Anti-gay Men’s Ambassador dumped
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has dumped one of the new Men’s Health Ambassadors for co-authoring an anti-gay, anti-transgender report.
Warwick Marsh, president of Fatherhood Foundation, was one of 34 co-authors of 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters, a report which calls homosexuality a mental disorder. He was also the author of a Senate submission opposing the recent same-sex equality reforms.
Roxon’s office quickly moved to distance her from the report when drawn to her attention yesterday:
These comments, relating in the main to homosexuality, are unacceptable and repugnant. I firmly disagree with the views expressed,” she responded to Sydney Star Observer yesterday.
Today, she announced that Marsh would be dumped from the voluntary ambassador role.
“Mr Marsh has not repudiated his offensive comments. This makes his position as an Ambassador untenable and I have made a decision to dismiss him from this role.”
But a second co-author of the report also named among six Men’s Health Ambassadors had “unequivocally disowned the views set out in the document” and would remain.
“[Barry Williams] has assured me of this directly, and has expressly stated this publicly. I accept his explanation.
“I take full responsibility for this setback in the policy development and engagement process. But I remain firmly of the view that to reach men that feel disfranchised, disengaged – and often at high risk – we will need to continue to be prepared to involve men with varying views and experiences. This is an attempt to consult with men beyond health professionals and academics.”
She added that ambassadors were needed from a variety of backgrounds and she would not always agree on all issues with everybody chosen to encourage men to talk about their problems and seek help.
Marsh was also the host of the 2004 Marriage forum in Parliament House at which then Shadow Attorney-General Nicola Roxon first announced that Labor would support a ban on same-sex marriage.
We should never kid ourselves that we are more accepted today than we were 30 years ago, Steven G. What we see today with most heterosexuals is a thin veneer of tolerance which doesn’t stand up to much surface scratching.
I was sent the following email which is circulating this week by a friend who knows I’m gay. He couldn’t understand why I took offence!
“Gay Bruce goes into the doctor’s office and has some tests run.
The doctor comes back and says, ‘ Bruce, I’m not going to beat around the bush. You have AIDS.’
Bruce is devastated. ‘Doc, what can I do?
Eat 1 curry sausage, 1 head of cabbage, 20 unpeeled carrots drenched in hot sauce, 10 Jalapeno peppers, 40 walnuts and 40 peanuts,1/2 box of All Bran, and top it off with a gallon of prune juice..’
Bruce asks bewildered, ‘ Will that cure me, Doc?’
Doc says, No, but it should leave you with a better understanding of what your arse is for.”
Last night I went to a wonderful concert for World Aids Day. The spirit of the show and the community support was amazing all though I would have liked to have seen more bums on seats. Everyone who provided their time deserves a huge round of applause.
Unfortunately today the reality of how the community really feels slapped me in the face.
I was visiting a sick friend at RPA. I walked through the main entrance door and passed the wonderful WAD 08 stand. It looked great. Unfortunately walking just ahead of me were two ambulance officers, they were pushing a bed with an elderly gent on it. The comments as they passed the stand absolutely floored me. One of the ambulance officers quipped “it is what they deserve for putting it in the wrong hole” followed by discussion with the patient on the trolley about “they’re just bum burglars”, it continued with school boy sniggering. I was walking right behind them and they didn’t care who heard what they were saying. I caught up to them and told them I thought that it was appalling especially on World Aids Day but they just didn’t seem to care. All this at 9.30am on the 1st of December 2008. Great day, thanks guys for making me realise that nothing really has changed.
I really did not think I would ever hear comments from our generally wonderful Ambos’ but it just proves we have such a long way to go !
I have lost a partner to this damned bug but the hypocrisy continues to alienate those affected and effected by it !
Regards
S
chris – with due respect, I don’t have a hateful opinion. Actually, it sounds like you have such an opinion towards me. By the way, what’s Hillsong got to do with me? I’m not a member of their church, have never attended any of their services, and probably never will. Also, I don’t buy the Daily Telegraph. You really need to get a grip.
Correction, chris:
Marsh was sacked for having both a hateful *AND* discredited opinion. The document is poorly researched and not accurate, despite what Marsh says.
It is no better than cheap, evil propaganda.
James, Marsh was sacked not for having an opinion , but was sacked for having a HATEFUL opinion , one which caused great offense to gay Australians. Much like you JAMES should be sacked from this site. ( surely you can peddle your crap on a Hillside site or The Daily Telegraph on line – sites more in keeping with your lack of intelligence and warped thinking)
I have a suggestion for Nicola Roxon which I trust she will receive in the spirit in which it is given – resign.
No-one believes that she didn’t know about those men and their homophobic views. Either she didn’t care, or she agrees with them.
Either way it’s not good enough. Nicola Roxon its time to go!
Cool, get sacked for having an opinion.
The most shocking and offensive aspect of this anti gay campaign was the attempt to slurr gay people by suggesting that they are more likely to become child sex offenders. NO WAY !!! . Gay people are far less likely to become sex offenders. Its the heterosexual community that produces the vast majority of offenders who are themselves ”straight ”.
There still persist such ignorance on this issue . Im glad that man got the sack .
I envisage one day that Child Protection will be so highly valued by the Gay Community that a float at Mardi Gra devoted to ”Child Protection” will be met with thunderous applause and cheers as the Gay men and women of Australia throw their influence into an anti child abuse effort and put many more criminals in gaol where they belong and finally put to death that slurr that its the gays causing the trouble. . . . . Its the straights causing the trouble !
Its often the straights desperately covering up evidence of unreported child abuse that use evil lies against gays to assist their avoidance of criminal prosecution
Lets report all child abuse immediately and lets see if we cant make a happier society for all Australians .
Michael
Inner West Sydney.
Shiraz, thanks for that info which I had forgotten. I meant to say a gay man as ambassador on this men’s health committee which, to me, would seem to be a logical move.
As for appointing prominent people, Justice Kirby would have a made a great governor-general but that’s off-topic.
I went to the website mentioned and another website linked to that website;
The Fatherhood Foundation, and
gendermatters.org
and I read some of the articles.
The Fatherhood Foundation seemed to get a lot of government support – why?
I came to the conclusion that the purpose of the government support was economic. Apparently when families break up it causes the Federal Government to pay out more money to the members of families which have broken up.
The conclusion I reached about why the Federal Government supports the Fatherhood Foundation was because that organisation seeks to prevent families from breaking up. If the Fatherhood Foundation is successful in preventing families from breaking up then those families that do not break up do not seek as much financial assistance from the government than do families that do break up.
Families that stay united tend to support themselves financially.
I concluded that the main purpose behind the Federal Government’s support for the Fatherhood Foundation was to reduce government expenditure on the financial support of members of families that have broken up.
I read some of the articles on the website ‘gendermatters.org’ and I found some articles which were anti-homosexual, e.g.;
Gender confusion
Percentages of homosexuals and bisexuals in some major Western nations
On the Fatherhood Foundation website under the heading of ‘Sexual Integrity’ there is a very good speech by Dr. Mary Ann Leydon – Dr. Leydon is a psychotherapist – the subject of the speech deals with sexual violence – and ‘permission giving beliefs’.
Her speech informs society as a whole not just communities in society.
The introduction to her speech was given by Warwick and Allison Marsh – Mr. Marsh is the person who was removed as a Men’s Health Ambassador.
In their introduction they related that a man they both knew had been arrested for sexually molesting his two teenage step daughters – their comment on this matter was that the man’s fathering was ‘tragically flawed’.
Ronson, Roxon is most definitely NOT on the side of gays. She was a very proud, and vocal speaker to the fundamentalist Christian organised “Australian Family Forum” at Parliament House in Canberra back in 2006!
Roxon continues to demonstrate her inexperience, and lack of suitability as a minister in the Federal Government
Thank you Nicola for acting fairly and decisively on this issue
I’m glad Roxon acted quickly to fix up this poor decision.
Ronson, the Keating Government appointed an openly gay man as ambassador to one of the Scandinavean countries (Sweden?)
Well, I think its more amazing that they found a straight male hairdresser to appoint …..
He can’t be any good as a hairdresser – look at Julia !
Didn’t they do any background checking on these people? Those men’s organisations are widely known as homophobic.
And why would the other guy (Williams) put his name on the document concerned if was opposed to its position.
Have any openly gay men been appointed as an ambassador?
Roxon’s actions continue to astound me for someone who claims to be on the side of gays.