Good News from Australia

I think that far too often when I write a blog post on my current country of residence, it ends up being negative.  So I want to bring attention to some good news from New South Wales, where a person has won the right to be identified as neither male nor female:

The Australian high court has ruled that New South Wales must recognise a third gender after handing down its decision in the long-running case of Norrie, who has been fighting since 2010 to have a sex change recognised as non-specific.

Notable is the following argument apparently used in court, suggesting that bureaucrats can't count past two:

Among the arguments of the registrar was that it would cause “unacceptable confusion” if state legislation, the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995 (NSW), were to recognise more than two genders. The high court rejected the argument.

More seriously, congratulations are due to Norrie, for successfully winning this four-year legal struggle (and winning costs, too)!

Montana Judge ...

Do I need to complete that title?  Anyway, a Montana Judge has shown how sexism is dead by handing a one month sentence to a man who raped a 14 year old, saying she was responsible.

A Montana judge who said a 14-year-old rape victim was "as much in control of the situation" as the man who assaulted her is under pressure to resign.

Montana Judge Todd Baugh also said the girl was "older than her chronological age", as he handed the teacher who assaulted her a month in prison.

The mother of the victim, who took her own life three years ago while the case was pending, is furious.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw up.

Good News Round Up, Marriage Edition

Minnesota legalizes gay marriage:

With deafening cheers and overwhelming emotion, the Minnesota Senate voted 37-30 to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Today, love wins,” said Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick.

Technically it still needs to be signed by the Governer, but he has long stated his willingness to do so.

Hong Kong woman wins right to marry:

The Court of Final Appeal ruled that Hong Kong's current law, which barred the transsexual woman from marrying her male partner, is unconstitutional.

It's nice to remember that things can get better.

Gay Marriage Passes!

I know I'm running a little late on this, but the news that the House of Commons passed gay marriage is fantastic.  While civil partnerships offered same-sex couples effectively all the rights of marriage, and the government had proven itself willing to enforce that, recognising that hetero- and homosexual unions are fundamentally the same is a significant moment.  It seems odd that, within my lifetime, a Conservative government should have passed Section 28; and within my memory, there were scandals over homosexual members of a Labour government.  It's always nice to be reminded that things can get better.

Homophobia in England

Apparently, the far right are a bunch of bigots.  Shocking, I know.

Police in Cambridgeshire have said they are investigating complaints made after the leader of the far-right British National party, Nick Griffin, posted the address of a gay couple on the internet and appeared to urge his supporters to demonstrate outside their home.

This relates to a recent case that was actually quite pleasant and uplifting.  An elderly gay couple tried to stay in a bed and breakfast, but the owner refused to let them share a bed.  They sued and won, which shows that the British courts do get things right sometimes.

Of course, to the BNP demanding you are treat fairly is "bullying" if you're not a straight white English man.  Posting someone's address online and asking your followers to harass them is not, though.  We even got an accusation of "heterophobia", which I think completes the bigot bingo.  Still, one thing did make me laugh; after it emerged that Griffin might face criminal prosecution for his acts, he immediately started whining:

Griffin then wrote: "Why don't left & gay activists confront Muslims instead of picking on meek & forgiving Christians? Bullies are always cowards!"

That last line is just precious, given that Griffin has now exhibited both behaviours—bullying and cowardly whining—in this single incident.

Gay Rights in Ukraine

Courtesy of the BBC, it looks like LGBT rights are in danger in Ukraine:

The Ukrainian parliament could give final approval next week to a bill that aims to outlaw "pro-homosexual propaganda" - any "positive depiction" of gay people, gay pride marches, or even the screening of a film like Brokeback Mountain.

The story is a depressing parade of the usual, such as this guy:

Supporters of the bill, like Ruslan Kukharchuk, a founder of the local group Love Against Homosexuality, deny the accusation of intolerance. They say they too condemn the violence against homosexuals. What is more, they add, gays are free to do whatever they want "in the privacy of their room".

Kukharchuk, however, has also written about what he calls the "homo-dictatorship" which he claims dominates Western society and persecutes religious, anti-gay proponents like himself. He strives to counter "aggressive" gay propaganda, he says - in other words, public discourse that implies that homosexuality "is normal, is good, is part of democracy".

 Yes, it's not intolerant to want to outlaw any positive representation of 10% of the population; but it is intolerant to object to such rampant bigotry.  And we also get some fun talking about offense from, of course, some religious shithead:

"Here's the issue," says Pastor Reshetinsky, a large-boned man with a slight moustache, tells me. "In a real democracy, my freedom and rights are limited by the freedom of someone else."

In his opinion, freedom of speech for sexual minorities is a violation of what he considers his inalienable right not to have to hear something he finds offensive.

Pastor Rechetinsky, let me say with all sincerity, fuck off you despicable example of humanity.  Your "inalienable right" is bullshit, an attempt to oppress people for no reason other than your own petty bigotry.  Oddly enough, the comment about how individual rights are limited by other people is correct; but you think this means your own right not to be disconcerted is more than other people's rights to live their lives normally.  Egocentric bastard.

There's some pretty depressing stuff in that article, such as the poll on Ukrainian's attitudes towards homosexuality.  Over 70% reported a negative opinion.  Not to mention attacks on gay activists, though I must admire one guy:

Despite the formidable pushback - and the threat of physical assault - LGBT activists are undaunted. Karasiychuk, who suffered a broken jaw and concussion in his attack, says gay people cannot retreat into the woodwork.

"We need to be more visible in everyday life. We have to provoke this conversation. Everyone has to ask themselves, why they don't like gays."

I can only wish these people the best of luck.

Marriage Again

Oh look!  It's another group of Christians complaining about gay marriage!

The Church of England has warned that proposals to legalise gay marriage could undermine its status.
It says giving civil ceremonies the status of marriage would "alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman".

What intrinsic nature?  Marriage is a human construct.  Historically it has been about inheritance and property rights, and polygamous marriages have been common.

...the Church of England said government proposals to allow same-sex marriages by 2015 would "alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as enshrined in human institutions throughout history".
It said marriage acknowledged "an underlying biological complementarity which, for many, includes the possibility of procreation".

So, obviously, any heterosexual couple who get married and don't intend to have children are wrong to do so.  For fuck's sake, do these people ever think about what they are saying in their rush to be homophobic?

Religious Schools and Bigotry

The UK has seen a noticeable push towards state support of religious schools over the last ten years or so.  I don't want to get into the various economic reasons that underlie this; the point is that government-supported schools should be welcoming to all citizens.  And as we all know, if there's anything known for being open and welcoming, it's religion:

It emerged this week that the CES wrote to nearly 400 state-funded Roman Catholic schools inviting them to back a petition against gay civil marriage.
...
Earlier this week, Pinknews.co.uk reported that students at St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls in Carshalton were "encouraged" to sign the anti-equality pledge by the school's headmistress.

I'm sure that gay and lesbian students will feel right at home!  Certainly, we shouldn't let our concerns for them get in the way of Catholic's right to advocate for traditional marriage (one man and one or more chattel).

The only good news about this whole thing is what the bigots are opposing; full marriage equality, which is being introduced by our main Right Wing party.  Even the Conservatives have figured out to get on the correct side of the issue.

Also, only tangentially related but it really pisses me off when people try to justify bigotry with religion.  If I believed in a god with such a flawed morality, I wouldn't worship it.  Indeed, the fact that so many religions depict their god as a ethically primitive barbarian really makes me wonder.  Am I supposed to be impressed?  Really?