ࡱ> >@?` } bjbjss 7*} , @BBBBBB$hU@f f { .  @ @ u|^H :@00  ff  df $f  This is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples: I want the laws discriminating against gay couples to be amended so that they may enjoy equal rights in relation to marriage, divorce, access to IVF for parenting, and family laws; equal human rights for recovering financial compensation in the areas of superannuation, workers compensation, and war widows pension. My name is Benjamin Newman, and I am a full-time employed Manager at the local gymnasium here on the Gold Coast. I pay my taxes, contribute to many charities, most recently pursuing fund-raising activities for Cancer Council(QLD.) and Mater 鱨վs Hospital, and do not enjoy the full gamut of basic legal and human rights that everyone else around me does. This means everyday I feel like a second class citizen, and even feel hate towards my countries government, despite all of the good work I do taking care of the health and fitness needs of my community with a very professional, compassionate, and personal means. I am deeply in love with my boyfriend [name removed], but I cannot marry him because of the Commonwealth legislation. This means I cannot access any legal rights regarding marriage, divorce, etc. Even the ACT civil union legislation is a petty, but given compensation, which is still being bullied by the Commonwealth Parliament threatening to overturn it, based upon discriminatory, archaic religious concepts (and most people I know are not religious anyway - have you seen the average age, income, body-type of people who go to church, or Parliament for that matter?). My partner has a high ranking in the army reserve, and will eagerly defend our country from attack, despite the amount of arguments I have had with him about endangering his life - I love him dearly, and do not want him in a dangerous war-zone representing a country that does not recognise him as an equal citizen with full human rights. The Commonwealth legislation will not give me the same equal access to widower's pension if I lose [my partner] in war...not that any amount of money could ever represent how much he means to me - he is the one guy I want to spend the rest of my life with, he makes me so happy, and there is no way you could estimate how much that one special person in your life is valued as a financial sum. I am reputed as being a kind, compassionate human being, and I desire to start a family with [my partner] in the very near future. I was responsible for raising my little brother and sister 15years ago, while my single-parent mother worked long arduous hours to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table for our large country family. My parental skills have assisted my work today, where I occasionally assist in the child-care section of my gymnasium. I have earned the respect of all my colleagues, clients, friends and family for my parental abilities: I am kind and devoted to the needs of children in my care. Due to my up-bringing, and biological needs, I have enough love to want to have my own family, but because of discriminatory Commonwealth AND State legislation, I cannot access IVF procedures with my partner. My surrogate (best friend [name removed]) and I must lie about who and what we are if we wish to access the Medicare rebate to reduce the typical $5000.00 cost down to $1,500.00 for ONE IVF cycle to assist having a child together, and then she and I are not able to access any Maternity/Paternity Leave from our office jobs because Australian Laws do not support our decisions and need to spend time away from work to prepare for having a baby. My partner [name removed] and I cannot access any scheme within Australia to have a child TOGETHER through double-DNA IVF (ie. riskier procedure, where the technology for cloning is slightly altered to produce the child of a gay couple by inserting opposing pair of their DNA into the blank egg), and my IVF doctor in Brisbane CAN do such a procedure but is too afraid to do it in case she is remanded. To access this procedure overseas (such as through the Growing Generations group) would cost us $120,000.00, which is more than an average straight couple would pay to conceive a child. Despite the fact many of these heterosexual couple are not role-model parents, they take for granted such rights, and would afford the loving, caring environment that my partner and I would give our child. The Government has no schemes in place to assist our needs to have a family TOGETHER, and although I respect recent changes to laws in regard to adoption and foster-homes to look after kids with special needs, these are not services I wish to personally use. When I am living with my partner, our tax entitlements will be different to other couples, and so will our Medicare and health benefits. If I wish to visit my partner in hospital if he has an accident or access hospital records to locate where he is, Australian privacy and medical laws will discriminate against me doing so, becuase we do not have a legally recognised relationship - no matter how much our lifestyle and love for each other resembles that of other straight couples. These are the same matters that give rise to "Gay Shame", the driving force behind GLBT Political Activism, Youth Suicide, School bullying, Mental Disorders, and the link behind Rising Drug-Abuse and Disease within my community. My Government is basically run by Heterosexual people who do not have to consider these heavy matter on a daily basis like I do, they merely take their lifestyles for granted and continue suppressing my basic human rights. When do our politicians ever get involved with GLBT community activities, forums, business meetings, fundraisers, dance parties, cooking/sports competitions, newspaper/magazine interviews, etc???? The Human Rights Commission needs to change Australian laws so that ALL GLBT people can live normal, enriching lives, so that they can develop themselves as normal human beings, with no hang-ups about being second-class citizens. Help us achieve status as HUMAN BEINGS, not comic/despised insignificant others. We are already the same as you, and contributing to Australian society RIGHT NOW. We want change RIGHT NOW. Thank you.    A P cl QRzCRS| } h_[}h-CJOJQJ^JaJh1iCJOJQJ^JaJh;CJOJQJ^JaJh_[}CJOJQJ^JaJ#lm     YZ8989XY 7$8$H$gd_[}} Y=>#$  o p q | }  7$8$H$gd_[}50P:p_[}/ =!"#$% @@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DAD Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No ListH@H  Balloon TextCJOJQJ^JaJ}*lmYZ8 9 89XY=>#$opq|0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000lmYZ8 9 89Xopq|h0$h0"h0h0 j0h0h0h0j0h0 Rh0h0j0h0j0h0j0j0|h0h0 j0 h0 j0h0j0h0j0j0xh0h0j0`h0(} Y} } RYZ b 3333AP c l  Q R CSpp|,^-1i_[};@0N}`@UnknownGz Times New Roman5Symbol3& z Arial?5 z Courier New5& zaTahoma"qhrfrf , ,24dqq2HX(?_[}2kThis is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples:Samantha EdmondsSamantha EdmondsOh+'0 ,@ \h   lThis is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples:Samantha Edmonds Normal.dotSamantha Edmonds2Microsoft Office Word@^в@EH@EHfice Word Human Rights Commission, q lThis is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples: Title  !"#$%&'(*+,-./02345678;Root Entry F~^H=Data 1TableWordDocument7*SummaryInformation()DocumentSummaryInformation81CompObjq  FMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89qRoot Entry F,؅hCData 1TableWordDocument7*  !"#$%&'(B1A e 4 $,  Oh+'0| 0<   \dlt lThis is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples: Normal.dot1Microsoft OfSummaryInformation( DocumentSummaryInformation8CompObjq  FMicrosoft Office Word Document MSWordDocWord.Document.89q՜.+,D՜.+,T hHpx  (, q lThis is my submission for the Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples: Titl