinking."
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No it's not; I have friends in New Orleans who've been together over 60 years and would jump at the chance to get married.
I hope that the couple in New Orleans who have been together for 60 years have the opportunity that the ones in California have. Good luck to them...and to all the others who want to fulfill their dreams.
Ask your straight brothers and they'll tell about all the escapades they've had or are having behind their wives' backs. Gay men are NO different :-) Might as well get REAL and face the fact that marriage might work for women BUT it sure ain't gonna cut it for men.
There are plenty of women who screw around, just as there are plenty of men who don't. All a bit of a red herring.
gay or straight.
prostitution is the oldest profession cos men need to see themselves thru different women...for gay men, they need to do it with different men...that's why u have gay saunas, gay pick up...gay sex joints.
when a gay men gets dumped in a 1 year plus relationship, he picks up he pieces really fast and move on to another men...love dun mean much so u need not mourn.
the novelty in gay men's eyes are the same as little boys....he cry for ultraman....but in 3 days later or sooner, he will want superman....same goes with gay men, he fucks u...in the sauna, later u see him cruising another man for sex...n he avoids u like poison.
the joy is in the hunt, the thrill of nailing a man...as soon as he release his 'juice'...u have no value in his eyes. ..men makes faster disappearing acts after sex than ghost caught at the corner of yr eyes.
men are ruled by their cocks...they need sex...if all men can just masturbate at home...all the sex joints (gay or straight) wld be out of business.
when gay men brags abt having 'lovers' all over....their frens think highly of him....he gets a certain high from conquering...with his penis.
men are selfish when it comes to sex...."Can u suck me then I rock yr ass wide open?" after that...he dun give a damn if a bus runs over u...he wants u gone.
COME ON OWN UP....GAY MARRIAGE IS HOG WASH. U guys will have more gays who jump from marriage to divorce faster than the straight cos no kids...no responsibility...with the so what attitude...hell care,...just divorce loh attitude...only the lawyers will be grinning from one ear to another....so many marriage and divorce gay cases.
Men are design to plant the seeds all over, just that we gays shoot it up the 'wrong' places. To the conservatives we r sinners, deviants, faggots..etc etc...why do we need to get 'married' n with the credential of gay men staying together for over 3 yrs r few...think of the VERY VERY many going into marriage and ending up in bitter angry and VERY public divorces that will have conservatives mock at us...condemn us further??? Those gays in divorce cases dun care cos they r so busy fighting over claims n rights in their divorce n cursing n swearing at the one they once 'loved'....do they care that their inability to make a marriage last is giving gays the bad name...of unloyal...dun deserve to be love...put us in the public's eyes. They dun care....cos your worse enemy is yr own kind...a gay man would be too busy doing war with another gay man.
Let the straight people go into marriages and deal with the terms n condition of marriage.
We gays are better off...bouncing from one men from another...let's be honest...for men who love deeply wld be labelled wuss, sticky,...woman's heart...we dun want love...we want SEX. Really....the man who woo u n talk sweet nothings into yr ears will be the same man who will avoid u like a plague n dun give a shit abt u when he is tired of u....very quickly...u want to marry him???? U want to go through all those legality etc knowing men cannot be tied down. Know our own kind...say NO to gay marriage, we are fine the way we are now. We have the 'freedom' to come and go...from ne man to another. At most if we get dumped...we will bitch abt him to our frens. If we dump him...well, suddenly our frens wld not hear us talk abt how marvellous he is...rite?
Not only that.......this idiot named "JasonTankk" really fails to see what lies beyond the so-called "gay marriage".
F.Y.I. The legalization of gay marriage is the pinnacle victory of GLBT people struggle to obtain full right comparable to straight citizens, which includes tax, discrimination protection, pension, inheritance, etc.
Not only that, gay marriage also can change straight people negative perception on homosexuals' promiscuity and "disease spreading" bugs.
Again you showed how idiotic and asshole you are to the fridae.com readers.
Not only you bring some stupid racist comments, you are denying your own rights as well !!!
GOOD JOB!!!
I suppose you only posting your nude pictures around or wanking at saunas without reading anything about LGBT movements in the world, don't you?
Do you have any ideas WHY, I repeat WHY, WHY, WHY, they put EQUALITY...EQUALITY...EQUALITY behind the gay marriage things?
Is it only for the marriage itself??????
Because gay marriage is a pinnacle victory, YES, I repeat, PINNACLE VICTORY for gay people to have same rights and protections as heterosexual members, which of course INCLUDES NON-MARRIED and WANK-GO-ROUND gay people like you. YES...YOU!!!
So, don't you think it is idiotic to deny such freedom all LGBT people cherish for just because you want to wank around??
READ, JasonTankk, READ READ READ....!!!
There is plenty of resources about gay marriages and why we are dying to fight it for !!!!
let me read when u r DEAD fighting for those rights....a fight u most likely will NOT win....considering how the Asian government view homosexuals. Go fight Lee Kuan Yew.....do it!!!!
Why Singapore is different, in my experience, I can only guess; is it this "always on the lookout for something better" idea? Maybe someone else can enlighten me, or maybe I am just wrong on that point!
Sorry to say this but you really need to READ what happened in the past...
People said using lighting other than FIRE is not possible, but Thomas Alva Edison proved it wrong.
People said women didn't suppose to study and gain equal education and vote as men because they are less intelligent, but proven wrong by Women Suffrage Movement.
People thought black people were destined to be slaves and low class citizens, but Martin Luther King proved it wrong.
People generally thought that gay people are sissies and loser in sports but Matthew Mitcham proved it WRONG.!!!
So....
It must start from somewhere. It's just simply useless to think in fatalistic paradigm like what you did. Even MUCH worse if you think gay people are generally promiscuous and un-loyal, which I am so keen to rebutt.
Please look around the world, not only in Asia, I have seen many couples that are even MORE loyal and supportive than straight people. Their relationship will be even better if the government and surroundings accept them....*Which THAT'S WHY gay marriages is a thing worthwhile to fight for*
Now, how to change Asian government view about gay people if the gay people themselves view their other members as promiscuous and disease spreader??
Just be smart, intelligent and considerate, it is a good start for you.
a) someone who pretends to be the fella in the picture ... personal revenge ? disgruntled ex ? or what ? ... something else more silly perhaps ?
b) or thats really you and your address is real and you are really really ignorant?
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