NATIONAL NEWS
Latest LGBTIQ national news from Australia
Much loved Doc Q Fiona Bisshop passes torch to Dr Rhys Young
Much loved Doc Q Fiona Bisshop passes the torch this month to Dr Rhys Young. Dr Bisshop began penning her regular column for QNews almost a dozen years ago. In addition to becoming our longest surviving columnist, she’s also been one of the most loved and respected. My dear readers, Can you believe I’ve been …
Dawn Fraser sets record straight on lesbian rumours at age 83
Olympic great Dawn Fraser addressed decades-long rumours about her sexuality in an interview with the Courier-Mail this weekend. Dawn Fraser One of Australia’s best ever swimmers and greatest Olympians, Dawn Fraser won four Olympic and six Commonwealth Games gold medals. She won individual gold medals for the same event at three consecutive Olympics. Only two …
Transgender Day of Visibility: Hobart Council flies trans pride flag for first time
The Hobart City Council is flying the transgender pride flag from Hobart Town Hall for the first time this week to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday (March 31). The Trans Day of Visibility has occurred on March 31 since 2009. The aim of the day is to celebrate the lives and achievements of …
Tom the Whistleblower outed over outing parliamentary wanker
Earlier today, Channel 9 newspapers outed the gay man who calls himself Tom the Whistleblower over his outing of Canberra’s gay parliamentary wanker. The self-titled whistleblower shared images with the media of the parliamentary wanker masturbating. Tom the Whistleblower We all know politics is full of wankers. And lots of people film themselves masturbating. Indeed, …
Gay Aussies blast petition to rename Golden Gaytime ice-cream
Scores of gay Australians have signed counter-petitions to oppose a Melbourne man’s call to rename iconic Australian ice-cream brand Golden Gaytime. Gay Melbourne man Brian Mc launched the Change.org petition this month. He’s directing the petition to manufacturer Streets and parent company Unilever. Mc described the name of the ice cream, created in 1959 when …
Credlin alleges gay orgies & rent boys in Parliament House
With conservative political forces in disarray following recent allegations of rape and sexual impropriety, Peta Credlin last night added gay sex into the salacious mix. Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff alleged that Liberal staffers held gay sex orgies in Parliament House. Further, she claimed a former minister invited rent boys to his ministerial office. …
We stand with Ben protest outside Tasmanian coroner’s office
Supporters of Ben Jago mounted a ‘We stand with Ben’ protest outside the Tasmanian Coroner’s office on the weekend. Following the death of Ben Jago’s partner in 2015, the Tasmanian Coroner wrongly denied him his lawful status as next-of-kin. Tasmania’s Supreme Court last week ruled Ben Jago could not bring a discrimination complaint against the …
Australia’s Rainbow Mum diagnosed with acute leukemia
Shelley Argent, longtime National Spokesperson for PFLAG+, Australia’s rainbow mum, and one of the country’s most effective LGBTIQ+ activists, has been diagnosed with acute leukemia. Shelley shared the news with friends last night. “Age and other factors rule out effective treatment. Realistically, I may or may not be here at Christmas. Of course, I wish …
No jail for Mhelody Bruno’s killer – choking ‘consensual’
Mhelody Bruno’s killer will not serve a jail sentence despite being found guilty of manslaughter. Justice Gordon Lerve found that Ms Bruno died as a result of a ‘consensual sex act’. Mhelody Bruno was holidaying in Australia from the Philippines and due to fly home a week after her death. Mourners honoured Ms Bruno with …
Gay man denied next-of-kin rights after partner’s death loses legal battle
Gay Tasmanian man Ben Jago, who was wrongly denied next-of-kin status by the Coroner after the death of his same-sex partner, has lost a Tasmanian Supreme Court case. Ben Jago’s partner of five years, Nathan Lunson, died by suicide in January 2015. After his partner’s death, police and the state’s Coroner failed to recognise Jago …
Trans rights legend Martine Delaney honoured for community work
Longtime Tasmanian transgender rights advocate Martine Delaney has been inducted into her state’s Honour Roll of Women. The award goes to those for “outstanding accomplishments and contribution” to the state. The 63-year-old (pictured above left) is the first trans woman to receive the honour. For many years in Tasmania, Delaney has advocated for trans equality …
Gay victims must be remembered in Australia’s new Holocaust museums
Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been urged to ensure the inclusion of gay men and other persecuted minorities in Australia’s new Holocaust museums. Last week, Frydenberg spoke at Hobart Synagogue to announce funding for one such museum in the Tasmanian city. He spoke of the importance of remembering the horrors and atrocities of the Nazi …
Brisbane Peacocks shake tail feathers at Mardi Gras Parade 2021
The Brisbane Peacocks proudly represented Queensland at last nights Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade 2021. The Peacocks joined more than 5,000 people who marched in the parade on behalf of over 100 community groups. This year marked the first time the parade did not take place on Oxford St in the event’s 43-year …
Doctor slams News Corp for ‘disinformation’ on transgender healthcare
Pediatrician Michelle Telfer, who heads the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne gender clinic, has slammed News Corp’s The Australian newspaper for publishing fearmongering “disinformation” on transgender healthcare. In 2019, the Australian newspaper was slammed for anti-transgender bias after launching a dedicated “Gender” section on its website featuring overwhelming negatively coverage. Associate Professor Telfer featured frequently in …
Alleged Parliament House rapist scrubs internet presence
The alleged Parliament House rapist purportedly scrubbed his internet presence and disappeared from public view this week. His actions follow allegations of inappropriate behaviour, sexual assault and rape from four women. Various independent news media and social media accounts named the supposed perpetrator over the last week. They describe him as a former Liberal Party …
Tasmanian church admits to conducting gay ‘conversion therapy’
A church in Tasmania has told a state inquiry they “make no apologies” for conducting forms of “conversion therapy” on gay and lesbian Tasmanians. The Tasmanian Law Reform Institute is conducting an inquiry into the discredited and dangerous practices. The TLRI define “sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) conversion practices” as “acts or statements aimed …
Belle Beare on why she signed the Pride in Protest petition
Recently I joined over a thousand GLBTIQA+ people in signing the Pride in Protest petition. This petition asked for the removal of uniformed police and uniformed corrective service members from Mardi Gras. Motions based on the petition were put to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (SGLMG) AGM but were narrowly voted down. Belle …
Josh Goyne, ‘the gay cowboy’, is back fund-raising again
Josh Goyne, self-titled ‘gay cowboy’ and the face of Stroke Support and Awareness Australia (SSAA), is again soliciting for public donations. QNews previously reported on SSAA’s apparent failure to properly account for charitable donations. We have now updated this article with a look back to the events that allegedly inspired a 2017 viral news story …
Children of same-sex parents do better at school, study finds
Children with same-sex parents outperform other children on multiple indicators of academic achievement, new research has found. University of Melbourne and University of Queensland researchers analysed data from Dutch population registers for the study, published in journal Demography. They found children of same-sex-parents scored higher on national standardised tests than those in different-sex-parented families. The …
Carlotta’s Farewell Tour: final shows of the Living Legend
Australian Living Legend Carlotta retires this September. But as the title of her show says — she’s not dead yet, darlings. Following her amazing career, Australia’s leading showgirl is finally hanging up her boas but there’s still time to catch Carlotta’s Farewell Tour beginning in Adelaide this weekend. And she’s going out with a bang, …
QNews responds to Facebook ban on Australian news sites
Facebook this morning banned Australian news content. The action comes following Australian Government legislation that requires Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for content that appears in feeds. Following the Facebook ban, the QNews Facebook page became inaccessible, along with those of other Australian news publishers. Despite apparently finding it impossible to stop Flat-earthers …
Beware Wage Gougers: International students at particular risk
Miles Heffernan says a recent incident at Adelaide’s Gouger Street demonstrates the particular vulnerability of international students to wage gougers. However, as he explains, Australian laws provide protections for all employees in this country, regardless of their residency status. Recent viral footage of an incident at Adelaide’s Fun Tea Cafe highlighted the issue of wage …