Letters to the editor – Southern Star

PRIDE #1

Once again, another wonderful Pride March. Congrats to the organisers and volunteers for your dedicated work for your community.

However, a number of us watching found it a little odd that the Liberal Party, with its myriad of homopho

bes and bigoted policies, got such prime billing near the front of the march.

At the same time, genuine champions of our rights such as Equal Love and the Greens were near the back.

It is astounding and indeed offensive that an organisation with a conservative Catholic homophobe as leader, and one that continually denies us equal rights, is given such prominence.

For most of its history, Pride has been neutral by placing all politically oriented groups in the same part of the march. But it seems there has been a change in policy since Brett Hayhoe has taken over as Pride president.

Why he would want to tarnish his tireless work for the community by giving the appearance of political bias is beyond me. He is doing himself a disservice by allowing the impression that his personal politics influences the marching order at Pride.

— Christo

PRIDE #2

Shudder the thought — the gays are in the news again.

This time because a local Melbourne city council wants to share in the annual Midsumma celebrations by hoisting a rainbow flag in the spirit of unity.

While many community groups are represented across our cities in such similar demonstrations, it is disappointing that the tired gay stereotypes and usual suspects are the most commonly referenced in the media.

When will newspapers ever learn that gay men and women are like other men and women and want to read about them as they see themselves? Men prancing around in leather with cut-out butt cheeks, drag queens in heels or the same old, fat, bearded guys in colourful nuns’ habits who make an appearance in the press are an unfortunate minority and sometimes an embarrassing element of the gay community simply looking for a laugh, to entertain or titillate.

Representing gay men and women in this light is doing more harm to those of us who are trying to go about our rather normal lives — holding down jobs, paying taxes and raising families.

The gay and lesbian community is and always has been about accepting and expressing its diversity. But every community group has its standout minority sub-groups and reporting on these like it’s all that exists is abhorrent.

— Luke

QUESTIONS

I was concerned to read the report of the outcome of a murder trial in London on the internet news for January 27.

The report deals with the sentencing of Ruby Thomas, a drunken hoodlum who, with her gang, kicked an innocent man to death in 2009.

Her only reason for her vicious, savage and murderous attack was that her victim was holding hands with another man.

We read that “The next day, Thomas joked about the killing on Facebook.”

In spite of the judge’s comment that “This was a case of mindless drink-fuelled violence committed in public,” Thomas was sentenced to a mere two-and-a-half years in prison.

This raises two questions:

1. Since when has such a light sentence been considered appropriate for murder?

Our legal system is one of the pillars of our whole social structure. If it is seen to be unfair or not credible, this opens the way to other drunken louts to behave in a similar way to Thomas, or worse.

2. The report was illustrated with glamour photos of Thomas.

What effect does this media think this creates on young, impressionable minds?

— Hugh

ANTI-CHILD VIEWS

Another stab at families by a child-hating Grumpy Old Poof (SSO 119), this time at gestational surrogates who kindly facilitate the creation of the ultimate dream, genetic immortality.

The first cinematic surrogacy representation was in The Birdcage where a gay couple had a son by a GS. From the forefront of cultural change these anti-child views in SSO have regressed gay freedom to another ‘untermenschen’ subhuman person.

Why has Doug Pollard lined up with fascist politicians in the Greens and the ALP to denigrate those people who wish to express their life in children?

— John