Letters to the editor – Melbourne
VERONICA BAXTER
Veronica Baxter, a 34-year-old transgender Aboriginal woman who openly identified as a woman, was arrested by Redfern police on March 10, 2009, three days after the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and died on March 16, 2009, at MRRC Silverwater (an all-male prison).
A recent coronial inquiry concluded that Veronica had committed suicide and a suppression order said to be for the privacy of Veronica’s family was implemented but has now been lifted. Indigenous Social Justice Association – Melbourne (ISJA Melb) sees the inquest as a cynical attempt to cover up the true circumstances surrounding Veronica’s death and asks what has changed in the 20 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.
Cover-ups are par for the course when it comes to Aboriginal deaths in custody. One of the recommendations of that Royal Commission was that imprisonment/arrest be the last resort. However, Veronica’s life, like the 2004 death of Palm
Island man Mulrunji Doomadgee and too many other Aboriginal people, ended prematurely due to that simple recommendation being ignored.
Veronica’s family and community must learn the truth about the circumstances surrounding her death.
ISJA Melb encourages all people who value human life and want to be involved in building the campaign working to end deaths in custody and to ensure no other sistagirl’s life ends as Veronica’s ended to visit our website http://isja-msg.com or contact ISJA Melb on 03 9388 0062.
— Cheryl Kaulfuss, Indigenous Social Justice Association, Melbourne
HONESTY LACKING
To the person who kindly picked up the wallet I accidentally dropped in the male toilet at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Swanston St, Melbourne, on Wednesday, May 11 and who then stole the money in it — all $40 of it — and who
then appropriated the credit cards, driver’s licence, etc for his own use, and who then placed the wallet in a tree in the gardens opposite.
We all have problems, but most of us can still maintain our honesty and integrity and act with honour. Why can’t you?
— Neil
MATTER OF CHOICE
It was with some bemusement that I read in the national weekend papers that ‘first bloke’ Tim Mathieson wishes to some day marry his partner and our prime minister, Julia Gillard.
Being heterosexuals, they have the choice to marry or not to marry. Ms Gillard deliberately denies this choice to all same-sex attracted people.
What if Gillard’s own minister Penny Wong or Senator Bob Brown wanted to marry their partners? It would be a very different news article indeed. No choice there — just legislated, homophobic intolerance.
A lot of people in our community seem to have the opinion that if they don’t want to marry, then the whole marriage ban issue doesn’t affect them, that it’s irrelevant. I might not ever get married, I might not want to, or one day I’ll meet my
Prince Charming and I’d want the whole world to know about it. That should be my choice.
The marriage issue is about human rights. It’s about having the same choices as heterosexuals, whether we want to make use of those choices or not.
Good luck to Tim Mathieson. Although, with wanting to marry someone whose heart beats with ignorance and discrimination he’s got his work cut out for him.
— Aaron
REAL CHRISTIANS
Millions of Christians around the world advocate for the rights of people in the GLBTI community.
The Uniting Church funds many things to reduce homophobia in Australia. Even a third of Catholic theologians, at risk of getting sacked, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland openly condemned the Catholic Church teaching, saying that the true translations of the Bible support same-sex couples and the rights of people in the GLBTI community.
Although we are all too familiar with the wickedness of some Christian leaders, it is important to remember every day there are people fighting for equality who are Christian leaders also.
— Dave
