Signing off

Signing off

As this is my final Star Legals column, I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for all your support and feedback this year.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing for Sydney Star Observer. Contrary to the view that is commonly espoused, my experience this year has reignited my faith that the gay and lesbian community remains as engaged in the big social, political and legal issues of our time as any time in history. In spite of all the social theorising positing identity as fragmented and diffuse in the modern world, a LGBTI identity remains crucial for advancing a political agenda.

I’d like to reflect on the year that has just passed and make some observations about portents for the future.

The landscape in terms of tangible rights for gays and lesbians is very different at the end of this year from when I started writing this column at the tail end of 2007. We’ve seen the elevation of a Labor Government which has moved surprisingly fast to legislate to end discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland’s recent announcement of a human rights consultation panel to explore the possibility of bringing into operation a federal Human Rights Charter heralds the end of ten long and arduous years of conservative Coalition rule.

At the other end of the political spectrum, we’ve seen the rise in the influence of socially progressive figures like Malcolm Turnbull and George Brandis, and the waning of religiously-inspired figures like Tony Abbott. The decoupling of economic liberalism from social conservatism will mean our community can once again look to the Liberal party as a legitimate and viable Opposition.

At present, the greatest impediment to more widespread gay law reform in Australia remains the entrenched and incompetent Labor Government in NSW which rushes headlong from one disaster to another. Perpetually in damage-control mode, gay law reform remains a low priority for a Government that is far more interested in self-preservation and power.

One final comment about the politics of gay law reform: it is crucial there is a recognition that the law does not exist in a vacuum. The politics of symbolism remain as important as ever to achieving long-lasting gay law reform. To this end, the legalisation of gay marriage needs to remain a clear priority for our community, regardless of whether or not we individually choose to participate in this institution.

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