While on the boil as a hot issue for the last few years, it appears same-sex adoption has reduced to a slow simmer in Victoria lately.
It could be a case of too many fires, not enough firefighters. With marriage equality dominating the headlines, Victorians have been galvanised by the push for marriage equality over the less rousing, but equally important, issue of same-sex adoption.
But any campaign organiser knows how hard it is to get people to get active on one campaign, let alone more.
And the pause may not entirely be a bad thing. The passage of the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act in 2008 was a significant win for the community and allowed lesbian parents access to IVF in Victoria for the first time and the right — of non-biological — parents to be included on a child’s birth certificate.
The campaign trail was long and tedious and the bulk of the real grunt work was done by a handful of dedicated rainbow families. These families took the time to make their faces known to MPs, even changing a few minds along the way which helped push the legislation through.
Unfortunately the Rainbow Families Council has lost its driving member, Felicity Marlowe, from the helm. Members are now sharing the load between them, and after proving themselves with the ART Act, there’s no reason why a similar campaign for adoption can’t be fought as hard.
However, Rainbow Families must be careful not to wait too long. As they well know, reform is never easy and conversations need to start now.
Victoria is currently in the ridiculous situation where same-sex couples are allowed to foster children, but not adopt them.
The former Brumby Government constantly deferred the issue to the ‘national approach’ too-hard basket. A few inner city Labor MPs declared their support but pulled their heads quickly back below the parapets afterwards.
Opposition leader Daniel Andrews has said he’s supportive, although, speaking to the Star Observer earlier this year he said he was unsure if there was widespread community support for change.
Premier Ted Baillieu has previously stated he doesn’t support same-sex adoption and it’s unlikely we’ll see too much sympathy for it it in other government quarters. Most of the Coalition voted against the ART changes.
Same-sex adoption in Victoria is not, in any way, a new debate. All the way back in 2002 the Victorian Law Reform Commission recommended a change to the laws, but so far our politicians haven’t had the courage to move the issue forward.
If or when — depending on your level of optimism — same-sex marriage is allowed in Australia, there should be no reason same-sex couples who are (or are not) married can’t legally adopt children.
But the hard work, once again, needs to start. And those Victorian MPs keen on showing their gay-friendly credentials at same-sex marriage rallies should be putting their money where their mouth is and start making the everyday lives of rainbow families a little easier, in an area of law they can change.
here’s what adoptees, gay and straight, say about adoption
http://all-about-orphans.blogspot.com
I agree adoption is another area that needs further lobbying but there are complex political issues and challenges to be worked through, especially with a changed government. Work is being done, it may appear slow but happens at many levels. However this and other issues such as Marriage equality, educating primary schools and child care centres about Rainbow families to name a few are areas of work being undertaken that also require time and attention.
The RFC continues to do a great job as a volunteer organsiation and the more that all members of our community can come together and actively address the above issues will be helpful. We still have a way to go in breaking down discrimination and ignorance; you just have to read the comments by indivudals such as those referred to in the Get up Campaign, “It won’t stop at homosexual marriage – look for polygamy and marriage between adults and children to be legalised. There is no greater dream for a paedophile than to be able to legally acclaim a child as his lover.”
That’s what keynote speaker Rebecca Hagelin declared yesterday at the “don’t meddle with marriage” event at Parliament House, as she was joined on stage by Barnaby Joyce and other conservative Australian politicians. She said there is “no greater evil” than legalising same-sex marriage, and told the crowd to join her in a “war for the future of the human race.” Now is the time to jointly do something to address this, contact your local MP today and have a voice.
Sam
While Adoption is an import issue for the queer community to focus its support on, the ways to bring it about are different from same sex marriage. Traditionally, gay rights issues have been state based affairs, and the entire lobbying/ committee processes to deal with gay rights issues has been built up at a state level, meaning the states are more experienced at handling gay and other social issues such as abortion and ART. Lobbyists at a state level run a much more discreet, internal campaign through the GLRL in NSW or VGLRL in Victoria, and these lobbies often have strong connections with the Labor parties in either state. In contrast, it is a legal quirk that the marriage act is a federal law, and so campaigning on gay rights at a federal level is a new experience for gay activists, and without the same access or politician/lobbyist relationships, organisers require a more public activism and community protest.
Well said David Fawcett!
Hear, hear! Andie.
No-one wants to take momentum away from marriage equality but it is worth noting that there are many other issues that we are sacrificing attention away from. Adoption, support services for the transsexuals, education about intersex, protection from discrimination by religious groups etc. It’s a long list.
Many of these issues have a root cause and that is that there are no protections from discrimination on the basis of sexuality at the Commonwealth level. Reforming the Commonwealth Anti-Discrimination Act (1995) to include ‘sexuality’ would ensure that the commonwealth and all the states would be unable to create new laws that discriminate and we should be able to more easily reform any existing laws that do discriminate.
Instead of dividing our resources maybe we should be using the momentum from marriage equality to ask for more than just a change to the marriage act?