Letters To The Editor

IT’S NOT US
I would like to correct a statement made by Mr Bruce Thomson in Biennale artwork -˜offensive'(SSO 927).

Cockatoo Island is owned by the Australian Government and managed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is a NSW Government agency and has no management or approval responsibilities for the island.

If any readers have concerns about Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority’s activities, I would encourage them to call 9240 8500.

-” Robert Domm, Chief Executive Officer, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority

GLAM NIGHT
My partner and I had the pleasure of attending the Aurora event at Paddington Town Hall on Saturday night.

Kudos and congratulations must go to the organisers of the event. It was obvious that so much effort went into the details. It was a fantastic, warm, friendly, lavish, fun and rewarding evening which I believe raised over $60,000 for local gay and lesbian organisations. Well done, Aurora.

-” Jason, Bellevue Hill

SHOW RESPECT #1
Like Matthew of Kings Cross, I thought the gay demo during WYD handing out condoms etc was unfortunate.

If we gays, lesbians and transgender folk are anything we are streetwise. Sydney is party town. No one likes a grouch when you are having a good time. Raining on someone else’s parade is simply not house-trained behaviour.

We hate it when Fred Nile makes his Jeremiah appearance at Mardi Gras. Why do it to others?
One thing I think a lot of people missed about WYD was that the Catholic Church is able to combine festival and religious observance. A number of my Anglican gay friends seemed to lapse into remembering the Reformation, Northern Ireland, etc.

Now that we have Hindus, Buddh-ists, Muslims, and pagans living among us we need to forget the Catholic-Anglican skirmish and move on.

Someone said we in Australia don’t have a culture of public religious observance. If you travel in Italy their feast days are exuberant: solemn, but also fun.

I’m a lapsed Catholic and have many issues I’d like the church to address. But maybe it’s just not going to happen. I don’t mind anymore. This very juggernaut old machine run by crusty old men in frocks is not addressing its own problems.

Forget adequate compensation for victims of clergy sex abuse; we are rapidly reaching the day when declining numbers of priests means the church may just stop functioning.

I however don’t want to judge. The lesson I take from last week’s florid and fruity festival is that as a vibrant community we also need to take stock of where we’re going. We are just as likely to become as obsolete as the men in frocks if we take things for granted, like our own creativity and goodwill.

One last remark: a very witty column by Mike Carlton described Pell and his organising offsider Bishop Anthony Foster [the dwelling crankily on old wounds remark] as Batman & Robin. To find out that Foster’s clerical colleagues refer to him as Boy George made me sigh.

Suddenly we were back in the Roman court of Byzantium, a bunch of bitchy eunuchs carping at each other.

-” Anton, Tempe

SHOW RESPECT #2
I write in response to Matthew of KX. Are you ashamed of being gay or just the people who wanted to protest against the Catholic Church?

I don’t think that the gay people and others were protesting against the pilgrims who were 11 or 12 years of age, but rather against the Catholic Church, which has for centuries preached against gay people. It has caused people to be turned out of their own homes and shunned by family and friends. It has knowingly sheltered and protected priests and nuns who have abused children emotionally, physically and sexually.

As for peaceful protest, do you forget the violence against the GLBT community in response to its own peaceful protests, protests that one could argue allowed you as a young gay Catholic to march today?
Fred Nile prays for rain at the beginning of every Mardi Gras parade. Gay people are always at threat of beatings and other harassment for just being themselves in and around gay areas.

Condoms save lives and can help prevent unwanted pregnancies and empower young men and women to make better and safer decisions about sex. Why not march as a gay Catholic in the all-inclusive Mardi Gras parade that accepts people of all religious persuasions? Maybe then you will understand real and universal acceptance.

Oh, and I hope as a young Catholic you wear a condom or keep it in your pants.

-” Luke, Kings Cross

SHOW RESPECT #3
Matthew, I wasn’t interested in the anti-Pope rally but decided to go after the outrageous Iemma’s annoying legislation. There isn’t room for complacency when it comes to civil liberties. Furthermore, being Italian, I witness the scandalous influence of the Catholic Church in the country’s politics, with damaging consequences to people’s lives. I definitely don’t want to see that happen in my adoptive country, the one of fair-go.

You are right, the police presence was really over the top (don’t they have real crime to attend to?). Yet, it was good they were there for the protesters needed protection from some Pell-infused pilgrim. We had no hatred towards the beautiful young crowd passing by.

I, caged animal, felt sorry for those lambs happily walking towards their intellectual slaughter. The pilgrims weren’t the problem. The idiocy infused into them by the nasty, hypocritical, uncompassionate Catholic hierarchy is. I spent my teens with Catholic youth organisations and enjoyed the sense of community and feelgood factor. It was a better way of growing up than drinking and taking drugs. But then I got educated and recognised the evil of the hierarchy. I hope that most of those kids will snap out of it too.

The Pope and his mates kill people. Literally. You may want to take the time and visit Twenty10 to meet suicidal teens thrown out of their home by parents who listen to the Pope saying that gay is wrong.
And after all that, you wanted to shout out Yes I’m a Catholic man, but yes, I love the cock. Guess what: you couldn’t because many of your compassionate and loving fellows would have rejected you. I rest my case.

-” Ettore, Woolloomooloo

LOVE FIRST
The views that same-sex marriage would dilute the meaning of marriage and be a threat to the sanctity of marriage are pathetic excuses to maintain exclusionism, and undervalue our same capacities of love.

GLBTs are supposed to be about 10 percent of the population, but of the 90 percent who are straight, there many who already abuse this sanctity of marriage through infidelity, domestic violence, and misuse of divorce. How could our smaller group be a threat in comparison?

One feature of a good marriage is love. It’s not just sexual, but also a very spiritual experience regardless of sexuality. Therefore, same-sex marriage would not threaten the sanctity of marriage, but would be an endorsement of marriage and of love.

There’s also the argument that same-sex marriage goes against the church’s tradition. Whose church? Whose tradition? Traditions and religions are social constructs, tailored to satisfy the whims and biases of the powerful.

Henry VIII wanted divorce from Catherine to marry Anne, the Pope said no, so Henry organised his own church and tradition to do so.

Traditions evolve to incorporate common sense concepts, otherwise we would still be burning people at the stake, and burying sinners up to their necks, stoning them to death.

Revisions to tradition are possible, while maintaining the essence of traditions, like Jesus’ teachings of love, compassion, peace and understanding.

Martin Luther’s view was that the way to true salvation was through one’s own relationship with God. Aren’t we led to believe that God wants us to love?

-” Anthony, Wentworth Falls

ELECTION STAND
Honouring our election commitment, my Independent Team has achieved a strong record of responsible financial management, with annual budgets that are planned, responsible and sustainable -” contrary to a recent unsubstantiated claim.

The City’s financial reserves significantly exceed those of the former South Sydney and Sydney City Councils combined. They increased each year and are now at $433 million, up from $286.9 million at the time of the 2004 amalgamation and election.

These reserves have grown at the same time as we completed major capital works programs of up to $125 million each year, working to overcoming a legacy of neglect. This investment has grown the total value of City assets, facilities and infrastructure to $3.7 billion, up from $3.3 billion in 2004.

We’ve also enhanced services, while carefully managing ongoing costs to secure operating surpluses in excess of $90 million annually. Our last community survey showed 87 per cent of people satisfied with City services, particularly ranking our waste management, customer service, community engagement and recreational facilities highly.

We are not a bank; we are a facility and service provider. As City voters didn’t elect us to hoard cash, our careful management is targeted at providing the world class services and facilities that our local villages need and our global city deserves. We are preserving an appropriate level of reserves to securely meet future contingencies, assessed by City financial staff at $110 million currently.

We have consulted widely to develop a coordinated program of work that responds to community requests, including the Green Square renewal project, the City of Villages Local Action Plan program, and the Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision.

I am standing again as Lord Mayor with an experienced and capable Independent Team so that we can continue to deliver the responsible financial management needed for this ambitious program we have mapped out with City residents, businesses and visitors.

-” Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor

QUESTION OF RIGHTS
I really do have a problem following Rodney Croome’s reasoning in Why Choice Is So Crucial as guest columnist (SSO 928).

In giving his viewpoint on same-sex marriage/relationship recognition he states: Couples should be allowed to register a relationship, but they shouldn’t have to if they are opposed to inviting the government into their relationship.

Is it not the idea of same-sex marriage/relationship recognition to have recognition by the government for the same equal rights as a heterosexual marriage in regards to superannuation, inheritance, access to information during times of hospitalisation, etc? If the government is not to recognise the relationship to obtain equal rights who does Mr Croome propose to recognise same-sex relationships?

Mr Croome nominates the Netherlands and Canada as having legal protection and legal recognition of same sex-relationships and goes on to mention a three-tiered system of de facto protection, civil unions and marriage.These are all government-recognised.

From my knowledge the Netherlands and Australia differ in that if one is to get married in the Netherlands a civil service is a legal necessity and a church service is an option. In Australia a marriage can be legally binding by missing the civil service as the church has the legal power to perform a legally recognised marriage.

This is the point that I feel that the Australian gay community is missing … do not invite church intervention to obtain a gay marriage/relationship recognition. Most mainstream churches are homophobic so if the gay community concentrates on the legal aspect not the religious/church aspect religious biased noses should not be put out of joint as they would have no function in the debate.

Unfortunately I think that the same-sex relationship recognition debate is continually hijacked by the gay adoption/parenting campaigners. Same-sex relationship recognition and gay adoption/parenting are different issues. Not all gay couples want children.

The current government has hinted that it will pursue an Australian Bill of Rights. Should this happen it will mean that the government will have no option but to dismiss the numerous disadvantages afforded the gay community regarding discrimination against our human rights.

One cannot but wonder that if a Bill of Rights were introduced would we need a gay marriage/relationship recognition to protect our rights to the same level as the heterosexual community?

-” Ron, Surry Hills

EMPATHY VISIT
To start with an open record, I’m a gay agnostic who was thoughly pissed off with the disruption to my personal life (road closures, etc) and the negative effect on small business from WYD.

The normally very sucessful cafe where my partner works is located near St Mary’s Cathedral and they would go broke if it was WY Month, such was the downturn in their business.

I also despise organised religion in general and the appalling waste of money spent on WYD.

But I will make a point now of visiting Snakebean Asian Diner and supporting a small businessperson who has apparently done nothing wrong or offensive other than welcoming visitors to our city/country to his establishment.

It will be an empathy visit, I admit, but I’ll get a nice warm feeling out of it and the owner will get a small contribution to his turnover for that day.

And to Brett of Surry Hills -” what this business owner did was exercise the freedoms of speech and expression that gay rights campaigners have fought for for decades. You can’t have it both ways, mate. You’d like to see signs like Welcome Pilgrims -” WYDSYD removed from shop windows, but I bet you’d be first in the queue to complain if someone wrote in demanding that gay-friendly signs were banned from shop windows in Oxford St because it offended their personal beliefs.

However, you are entitled to your opinion, as am I, I hope.

-” Trevor, Camperdown