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- Thursday, 14 May 2009
TOP GEAR
I would like to bring to your attention Top Gear Australia, aired on Monday 11 May, 7.30pm.
I request all those who read this to view Monday night’s program, and if offended as I was, to send a complaint to SBS via www20.sbs.com.au/complaints/
I watched the return of Top Gear Australia tonight. I was totally offended by the over-the-top gay/ homosexual innuendo and homophobic comments.
In reference to James Morrison and the other presenter riding the jet sky, I would like to point out there is no gay marriage in Australia. I cannot believe that SBS, an organisation that prides itself on journalistic integrity and diversity, would let a program air with such content. The producer should be reprimanded for allowing the program to air in such format.
I feel completely let down, disgusted and outraged in 2009 that a broadcaster of such stature would air such childish rubbish.
I am an openly gay man and a lover of cars, as are many gay men and lesbians. Where would the likes of VW, BWM, Mercedes and Audi be without us?
I will not be watching this program again. I demand an on-air apology and retraction of the comments from the presenter. I will take this complaint to ACMA, if this public retraction is not carried out.
-” Andrew
CENTRELINK
I think there needs to be some perspective to this issue. How many of the -˜rights’ organisations consulted with older GLBT couples or any GLBT couples prior to lobbying for the changes to Centrelink benefits.
Did they take into account the possible adverse financial implications on some couples?
If the GLBT community wants equality, then we must accept equal treatment. Banging on about special provisions will not aid the cause at all. It will only further frustrate attempts to have same-sex unions recognised in law.
It seems we want to have our cake and eat it too.
-” Luke
ASIAN MARCHING BOYS
What happened to Asian Marching Boys? Has anyone heard?
They were so prominent and happening, but over the last year and after a surprisingly lacklustre appearance in 2009 Mardi Gras, they’ve all but disappeared off the planet.
Is it true that those who took over after Wayne Daly left last year have run the group into the ground, draining all the funds and leaving nothing but a memory in such a short time?
After all the hard work, it’s such a shame that such a vibrant, friendly and wonderful expression of cross-cultural GLBTQ acceptance can disappear.
I loved their shows, ideals and the good they did for the community. I will miss them. It’s a truly enormous loss for our community.
-” Andrew
Editor’s note: Asian Marching Boys -” be heard. Let us know your new organisation contacts for inclusion in useful numbers.
IN A NUTSHELL
In the May 1996 issue of Blue Australia, New York-based lesbian psychologist April Martin states:
The question of whether homosexuals should have full legal rights and civil rights and social acceptance has nothing whatsoever to do with whether we can or can’t help or change our inclinations.
It has nothing to do with whether we were born this way or whether we evolved into our own creation.
It has to do with the fact that it is morally wrong to oppress people based on characteristics or behaviour which cause no harm to anything except the established social hierarchy.
I believe that says it all in a nutshell.
-” Gordon
GLORIOUS LIBERTY
I feel sad for people who define homosexual as -˜not a heterosexual need to breed’.
First, homosexuality is not a grey gay version of heterosexuality sans kids.
Second, when you see the compulsive -˜hard-wired’ desire within the gay and the lesbian community to pair and to establish lifelong bonds then comparisons between straights and gays may be irrelevent.
Third, homosexuality is or should be a glorious liberty not a list of rules like Thou shall not breed.
From the latest LOTL we should all be free to enjoy our sexuality in lots of different ways!
-” John
ACHIEVEMENT
The grant is the first of its kind from the federal Government to the gay and lesbian community? (-˜Rudd’s equality buy-off’, SSO 969) If that’s correct, then that’s an understated achievement right there.
It’s also refreshening to see at least some lobby groups acknowledging reality that complex administrative [not to mention consequent equity] issues prevent the grandfathering of the reforms.
No doubt the trenchant homo-purist idealogues -” a noisy cabal of which have seemingly have sought to use this issue as an ageist, classist wedge within their own community and as a platform for preaching their divisive personal contempt for equal marriage -” will make up the slack in self-delusion.
-” Brendan
HARD WORKERS
I want to commend those who have fought long and hard, lobbying, writing letters, campaigning, working for the best outcome that could be had, amidst a government that frankly doesn’t give a toss about us (-˜Rudd’s equality buy-off’ SSO 969 .
They will be loving seeing us turn on each other rather than seeing that a range of concessions have been dragged like blood from a stone. The funding is for community-controlled education and advocacy, two things the community is crying out for -” attend a few forums all over Australia and you will see that.
No, we didn’t get grandfathering, and the government deserves to be kicked and hounded for that. It is mean and lousy.
If we kick and hound and criticise those who sat at tables in Canberra talking with a government that didn’t give a shit, we are giving them more glee than they ever imagined.
Wake up, commend those who have worked so bloody hard and fought so hard, and stop harping from the sidelines if you were never on board.
-” Sally
CONGRATULATIONS
SSO and Team Sydney formed an alliance in July 2007 when Scott took over the editorship of the paper. Since that time we have enjoyed the sponsorship and tremendous support of the SSO.
A weekly dedicated page to sport was established by Scott which has enabled Team Sydney to get the message out to the community at large that we can have a healthy lifestyle though sport. This weekly page has been a means for our sporting clubs to promote their individual club’s activities.
In the edition 968 we were thrilled to find that this has now extended to two pages for sport. This is something SSO hopes to be able to do on a regular basis when space permits.
However, it is up to you the clubs to make sure Scott and Ani at SSO or the Sports Council Secretary, Wally Salinger, are kept up-to-date on your activities together with any good printable pictures that can be used.
Many thanks SSO.
-” Geoffrey Radford, president, Team Sydney
DRESSING THE ENEMY
The cliche of the gay dress designer, hair stylist, etc has been what straight girls think being gay is all about.
Gay brothers who have a talent for dress design obviously need this market or customer to wear their clothes.
However, a lot of these women don’t really care about gay equality, homophobia, etc.
Some may pretend to, so they don’t get the backlash of some queen making them look vile.
Women want to empower themselves by designing for themselves, not what gay men think is right for them.
These gay brothers make beautiful dresses and can give these beautiful women a real ego boost and raise their profile.
How do gay men survive in this world? Do they always have to be the dresser, hairstylist? Do they have to skill up into another industry and forget about their passion for fashion design and glamour?
Yes, gay designers, you are dressing the enemy, making them look beautiful and increasing their profiles and bank accounts.
Gay men may need to think about our own evolution and start a revolution.
-” Mr Mali
Tags: letters to the editor
May 16th, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
Top Gear? God? Have you seen “Swift and Shift Couriers?”
May 19th, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
I regularly watch “Top Gear Australia” and “Swift and Shift Couriers” and haven’t seen anything offensive enough to be worth getting getting upset over.
Perhaps if gay men kept their focus on gaining our equal human rights such as marriage and adoption, rather than throwing a hissy fit over TV shows, we’d have made more legislative progress by now.
May 21st, 2009 @ 12:57 am
Top Gear .. I watch the show and wasn’t offended, it was just two guys joking around with each other on a jet ski, what did you expect them so say to each other … “man i love chicks with big knockers” or something … of course they were going to make innuendo’s, can’t anyone say anything politically incorrect these days ? Andrew you need to loosen up, a jolly good rodgering might be just the ticket.