rodney croome
Memorial Unveiled To Celebrate Tasmania’s ‘Transformation’ On LGBTIQ Rights
A permanent public memorial to celebrate Tasmania’s LGBTIQ equality movement and those who contributed to it has been unveiled outside the state’s parliament. Tasmanian Lower House Speaker Sue Hickey on Saturday unveiled a new public bench on the lawns of the parliament that has a plaque dedicated to Tasmania’s progress towards LGBTIQ equality. The new …
Greens Plan To Scrap Existing Exemptions Allowing Religious Schools To Discriminate
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has announced plans to introduce a bill to scrap federal laws currently allowing religious schools to discriminate against gay students and teachers. Leaked portions of the religious freedom review panel’s report, published by Fairfax Media, caused outrage on Wednesday for reportedly recommending changes to the federal Sex Discrimination Act explicitly …
Experts Call For Easing Of Australia’s Gay Blood Donation Ban
Experts have called for an easing of Australia’s blood donation policy, which effectively bans gay men from donating blood. Australia has a 12-month deferral period on donating blood for men who have sex with another man in the last 12 months. But experts from the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) say scientific advancements mean …
Federal Government Defends Its Refusal To Release Religious Freedom Report
The federal government has defended its refusal to release the religious freedom review’s long-awaited report, claiming it should remain confidential while the federal cabinet is examining its findings. The religious freedom review, headed by Philip Ruddock, was announced last year to placate conservatives following the passage of same-sex marriage legislation in December. The review panel …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison Flags Law Change To ‘Protect Religious Freedom’
LGBTIQ advocates have said they will lobby the Senate to block any move by the federal government to weaken existing anti-discrimination protections under the guise of “religious freedom”. On Saturday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated his support for introducing laws to “protect religious freedom” in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald. Morrison said a …
Scott Morrison Slammed For ‘Irresponsible’ Tweet About Trans Youth
LGBTIQ rights advocates have urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to meet with transgender and gender diverse Australians after he wrote a harmful tweet condemning support for trans students in schools. Morrison was responding to a news story by the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday which said “gender whisperer” teachers were being taught by experts “to spot …
Labor’s Louise Pratt Concerned About PM Scott Morrison’s Record On LGBTIQ Issues
Labor’s newly-appointed Shadow Assistant Minister for Equality Louise Pratt has voiced her concerns over new Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s record on LGBTIQ issues. The Western Australian Senator, who recently took over the portfolio pioneered by Queensland MP Terri Butler, said many people had reached out to her following Morrison’s ascension to Prime Minister last week, …
National Ban On ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy An Election Priority For LGBTIQ Australians
A new survey has found a national ban on dangerous “gay conversion” therapy is a top priority for LGBTIQ Australians ahead of the next federal election. More than 2,500 participants were presented with a range of options for LGBTIQ law and policy reform and were asked to rank each in order of priority with conversion …
Letter ‘From Jesus’ Threatens Storms If Same-Sex Marriage Isn’t Banned
A letter claiming to be written by a “servant of Jesus” has threatened to inflict “killer storms” on Tasmania if same-sex marriage isn’t repealed. The note, which some Facebook users reported discovering in their letterboxes around the city of Hobart, warns locals to “repent.” Tasmanian LGBTIQ advocate Rodney Croome shared an image of a similar …
Advocates Slam ‘Hypocritical’ Archbishop For Silencing Pro-Equality Priest
LGBTIQ advocates have slammed a “hypocritical” Catholic Archbishop’s decision to bar a priest from speaking at a conference in Tasmania over his pro-marriage equality views. Father Frank Brennan, Australian Jesuit priest and chief executive of Catholic Social Services Australia, was told by the Archbishop of Hobart Julian Porteous (pictured) he should not talk at the …