Letters to the editor – Sydney

MARDI GRAS RESPONDS

I can’t agree with Max’s comments (‘No PETS’, SSO 1072) that the PETS scheme should be got rid of and we certainly do not regard it as a ‘dismal failure’.

Almost $6,000 was raised this year for 11 parade entrants using the scheme, including Dr Mark’s Marching Academy, Sydney Stingers, Australian Marriage Equality, Harbour City Bears, Melbourne Pride Team and Hot Kandi.

The reality is that following a loss in 2009/10 New Mardi Gras was not in a position to again both support community entries through the Community Grant Scheme and at the same time invest in a workshop to assist entrants with expertise and storage for this year’s Parade. We opted to put in place a workshop which allowed some of this year’s stand-out floats to be constructed.

PETS was an idea that popped up that would allow us to continue to help funnel money towards the Parade while hopefully selling more Party tickets so not hitting our bottom line.

We took quite a conservative approach this year to how the scheme operated. It did not work for everyone and there are ways we can make it better in the future, however, we were satisfied with its performance for the scheme in its first year and believe it can develop into a major contributor to more Parade entrants in the future.

In theory PETS allows many tens of thousands (up to $100,000) to be raised. We hope to see this happen in the none-too-distant future. We’re looking at ways that the scheme can be expanded to make it easier to raise money.

We hope in the future to have both PETS and the Community Grants Scheme operating in tandem if financial circumstances allow. They both have a useful role to play.

— Michael Rolik

CEO, New Mardi Gras

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

TWO WRONGS

I agree with the NSW Greens that laws allowing private schools to expel young gay people need to be overhauled (‘NSW Greens to move anti-discrimination bill’, SSO 1072).

Gay youth are committing suicide due to conservatives continuing to view homosexuality as a perversion.

On the other hand, it’s unreasonable for the gay community to expect all the exemptions in the Anti-Discrimination Act to be removed while we discriminate as well.

Attitudes by many gay people towards the opposite sex are a disgrace, and not much better than the insults thrown at us by some heterosexuals.

We are yet to learn that two wrongs don’t make a right.

— Stuart

LABOR DISAPPOINTING

When the ALP had the numbers to create marriage equality in Australia between 2007-2010, it didn’t pursue it.

For the ALP, ‘equality’ meant “full de facto rights … but not marriage”, as though running 99 metres meant you’d finished the 100-metre dash.

Now the ALP expects the same-sex attracted community to buy into their consultation on the issue, as though either major party will endorse same-sex marriage in this time of broad political instability and lose the 2013 election.

Australia is set to become the first Western nation under a left-wing government to not pass same-sex marriage laws in the second term of said left-wing government — all thanks to who? The ALP, of course!

— Michael

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 importantto  remember every day there are people fighting for equality who are Christian leaders also.

— Dave

SACK THEM

This is a clear breach of personal and privacy rights (‘Soldiers outed on Facebook’, SSO 1068). I do not agree with comments that staff in other workplaces would be given a warning for such a thing.

This is a matter that now exposes these people to life threats, potentially from people who are trained to harm.

It is really challenging to still be living in a world where gay people are forced to face such discrimination.

May we all realise that it is simple to start world change — you can do it at any moment.

— Steve