аЯрЁБс>ўџ @BўџџџAџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС` №П7'bjbjЫsЫs .4ЉЉ џџџџџџЄ’’’’’’’ќєxxx8АФ№ŒŒьссс       $h€*1’™сс™™1’’лF“““™’’ “™ ““’’“р €oKбъЎЦxЕ4“ \0Œ“ЊщšЊ“Њ’“xсrS“[д/jссс11ƒсссŒ™™™™№№№$d№№№І4к"џџџџ’’’’’’џџџџ Henry W Collier  DATE \@ "dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy" Monday, July 24, 2006 Human Rights Unit Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 I write this personal submission as a person who identifies as a long term human and gay rights activist. I have been associated with political and social gay rights activism for more than 25 years on both sides of the Pacific. Since I immigrated to Australian in 1991, I have been active in organizations that work for the recognition of equal rights and social justice for our LBGTQI people. Those of us who have worked with organizations like the Sydney based Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby and other organizations like PRIDE, ACON, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the Gay Counseling Service and so many other non-discriminatory organizations appreciate the work of HREOC in examining the legal and social status of LBGTQI people in our Australia. There is no doubt that the legal treatment of ‘homosexuals’ has changed since the New York City Stonewall riots of 1969. The Kinsey report of 1948 and the works of Dr E. Hooker changed the way the world and progressive governments viewed homosexuals and homosexuality. The history of ‘gay activism’ in Australia seems to emanate from the first Mardi Gras demonstration held in 1978. We have come a long ways since then. All that said, there is still a long ways to go to achieve equal rights and social justice for our LBGTQI citizens and residents. Everyone who is in Australia deserves equal treatment at law. The government of the day’s entrenchment of legislation and policy to systematically discriminate against same sex parenting and recognition of same sex relationships is an outrageous attempt to return to a period of paternalistic social control of a failed past. The government attempts to legislate biology will always fail. Same sex attracted humans will exist and will find other same sex attracted people regardless of biased government restrictions and attempts to systematically legislate these biases. Attempts to take away basic human rights of one group will eventually result in a removal of human rights for all. If today it’s the gays, who is it tomorrow? We see the folly of long term systematic discrimination against the Aboriginal people of Australia. Although attempts are being made to guarantee the legal rights and equity at law for our Aboriginal people, there are still those in positions of power who believe that Aboriginals must be controlled as second class citizens who do not deserve equal rights and social justice. When the government of any population attempts to enforce religious doctrine, I think that we’re in deep trouble both socially and politically. There is little doubt that organized religion has a place in our Australia. However to decide that same sex relationships are ‘immoral’ or ‘prohibited’ based on religious doctrine, fails to recognize the fact that there is no systematic agreement on the prohibitions in Scriptures of same sex relationships. There is more than a little evidence and history of the recognition of same sex relationships in the literature. Works of people like Rev Mel White, Rev Troy Perry, and our own Rod Pattenden support the recognition of same sex attracted relationships. The infighting of the Episcopal denomination and the continuing difficulties in the Uniting Church evidence the problems within the churches. Only the Roman Catholic Church, governed by a group of self selected and unaccountable group of supposedly celibate men appears dedicated to systematically discriminate against gays and lesbians. I do not believe that the government should offer any support to those organizations that systematically discriminate against gay men and / or lesbians. It is, of course, the right of any group to believe in whatever religious doctrine they choose to follow. All that said, no group that chooses to violate State or Federal anti-discrimination laws should be allowed to receive public funding to support their systematic discrimination. The recent prohibition of recognition of same sex relationships does not benefit anyone. The refusal to recognize same sex relationships on the same basis as opposite sex marriage benefits no group. Failure to recognize marriages between same sex partners weakens the construct of marriage and fails to advance social polices to create an Australia where social justice and equal rights are paramount. We know that the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and / or sexual preferences. The conflict about whether homosexuality results from nature or nurture is irrelevant to any meaningful discussion about equal rights and social justice. Deflecting the legalized discrimination bigotry to issues of nature / nurture is as futile as it is misleading. The chant, “we’re here; we’re queer; get used to it” seems to me to have value … it is not to the advantage of anybody or any group to choose a path that leads to systematic discrimination of humans based on their sexual orientation. Our Federal and State governments choose to discriminate against same sex couples at many levels. Refusal of insemination rights to lesbians, income tax discrimination, refusal to recognize same sex couples in superannuation and survivor benefits, same sex parenting and adoptions are among the most obvious problems. Australia is lagging badly in the recognition of ‘gay rights’. The bigots and homophobes use the Chicken Little cry … the sky is falling … society as we know it will collapse … God hates fags. There is absolutely no evidence that any change of laws to reduce systematic discrimination based on sexual orientation has any negative effect any where in the world. Even Australia’s limited recognition of same sex attracted people has not had any negative results. Recognizing gays and lesbians in the Australian Defense Force has had no effect on effectiveness or efficiency. If anything recognition that gay men and lesbian women are effective and efficient members of the ADF supports the campaign for equal rights and social justice. Passage of the Anti-Discrimination laws and the Property Relationship Amendment Acts in NSW, coupled with the more recent Anti-Vilification legislation has not resulted in a collapse of the world. If anything, the change has benefited the entire population by finding previous discrimination had negative consequences by entrenching systematic discrimination in the law. There is evidence that hate crimes against gay men and lesbians results from the systematic discrimination entrenched in the law. When gays and lesbians are determined to be unequal at law, then homophobes assume the privilege of vigilante justice by bashing and attacking gays and their organizations. When the systematic biases are embedded in the culture of police and other governmental and non-government social service organizations there are no positive outcomes. Establishment of the NSW Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officers program was a very positive step. However, current NSW Police Administration appears less likely to value the commitments to reduce violence and hate crimes against gay and lesbian people. There is also a significant literature advancing hypotheses about systematic violence against gay men and lesbians in Australia. Much of that work would be know by HREOC. Work by Mason and Thomsen is relevant. Previous publications by the GLRL, including The Bride Wore Pink, and The Bride Wore Nappies also advance reasons for legislation supporting equal rights and social justice for gay men and lesbians. Current government bias and bigotry based on sexual orientation is counter productive … the discriminatory legislation is a lose – lose proposition for everyone. Submitted with regard and hope for the future, Henry W Collier     [Details removed] 12GHJKL H I *O()ˆŒ—Cќ§$%(0l|}ŒєшмЭТЭЕЭ­ТЁ•‰Ё‰}‰}‰}p}d}d}dXdXdXdXhЯ9љCJOJQJaJhщэCJOJQJaJhњpТ6CJOJQJaJhњpТCJOJQJaJh*4јCJOJQJaJhЌвCJOJQJaJhVwЛCJOJQJaJhVwЛOJQJhСBOJQJmHnHuhVwЛhVwЛOJQJjhVwЛhVwЛOJQJUhVwЛCJOJQJaJhY\CJOJQJaJhVwЛCJOJQJaJ"IJKL^Œ™ЉЊЋ‘ ’ Ÿ   I J )*DE§ў”їїяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяяя$a$gdVwЛ$a$gdVwЛ'6'§§”•^_Й!К!“$”$/&0&в&г&''''''''''''!'"'їїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїїѕѕѕѕѕѕѕѕ$a$gdVwЛŒПЧ]^Й!'''''''' 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