Preventing Youth Suicide or not

Preventing youth Suicide or not:

 The safe schools program is a program set up to end school bullying and help prevent youth suicide. Homophobic bigots do not like the program as it helps LGBTQ kids survive into adulthood. It was revealed that NSW (New South Wales) would not be refunding the program. To which failed Prime Minister and admitted homophobe Tony Abbot proclaimed the scrapping was a good decision. This comes after the right had repeatedly made false claims about the program and disliked its factually accurate material which triggered the sensitive bigotry of right wingers. This program seems to be being "replaced" in NSW by one that does not address the higher rates of suicide or self harm in young LGBT people due to homophobia.

 In SA (south Australia) the life saving program will be replaced by the Shine SA program. It seems the "replacement" programs implementation is a farce, its opt-in, and if the vitriol we have seen leveled at Safe Schools showed us anything its that such a program should be mandatory in all schools. This plan would see the community's that are the most homophobic exempt from the anti bullying program?!? 

 The program will also require teachers to gain parental consent before stepping in and preventing bullying or offering help to vulnerable LGBTQ students. This in itself could be disastrous! The outing of young LGBT students to their parents could lead to abuse at home in addition to the abuse they are suffering at schools, t could also lead to higher rates of youth homelessness. 

 We can only hope these governments get voted out before too many lives are lost, so we can at least make a decent attempt to make our schools safe and help LGBTQ kids survive their school years.

Anti-bullying program 

Abbot a homophobe 

Implementation all wrong

SHine SA 

 You may not be able to find help at school or at home but there is help out there;

Being gay is not a choice or a health crisis

Being gay is not a choice or a health crisis

But the right wing media is out of hand 

 The daily telegraph is well known for its very right wing biased "journalism" and its horrible treatment of the LGBT community. It has repeatedly allowed publication of attacks on marriage equality and even safe schools, which is an anti bullying program designed to help prevent youth suicide.  
 As you can see from the main picture the title says fat chance of being healthy with the sub heading young Australians only have themselves to blame. 
 The Daily Telegraph would have its readers believe that psychological distress and being same sex attracted is a choice.

 ITS NOT!

And that being same sex attracted is a health crisis.

ITS NOT!

The health crisis is homophobia! Homophobia that might be lessened by programs such as the safe school program and granting same sex attracted couples the right to marry. And at least doing a basic level of fact checking on articles before they are published.

16.8%

 Whats also interesting is that homophobes usually try to lower the percentage of LGBT people, ), believing that somehow lessens the right to equality), but this "info-graphic" has the rate of same sex attracted rate at 16.8% among high school students, which is slightly higher then the average conservative estimate. So next time you are assaulted with some fake low statistic you can refer the bigot to this crappy article, as i am sure they will respect the Daily Telegraph.

 You can bet Turnbull will continue to not do a thing despite his assurance that homophobia would not be tolerated in Australia. I also feel really disappointed in Turnbull's support of homophobia in Australia, some even from within his own party. While he isn't as bad as Hanson straight washing the Orlando tragedy for political gain, it appears that his promises to fight homophobia in Australia was just hollow grandstanding, which is really sad and disrespectful. I would love for him to prove me wrong good first steps would be to make marriage equality a reality and make safe schools mandatory Australia wide.

Please join many decent Australians in lodging a complaint. 

Barnaby Joyce war on terriors and decency

Who let the dogs in?

Johnny Depp is currently in Australia filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean move. It was discovered that he had brought his two little Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, in on his private plane, without proper authorisation. 

Barnaby Joyce National party minister, agriculture minister and popularly referred to as an all round asshat, commented to Australia’s media that;

“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States,”

and

“Now Mr Depp has to either take his dogs back to California or we’re going to have to euthanise them. He’s got about 50 hours left to remove the dogs.”

You might remember Barnaby Joyce from his bizarre behavior when PETA exposed cruelty in the Australian wool industry. 

He also attended another gay hate rally where he said he was opposed to marriage equality because;

“We know that the best protection for those girls (his daughters) is that they get themselves into a secure relationship with a loving husband and I want that to happen for them."

and 

"I don’t want any legislator to take that right away from me.”

No one is sure how giving equal rights to Australians would possibly prevent his daughters from marrying men. Ignoring the apparent misogyny of his comment, my best guess is that he has such a low opinion of women that he believes the majority of men will "jump ship" and stop pretending to be straight as soon as equality comes to Australia, leaving his daughters with few men to marry.  
If you have a better explanation please comment below.

 Barnaby Joyce outrageious attack on Australia tourism and its film industry has met with eye rolling and disgust within the sensible Australian community. People understand that Australia needs to keep animal diseases out, but we even today, expect our ministers to measure their words and not threaten to kill peoples pets. A few friends have suggested that Mr Joyce may be jealous of Johnny  Depp's looks as Barnaby oddly mentioned how attractive Depp was in his statement. 
Its strange behavior and bizarre behavior seems to be way to common with out politicians at the moment.

Clive Palmer billionaire and politician said;


"His actions could potentially put the movie project in jeopardy and damage our relationship with the US, costing thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in exports." 

 kyle Sandilands an Australian radio and TV personality said to Barnaby in an interview; 

 "You sound like an absolute clown telling the guy to bugger off to Hollywood or we'll kill his dogs," 

 and

 "You're a government minister, not some idiot off the street mouthing off to a news camera. Have some decency."

  

and    

“You’re an absolute joke, Barnaby ... I'm going off because you sound like an insensitive wanker. That's what you sound like, Barnaby. You're a joke, you're a disgrace and you should retract your statement and reword it properly,"

 I could not find a comment on Barnaby Joyce's continued inappropriate behavior by our Prime Minister and possible Reptilian Tony Abbot. 

While incredibly Barnaby Joyce still holds his position as agriculture minister, the story does have a happy ending as the two little dogs managed to flee his clutches and are safe from his nefarious attentions.

Stand up against bigotry and hate.

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

                             

May 17

 

The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (TIDAHTB) was founded in 2004 to bring attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by LGBTI people internationally.

According to their website the TIDAHTB is now celebrated in more than 130 countries, including 37 where same-sex acts are illegal, with 1600 events reported from 1280 organizations in 2014. These mobilisations unite millions of people in support of the recognition of human rights for all, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The date of May 17^th was specifically chosen to commemorate the World Health Organisation’s sensible decision in 1990 to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The White House released an official statement on May 16^th 2015 Statement by the President on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Michelle and I join our fellow Americans and others around the world in commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia tomorrow, May 17.  We take this opportunity to reaffirm that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are human rights, to celebrate the dignity of every person, and to underscore that all people deserve to live free from fear, violence, and discrimination, regardless of who they are or whom they love. 

We work toward this goal every day. Here at home, we are working to end bias-motivated violence, combat discrimination in the workplace, and address the specific needs of transgender persons.  Overseas, I am proud of the steps that the United States has taken to prioritize the protection and promotion of LGBT rights in our diplomacy and global outreach.

There is much more to do, and this fight for equality will not be won in a day.  But we will keep working, at home and abroad, and we will keep fighting, for however long it takes until we are all able to live free and equal in dignity and rights.

-------

I have not been able to find a statement from Australia's prime minister Tony Abbot. He has however expressed much homophobia in the past sating things like; Homosexuality challenges the
"right order of things", homosexuality makes him "feel a bit threatened", he is responsible for outlawing gay marriage in the ACT and was front and center at the gay hate anti-marriage equality rally.

Brisbane City Council however, announced that Story Bridge lights will be rainbow coloured tonight in support of IDAHOT.

When is being homophobic acceptable?

                    I'm not saying its aliens....

 

I have been the target of a sustained and vicious homophobic attack from certain members of my family.
Their latest tactic was to copy a Facebook group I created to keep family and friends of my mother up to date with her condition.
These people (the homophobes) either left the group after being invited (and of course leaving me some homophobic insult before they did), or were not added as they had been attacking me on my mother’s Facebook page.
Which is why I had to unfriend my mother on Facebook and created the new group in the first place, my mother has dementia and doesn’t actually use Facebook herself anymore.

Anyways, I was informed that they had created a gay-hate group with a very similar name to the group I made for my mums family, it’s all very disgusting and petty really.
So I just messaged the few people that I saw had been added and hadn’t removed themselves, explaining the site had nothing to do with me. At the moment when someone adds you to a group on Facebook you’re automatically a member and have to remove yourself.

One of those people gets back to me, let’s call him Prince, he says he is “staying out of it”, I laugh saying how I wish I could do the same, as its difficult to stay out of it, when you’re the target of the attacks.
So he explains that he has removed himself a few times from the hate group and the homophobes keep adding him.
Now Prince said he “wanted to stay out of it”, when I added him to my group months ago, and he left, I respected that decision.
You see the main homophobe the ring leader, we shall call him Payne, he is a bully, and no one, except me seems to stand up to him. He does not like to be told no, and has a volatile temper.
In talking with Prince, he says to me, and I quote directly from the Txt;

“-no one has a problem with your sexuality – the issue people have is how ur easily offended with terms such as gay. My opinion don’t let it bother you unless it is intended directly at you.”

So I’m like WTF?!?
I replied that these people Payne and his homophobes have told me to kill myself BECAUSE I was gay, they have told me that my being gay is a mental illness, that (somehow) my being gay is (also) a choice, they have said that I as a gay man should know my place, and not make a fuss when I am insulted directly about my sexuality. They have said these things to me, about my sexuality.
I also have no problem with the term gay, i actually identify as gay.
I also mention that by insulting me for being gay they are also insulting my partner, my gay friends and every gay person. That i will stand up against homophobia where ever i see it, if its directly attacking me or not, where it is safe for me to do so, because it is the right thing to do.
He says "oh ok then," then we chat a little about nothing and let it go.
Now this Prince is seriously out of the loop, but I can’t help thinking, is that what their saying, that I’m just being overly sensitive?!?

I turn to a friend as you do and explain the 'latest update' and ask his opinion.
“So” he says in his flamboyant voice, “Let me get this straight, so to speak,”
We both smile at his lame pun, “The homophobes in your family, don’t hate you because your gay, they hate you because you are offended by their homophobic attacks against you, it that right?” he asks.
I scrunch up my face “uhhh I suppose” I mutter.

So he continues, camping up his voice by three whole levels. “Well sweetie I have the solution to your problem, I can ensure your family accept and love you!”
I looking puzzled ask “how so?” I am thinking that he may have seen something that I didn’t, he may have some fabulous way to teach the gaysists the error of their ways. I wait In anticipation.

“Well darling”, he proclaims, “You simply need to take their homophobic abuse and not be offended by it!" He says waving his hands in the air, in an 'i am done' manner.
“Problem solved!” he shouts looking proud of himself, and we both laugh.

So we keep chatting and as he is leaving he says one more time in a mocking tone; “They don’t hate you because your gay, they hate you because you get offended by their blatant homophobia directed at you, *uckinh really?!?” 
We both shake our heads and roll our eyes.

Later he says something brilliant; “Payne is a brown smear on the underwear of the world, don’t let him stain your whites!”
Which I took to mean that he is nothing, and that I shouldn’t let him ruin my life or darken my spirit.