Knocking on closed doors: Why ask for less than our community needs and deserves?

After the news this week that ADF historical homosexual convictions can be extinguished and a bill to prohibit anti-LGBTIQA+ discrimination in religious schools has been put forward, long-time LGBTQIA+ advocate Rodney Croome is asking if we as a community are settling for less.

Is there ever a reason to ask for less than our community needs and deserves? 

That question has been raised by two developments in federal parliament: the government allowing LGBTIQA former service personnel to expunge their criminal records and Allegra Spender’s bill to prohibit anti-LGBTIQA discrimination in religious schools.

Both are important reforms, but limited.

The expungement initiative, which will include an apology, should also include financial redress for service personnel who were thrown out because of who they are.

They lost income, housing and reputation, and experienced increased mental health risk due to the injustice against them.

The religious exemptions bill should include faith-based services like hospitals and employment agencies, as well as schools. 

The need for this is highlighted by the sale of non-religious Healthscope hospitals to Catholic Calvary Care. 

The latter blatantly discriminates by refusing to perform gender affirming surgeries on trans people that it allows for cisgender people. 

Some advocates will say what we are getting are important first steps, and they’re right.

But that’s not an argument for not not asking for more.

Related content

• ADF personnel can remove homosexual convictions from their service records
• Tasmanian schools inquiry finds LGBTQIA+ students and staff face ‘inadequate’ protections
• Study finds 77% of LGBTQ young people have faced workplace sexual harassment

Is it time to ask for a new deal?

They will say we have to work within the limits imposed by government policy or law reform inquiries.  To that I say, reform is mandated by what our community needs, not what the powers-that-be are willing to hand down to us.

Fortunately, I haven’t heard anyone echo the Irish advisor to Australia’s marriage campaign, Tiernan Brady, who said of the plebiscite, we have to play the cards we’re dealt.

Nope. We should ask for a new deal.

In my experience, it’s better to ask for more, not less.

Tasmania passed discrimination protections in religious schools and services a generation before any other state for the simple reason that we advocated for what we needed, not what we thought we’d get.

Also, Tasmania passed financial redress for LGBTIQA victims of former criminal laws before other states even started talking about it. We achieved that reform for exactly the same reason: advocating when no one took us seriously and not stopping until they did. 

A similar example at the national level was how Australian Marriage Equality pushed for equal marriage at a time when other advocates said de facto rights were all we could hope for, and then how AME stopped the government from going down the path of a second-rate civil union scheme.

‘We have more power than we realise’

I’m not disparaging the efforts of community advocates or allies in parliament.

LGBTIQA+ military advocates have done exceptional work and deserve our applause. 

LGBTIQA+ teachers and students advocating to end discrimination in religious schools have shown bravery and generosity of spirit. 

I understand why they want to celebrate their wins.  

I’m just stumped as to why others don’t use the media and parliament to keep moving the debate ever forward.

We have more power than we realise when we step over the arbitrary lines others draw around us. 

In fact, stepping over boundaries is often what’s inspired and empowered our community more than anything else.

For what it’s worth, my advice is:

“Don’t walk past the doors that are locked against us. Pound on them instead.”

Such doors are often the ones most worth opening.

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