ࡱ> ,.-` ebjbjss .e >$  b"$$F h *;;;uuu; u;uuu G¸E u0"u O u u,hvJu<?k ";;;;bbbDDbbb$& DATE: 30 May 2006 NAME: James Geoffrey Dowty [Details removed] Submission to the Same Sex=Same Entitlements Inquiry. Dear HREOC, Thank you for the opportunity to make a public submission to the National Inquiry into Discrimination against People in Same Sex Relationships: Financial and Work-Related Entitlements and Benefits. Please note that my submission can be made public. I am a biostatistician at the University of Melbourne investigating breast and colon cancer. I am also a 33 year old, single gay man. I believe that to achieve full legal equality all Federal legislation should have terms such as 'spouse', 'partner' 'dependent' , 'family' and 'couple' redefined to include same-sex partners and, where relevant, their children. When the US was considering recognizing marriages between people of different races, social conservatives (including some churches) opposed this, saying that it was a dangerous social experiment and that the children of such relationships would suffer. The parallels with the present debate are obvious. Just as US society is healthier for ending its discrimination against mixed-race couples, Australian society will be more ethical and humane if it chooses to end legal discrimination against same-sex couples. I do not have any interest in raising my own children though I take great interest and delight in my nephew and four nieces. However, I think it is important that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. When the Dutch parliament was debating legally recognition of same-sex relationships they decided that same-sex couples should be given the same opportunities as opposite-sex couples to adopt. In a country where approximately 20% of lesbian couples have children from previous relationships, this was mainly seen as a way of ensuring the best outcome for the children in the event of the death or incapacity of the biological parent. Australian children deserve the same protections as Dutch children in such situations. I expect my health and well-being to improve if the Federal government ends its discrimination against same-sex couples. By continuing with this discrimination, the Federal government is sending a clear message to the Australian population that such discrimination is normal and should be encouraged, causing me a great deal of unnecessary stress. In the past, I have been publicly verbally abused for simply having my arm around my male partner's shoulders. Clearly the abuser thought he was acting with the support of his society, to be so unashamed of his bigotry. Legally recognizing same-sex relationships will be a tangible sign to such people that they are out of step with society. I support the rights of churches to think whatever they want about gay men and lesbians but I also support every Australian's right to choose his or her own life partner. We are a secular society and extreme religious views should not form the basis of our laws. I think it is in Australia's best interests for the Federal government to encourage stable, fulfilling relationships between adults, not to discourage them. Yours sincerely, Dr. James G. Dowty -@QdehaBhaBCJOJQJ^JaJh]+CJOJQJaJhaBCJOJQJaJ@ee,1h. A!"#$% @@@ NormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DAD Default Paragraph FontRiR  Table Normal4 l4a (k(No ListHH C Balloon TextCJOJQJ^JaJe  "& "&Q e @g r Zr @g 00@g h0h0e e e 0<1| 23