VIC
These two ex-nuns fell in love, but had to leave the convent
An Australian former Catholic nun has opened up about meeting her girlfriend in the convent, before homophobic condemnation forced the lesbian couple out of the church. Monica Hingston, who is a second cousin to George Pell, was a nun for 22 years before she fell in love with fellow nun Peg Moran. She told SBS’ …
Disgraced Labor MP slammed for homophobic, misogynistic rants
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has sacked state Labor MP Adem Somyurek from cabinet amid corruption allegations and leaked audio of homophobic, misogynistic and racist tirades. In the recordings on 60 Minutes, the party powerbroker described Young Labor members as “little passive aggressive f—ing gay kids” and gay staffers as “real slimy little f—ers”. “We’ll have …
Victim of botched police raid Nik Dimopoulos sues
Nik Dimopoulos, the Victorian man wrongly arrested and seriously injured in a bungled police raid at queer bookstore Hares and Hyenas, has sued for compensation. Last May, the events promoter was asleep in an apartment at the bookstore in Fitzroy when he heard intruders’ voices. Unknown to Dimopoulos, the intruders were Victoria Police’s Critical Incident …
Michael Kirby appointed Patron of Victorian Pride Centre
The Victorian Pride Centre has marked the start of Pride Month by appointed former High Court Judge Michael Kirby its inaugural Patron, as well as a list of LGBTIQ community ambassadors. The Pride Centre, located in St Kilda and due to open in late 2020, will be an LGBTIQ community hub. The Pride Centre will …
New study to support Australian ‘conversion therapy’ survivors
A new study led by a La Trobe University academic will investigate the impact of harmful LGBT “conversion therapy” in Australia. Dr Timothy Jones from the university will head a team researching how to better help survivors of the discredited practices. “Previous research has shown that attempts to change the sexual and gender orientation of …
Melbourne vandals deface Jewish golf club with swastikas and gay slurs
Police are hunting vandals responsible for vile antisemitic and homophobic graffiti at a Jewish-owned golf course in Melbourne. Cranbourne Golf Club’s management said staff and members found the graffiti on the club’s fourth green on Wednesday morning. Vandals had damaged the green by spray-painting Nazi swastikas, a homophobic slur and drawings of penises on the …
Australian Christian Lobby furious about pronouns in email signatures
The Australian Christian Lobby has demanded all levels of government ban public servants from declaring their preferred pronouns in staff email signatures. The group is furious that the City of Melbourne is giving staff the choice of adding a message about whether they’d like to be called “he, she or they” on internal emails. The …
What Victoria Police must do after ‘appalling’ leak of Dean Laidley photos
LGBTIQ advocates have called for more training for Victoria Police officers after the leaking of photos of former AFL player and coach Dean Laidley while in police custody. Laidley was arrested on Saturday night in St Kilda and faces charges including those related to stalking. At the weekend two photos, a mugshot and a photo …
Trans Victorians cheer as state’s birth certificate reforms begin
Transgender and gender diverse Victorians are applauding the state’s new birth certificate laws, which come into effect today (May 1). The new laws passed last August. They allow trans people to update the sex marker on their birth certificate without undergoing invasive and expensive surgeries, among other changes. Transgender Victoria executive director Margot Fink said …
ACL backs Christian doctor Jereth Kok suspended for offensive social media posts
The Australian Christian Lobby have begun campaigning for Dr Jereth Kok, a Melbourne GP suspended for social media posts appearing to endorse “racial and religious violence and genocide” and “demeaning” views against gay and transgender people. Last August, the Medical Board of Australia suspended Dr Kok (pictured) after complaints about his Facebook posts. Dr Kok …