Letters to the editor – Sydney

LEETON DE-GAYS GLEE

It saddened me to read my former high school, Leeton High, is staging a production of Glee without a Kurt.

I tried to understand the reasons behind the decision to exclude the character, but it did not mean I liked it. What distressed me most was that when I spoke with the principal he could not advise on what support services were available to LGBTQI youth in the area, nor confirm if there were any LGBTQI youth at the school. I told him there would be.

Growing up in a conservative country town is never easy if you are different. More than ever the absence of gay or lesbian role models make acceptance more challenging than other areas.

The conservative hetero–normative socialisation that occurs in all areas, but specifically conservative rural towns, without any consideration of diversity, causes social ramifications for those who are different.  This is why characters such as Kurt are important.

Since I wrote my blog regarding Leeton High’s musical (mgsteph.wordpress.com) I have had a varied response from current and former residents of Leeton. In most cases these were supportive of lesbians and gays living in rural areas, however, some were not. In particular I was distressed that my high school art teacher could not understand why I would make it an issue.

Probably the most disturbing Facebook message I have received is from a former classmate still living in the town and who is assisting the music teacher producing the concert.

She wrote, “I know she [the music teacher] wouldn’t have had a problem with casting the gay character of Kurt but I think she felt she needed to be careful for the wellbeing of the student who played the role.”

What has developed in Leeton over the past week is letters to the local paper, responses on the website and Facebook page and varying opinions. Many refuse to believe there is homophobia present, however, under their comments are classics such as “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve”.

Leeton High School is no different from other regional schools across Australia.

It’s time to look outside the ghetto and start making a difference where we can. What needs to happen and quickly is a specific LGBTQI support program in our schools, an extension of the Proud Schools program perhaps.  Write to your home town MPs and request this. Write to your high schools and offer to come back and talk to students about the effect of gay bullying on you, and the difficulties we all faced coming out in rural areas.

Mardi Gras has taught us not only to be proud of who we are, but that great change can occur if we just stand up for who are.

Seems Leeton High School can produce a Mardi Gras co-chair, but it can’t produce a production of Glee with a gay character. It’s time for me to return to my home town, stand up, say something and be proud.

Will you do the same?

— Steph Sands

Co-Chair, New Mardi Gras

FIERCE APOLOGIES

After discussions with Organisation International Intersex (OII) Australia and Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome Support Group (AISSG), Still Fierce Melbourne would like to formally annouce that as of June 7 2011, we will use the term ‘Sex and/or Gender Diverse’ (rather than ‘Intersex, Sex and/or Gender Diverse’).

We formally apologise to all individuals and organisations offended by the use of ‘ISGD’ and ask for your trust in our aim to move forward in respect and solidarity.

Still Fierce Melbourne would like to thank those from OII and other individuals and organisations who have been vocal about their position regarding our previous terminology — this has obviously been an effort on your part and we thank you for the patience.

Our exact goals and mission statement are yet to be determined but we are made up of and welcome people who may identify as transsexual, transgender, trans, intersex, tranny, genderqueer, cross dressers, butches, femmes, femme fags, fagettes, girlfags, boydykes, bois, trans men, trans women, gender non-specific trans people, tranny dykes, transfags, gender pirates, androgynes, neutois, dandies, flappychaps, fancy gentlemen, gentlefags, unicorns, beasts, monsters, drag kings and queens, bearded ladies, ladyboys, dandy campers, gender outlaws, gender pirates, girly boys, princess boys, tomboys, cissies, androgynous, sinadrogynus (without sex and gender identity), people with sex and/or gender culturally specific differences. This list is constantly updated and is not exhaustive.

We look forward to building a relationship based on respect and support in the future.

— Still Fierce Melbourne

APOLOGY ACCEPTED

OII Australia warmly welcomes Tuesday’s statement by Still Fierce Melbourne, and that collective’s adoption of language that more closely reflects its composition, expertise and goals.

Both organisations are working to create social and political change for our communities, and we share many common goals. We must continue to recognise and be respectful of our differences, and share our concerns and experience.

Members of OII Australia have engaged in constructive dialogue with Still Fierce Melbourne and we expect that, from this new starting point, we can work together for mutual benefit and build a stronger case for real change.

— Gina Wilson, OII Australia

MAKING OUR MINDS UP

Still Fierce Sydney’s membership is diverse, and includes people who identify as intersex, some of whom spoke at the national rally in Canberra.

The hope of introducing a broad acronym like SGD (Sex and/or Gender Diverse) was that it would provide a space for all people who fall outside of traditional sex-gender binaries. Finding common ground while respecting and celebrating differences, promoting a sense of solidarity without erasing the needs of specific groups is difficult, constantly under construction, and always open for debate and renewal.

Still Fierce Sydney adopted the use of ISGD (Intersex, Sex and/or Gender Diverse), replacing SGD (Sex and/or Gender Diverse), in order to acknowledge the long history of erasure and invisibility experienced by intersex people.

Still Fierce believed including intersex within the collective acronym would signal our commitment to representing those whose experiences and lives are marginalised, silenced or erased.

We acknowledge that some members of the intersex community outside of Still Fierce have felt this to be, on the contrary, an act of appropriation.

In addition there are members of Still Fierce who have a preference for SGD as the most relevant descriptor for Still Fierce. The use of the term ISGD is under review by the collective and a decision will be reached in the coming weeks. This review is not a simple process, as we have to consider the sustained critiques we are receiving, while at the same time we also need to respect and value intersex voices from within the collective.

— Still Fierce Sydney

EQUAL IN 10 YEARS

Australia will give same-sex couples equal access to the law within ten years (‘Same-sex marriage inevitable’, SSO 1076). Those who stand against this will be confined to the narrow corners of history as those who supported the White Australia Policy.

In the end academics will say people wanted the right to live as freely as the next person. They did not want race or sexuality to be a barrier to equal treatment before the laws of Australia.

— Dave

SHARE OF GLORY

No one from the Labor Party got a booing at this Labor-organised event against homophobia (‘GLORIAs winners announced’, Star Online).

Just another hijacking of our issues by people who don’t want to make a difference but give themselves some media coverage. No wonder you got thrashed in the election.

— John

KEPT IN THE DARK

It is weird how Wendy Francis and the Australian Christian Lobby would rather people be unaware of safe-sex education than utter the G word (‘X+Y=U’, SSO 1076).

We prove we can do anything as a community when we put our minds to it. Online campaigns help but a physical letter is usually worth a hundred emails.

— Doug