Letters

NMG COVER-UPS
I’ve never been comfortable with the ‘street noise’ about MG or NMG decision-making. NMG is not, in a strict sense, a community organisation — it is a company with a membership/ownership.
And there are lots of bitchy queens out there who contribute nothing but smoke and mirrors. Some of the regular ‘critics’ and ‘nay-sayers’ have contributed little to improve the state of our communities. When the heavy lifting needs to be done, they simply disappear into the mist and babble on.
All that said, the kerfuffle about the NMG scheduling of the party and parade was intentionally misleading. NMG has a history of cover-ups and misleading reporting — their stunt a couple years back of taking retained earnings and flushing them back through the income statement was clearly a violation of trust and a lie.
One wonders where NMG would be without the sponsors and the government funding.
— Henry
EUGENICS
It has been appalling to hear people talk about Caster Semenya as if they have the right to assign her gender identity based on their own prejudices. Raelene Boyle, for example, called her an ‘it’ and suggested she retire from sport.
It seems all sportspeople with intersex conditions are encouraged to retire. This is not sporting. This is eugenics.
— norrie mAy-welby
CASTER SEMENYA
I want to comment about Caster Semenya, the 18-year-old from South Africa.
Caster Semenya is the world champion in the 800 metres. Semenya won a gold medal at the 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin in August. The world governing body of athletics, the International Association Athletics Federation, wants not only Semenya but also all other hermaphrodite and transsexual or transvestite sportspersons in the future to have a gender test. Makes you really wonder what society we are living in.
As far as I am concerned, the IAAF should not get involved with athletes about their private lives because it’s none of their business.
Just because a sportsperson is proven to be a hermaphrodite doesn’t mean they can’t take part in their sport of their choice just for being different. I wonder what would be the public reaction if the IAAF decides Gay Games sportspersons at any Gay Games have to have gender tests.
Caster Semenya, go you good thing. You are a champion and you will have the support from all gay and lesbian and transgender people from all over the world.
— Gary
BURNS V KENNETT
Jeff Kennett (Victorian ex-premier) is on record as intimating that all gay men are pedophiles. He was subsequently tackled by gay activist Gary Burns. Unfortunately Mr Burns has had to drop the case because he was unable to underwrite the huge costs of the proposed litigation.
In mediation, Kennett apologised to Burns but refused to apologise to the gay community at large.
Furthermore Kennett has refused to make a donation to Twenty10, a charity which helps young gay men and women come to terms with their sexuality, as a result of misinformation about them, and hatred aimed at them, by such men as Kennett. In so refusing, he is ignoring the fact that the suicide rate among young gay men is 14 times higher than the suicide rate for their heterosexual counterparts.
Fourteen times higher, Mr. Kennett! If people such as you simply closed their hateful and uneducated mouths once in a while, that rate might drop considerably.
Thankfully most Australians have keener minds than you do, sir. Perhaps that is one reason the Liberals do so badly in both state and federal elections.
— Ronnie
QUICK WIT
I did not originally think I would like Damien Stephens new weekly column (x+y=u), but I have been pleasantly surprised by his quick wit, subject matter and enjoyable reading from week to week.  It is great to see him join your other opinion writers. Keep it coming!
— Adam
NEW CUTIE
Who is the new guy reading the ABC-TV News (mainly weekends) of late?
He may not be one of us.  But those big soulful brown eyes, and that beautiful smile, must be sending many hearts aflutter.
— David
EXEMPTION LAWS
I’m a member of a gay men’s nudist group and I’ve had enquiries from women wishing to join, though the group has refused them entry.
Although registered with the Department of Fair Trading, the group is non-profit based and without a liquor licence and is therefore exempt from anti-discrimination laws relating to gender.
As well as the group I belong to, there are many other single-gender based groups within queer culture.
NSW anti-discrimination laws of course extend to sexuality and marital status as well, though again businesses and clubs not selling alcohol or trading at a profit are exempt from these, as are religious organisations and businesses employing five or less full-time staff.
Which begs the question: Should those groups operating as single-gender benefit from exemption laws allowing them to refuse people based on their sex, while at the same time claim discrimination by religious organisations and small businesses who refuse them employment and services because they’re gay?
— Stuart
HIV RATES #1
Re HIV rates, I think it’s quite a tragedy that in this day and age there are still so many infections. A decrease of 50 or so infections is nothing compared to 900 people getting infected.
What is going on with our prevention programs that this is considered a good result? Surely there should only be a handful of infections every year at this point in our education.
— John
HIV RATES #2
A thousand people catching HIV every single year is way too many — that’s 5000 over five years. Why do we still put up with so much bullshit and homophobia from our governments (state and federal)?
— David