National news briefs

Queensland equality in limbo
Steps towards a same-sex relationship register in Queensland are in limbo after Premier Anna Bligh announced the state would go to the polls this month.
PFLAG Brisbane also wanted whichever party was returned to office to reconsider parenting reforms for same-sex families.
Politicians need to stop being fearful of the bigoted and homophobes who curtail five to eight percent of the population from experiencing the rights we as heterosexual couples take for granted, national PFLAG spokeswoman Shelley Argent said.
These are the rights to be able to take our children to the doctor when sick or talk to teachers about their issues or concerns at school and be given relevant information, which presently doesn’t happen regardless of how long the same-sex attracted couple have been together.
Neither Labor Premier Bligh nor Nationals leader Lawrence Springborg have indicated any support for more parenting reforms, but Attorney-General Kerry Shine had expressed an interest in a same-sex relationship register.
Shine met with lobbyists last year and wrote back to say he would consider proposals for same-sex relationship recognition.
The Star understands his department has been investigating the Tasmanian registry model.
The Anti-Discrimination Commission of Queensland had previously made submissions to governments that formal recognition of same-sex relationships was required for legal equity under Australia’s international human rights obligations.
Queenslanders go to the polls on Saturday 21 March. To date, no woman has been elected Premier by the voters.
More than 1400 parishioners turned up to St Mary’s Catholic Church last weekend to support the defiant priest, Father Peter Kennedy.
Kennedy was controversially sacked earlier in the week by Archbishop John Bathersby for unorthodox practices such as blessing gay couples and selling books that questioned the divinity of Jesus. Kennedy is refusing to stand down from the position he has held for 30 years at the South Brisbane church.
Kennedy’s appointed successor Dean Ken Howell was supposed to lead the weekend’s services, but was advised to stay away by police after a bomb threat was made to the Archbishop.
Although Kennedy particpated in the service, the Mass was led by community member Mary Ortiz who opened the proceedings with the words, We are still here, we are still a community and God is with us.
The Mass was conducted with an acknowledgement of the local indigenous community, female and lay preachers, and gay and lesbian parishioners, and without traditional church vestments.
We will be here next week; don’t think that we won’t be, Kennedy said at the conclusion of the service, before joining the congregation in a rendition of We Shall Not be Moved.
Kennedy again invited the Archbishop to join the congregation and experience a Mass at St Mary’s.
If he could have been in that mass of people there, and have seen the joy and the energy and the love. It would melt an Archbishop’s heart, Kennedy said.
We feed the wolf of compassion and kindness because so many people in the Catholic Church are excluded, like the gay people.
Gays and lesbians and people who are divorced are excluded and so we as Christians stand up for those who are excluded.
The future of St Mary’s remains unclear, though Archbishop Bathersby has nominated former High Court judge Ian Callinan to be the independent mediator.

Sex Party in Qld poll
The Australian Sex Party, which rose to fame in the controversy over the planned internet filter, plans to contest the Queensland election.
Convenor Fiona Patten said they were looking to run candidates in the seats held by party leaders: South Brisbane by Labor’s Anna Bligh, Southern Downs by National-Liberal’s Lawence Springborg, and Indooroopilly by Green MP Ronan Lee.
Queensland’s censorship laws are far stricter than any other state in Australia, and the same as laws on erotica in totalitarian states like China and Iran, she said.
Film festival still growing
The line-up for this year’s Melbourne Queer Film Festival, March 18-29, will feature 150 queer films.
Were the World Mine, a Tom Gustafson film, will open the festival in singing and dancing style before taking a more serious turn with entries from the Israeli film maker Nitzan Gilady, who will attend the festival to present his documentary Jerusalem is Proud to Present ­-” a documentary on Jerusalem’s bid to host World Pride in 2006. Winner of the Best Documentary at LA’s Outfest, it is sure to be a hit with Victorian audiences as well.
The festival will finish with the film remake of Sarah Water’s book Affinity. Re-written by the same screenwriter who interpreted Tipping the Velvet, the film also stars Amanda Plummer (of Pulp Fiction and Butterfly Kisses fame).
Australian film makers will also feature prominently on the line up, particularly on the Oz Docs line up where Amy Gebhardt will screen her documentary on artist Jacqui Stockdale and Alissar Gazal will take audiences on a journey to understand what it is to be Lebanese and a lesbian.

info: More information can be found at www.mqff.com.au/

Big Gay Day line-up
Two of Australia’s leading musical acts have been confirmed as headliners for Brisbane’s Big Gay Day on Sunday, March 15.
The ARIA-nominated pop/rock group Operator Please and TV Rock, most famous for the song Flaunt it, will headline the festival alongside leading DJs Kandy Kane and Les Smith, as well as Ultimate Kylie -” the only impersonator to get endorsement from the Minogue sisters. Radio announcer Meshel Laurie and comedian Adam Richards will rev the crowds up.
International performers include American dancer Crystal Waters.

info: For tickets and more information visit biggayday.com.au