Queensland Strikes Down Civil Partnership Laws

[Guest fountainhall]

On another thread, I have argued against the reclaiming of the word “queer” as an all-embracing term to describe those in the LGBT community. Just a couple of days ago I wrote that in those countries in Asia where English is a first or second language, the term reinforces negative feelings.

 

Wheher I am right or wrong, there is no doubt that there is a deeply entrenched movement against the liberalisation of laws on gay equality, partnership and marriage. We just have to look at what has recently happened in Australia.

 

In elections held in the state of Queensland at the end of March, voters drove out the incumbent Labour Government, electing instead the Liberal National Party government with a right-wing conservative agenda with a whopping 78 seats out of a possible 89.

 

Now the conservatives are out to give their right-wing supporters some of the goodies they were promised – and it is not good news for the LGBT community. The law permitting Civil Partnerships is to be overturned. Such unions are now to be renamed “Registered Partnerships” and can be ended with a quick trip to the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, and not to the Courts. A bill to amend the Surrogacy Act and make it illegal for same sex couples to bear children with a surrogate mother will be introduced. Indeed, any same-sex couple using a surrogate can face punishment of up to three years. What happens then to the 25% of same-sex couples who are presently raising children?

 

As one of the respondents to the article in the Gay News Network Report says of the events in Queensland -

 

“THe Queensland government is steadily stripping all rights from the GLBTI community, and the only conclusion is they will recriminalise homosexuality. The Queensland LNP party are the same party that talked about setting up desert camps for homosexuals in the early 90's.”

 

Naturally “The state director of the Australian Christian Lobby, Wendy Francis, has welcomed the changes.”

 

http://www.smh.com.a...0623-20voe.html

http://gaynewsnetwor...-surrogacy.html

 

Queensland may not be a barometer for the rest of Australia, but one wonders if one state goes to these sort of lengths, how far will others now be tempted to go? And will the right-wing in the US start trumpeting Queensland as an example of how gay rights have to be curbed, especially if Romney becomes President?

 

And is it not time that the activists who alienate moderates and others with the use of such terminology as “queer” tone down their act a bit?

[KhorTose]

According to my Aussie friends, Queensland has always has a large and powerful right wing.

[Guest fountainhall]

I have heard the same. But it shows what can happen when the weirdos on the right get into power. They not only managed to overturn a sizeable Labour majority, they walloped them right out of the ballpark. And they've lost no time in turning on the LGBT community.