Month: August 2005

Something Horrible

Anyone who knows me, knows I love my bunnies. And anyone that lives in Australia, and not under a rock, knows that we’ve just had one of the worst cruelty cases ever exposed a few weeks ago.

I haven’t mentioned it on the blog, because I have been pretty much unable to be polite and not R rated. But now, I realise that to do justice to the victims of this awful crime, I have to speak out.

I have read the poilce report, and while I won’t go in to detail, I will say that it is far worse than what has been mentioned in the media.

He has been charged with multiple offences, and I believe that there are more charges pending. Despite that, there is a strong suggestion that the perpetrator will receive a light sentence, possibly even a non-custodial sentence.

It is common for first offenders to receive consideration for not coming before the courts prior to the first offence, and in general, I would agree that an isolated incident shouldn’t be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Unfortunately, this man isn’t a “first offender”. This is just the first time he’s been caught. The number of animals that he has abused is in the hundreds, if not thousands.

The torture that these animals endured was extended and brutal. When he was apprehended, the RSPCA had to euthenase two animals that he had “finished with”, but were still enduring the agonies he had inflicted, and they were likely to die slowly.

So, I have to do something. Most trials of violent criminals allow a “victim’s impact statement”, but there is no-one to speak for thes animals. A rabbit in a safe environment with a good diet and decent medical care could expect to live for 10 years – a commensurate lifespan to a cat or a dog. They have every bit as much personality as a cat or a dog. They are as intelligent. They have as much capacity to feel pain, to interact and show affection, to play, to run, to love.

Please join me in writing to your local paper, your daily paper, your national paper. Write to current affairs programs, call talkback radio, write to the judge, the prosecutor, your local member.

Please make some noise for those that have no voice.

Announcing….

A broken toe 🙂

Yesterday I was in a hurry to get to work, so, like an idiot, I was sliding around the kitchen floor (lino) in my socks. I shouldn’t be allowed to have fun in any physical activity, it always leads to pain.

Of course I slipped, and slammed the last three toes of my right foot into a skirtingboard, and now have a pronounced limp.

With my shoulder causing pain yesterday, I almost went out and bought an opera cape so I could complete the image….

National Day of Action

Everyone has an issue these days, but I won’t apologise for banging on about this one. It’s important to me, and this is MY blog, so read it or not….

I got married a year and a bit ago. It was great. Fabulous party, best dress ever, and the opportunity to tell my nearest and dearest that I love my bloke. Maybe not for everyone, but everyone should have the right to do it if they want to.

The repercussions of unequal acess to marriage are not ones that many people think about, so here is on example from real life that really sucks. And btw, when I bang on about marriage, I also want equal recognition of defacto relationships too. When marriage comes, defacto recognition will have to be part of the deal.

So….

My friends mother has been with her partner for more than a decade, maybe two. Susan and Eva (names changed to protect privacy) own a home together, and have shared finances. Nearly five years ago Eva had multiple strokes, which left her needing nursing home care. Even finding a decent nursing home was difficult for Susan because most of the good facilities are church run, and wouldn’t take a sick lesbian. But eventually they found a place, and Eva has been well cared for. She is showing some improvement, and though she can’t walk, she can read, and communicate, and spend quality time with her friends and family. But she can’t come home.

Nursing home care is subsidised by the government for a period of five years. After that time access to the subsidy is means tested. A heterosexual couple, married or defacto, would have their family home exempted from the means test – but a same sex couples home is considered an asset – and is included as an asset in the means test.

So, Susan is going to have to sell her home and cash in her super to pay for Eva’s ongoing care. Just because her relationship isn’t “real” in the eyes of our legal system.

Now do you see why this is so important ?

If you read this far and are still with me, there is something you can do about it. Saturday August 13th is a National Day of Action. Details follow.

In Sydney on Saturday August 13 2005, we will be holding a rally commencing in Taylor Square at 1:00 pm and marching down Oxford Street to Hyde Park. There will be a number of speakers including Dr Kerryn Phelps, Clover Moore MP, Anthony Venn-Brown and Senator Kerry Nettle who last year tried unsuccessfully to amend the Marriage Act Amendment Bill to include all couples. We now have 37 groups supporting the rally.

I thought I would give you an update on plans for that day. Life has been difficult over this last week or two negotiating gay politics. Support from some of the peak organisations in the gay community remains rather precarious. However, the rally will go ahead and we have had good publicity in the gay press including coverage of the rally in the Star (SSO) and of AME in SX magazine as well as my own letter in the Star under the heading of AME’s Aims. (You will have to page down in the last two links.) As well, I was interviewed last Friday on air on 3CR, a Melbourne community radio station.

What Peter Furness and I need most from you is moral support. The effort is rather draining but we are forging ahead with the goodwill and support of many people. We could use financial support for the day. However, we expect the basic costs to be covered easily. What we would like to do is make this a visually interesting event to attract the attention of the media. I want to see a forest of pink hearts. I will be following the tradition that Luke has established, appearing in a navy blue suit with a pink carnation in the lapel. It will be, like every wedding, a celebration!

I have set out AME Sydney’s objectives for the rally for the benefit of those groups who are supporting the rally. These have been communicated to the NSW GLRL. I thought they would be of interest to AME members. I would certainly appreciate your feedback.

Objectives:
The objectives of the Sydney event are to contribute to the national day of action for marriage equality by conducting an event which will assertively and confidently affirm the value of LGBTIQ relationships and communicate that value to the wider community in order to advance the campaign for relationship equality.

This:
A celebration
Fun
Inclusive – open to all who support our objectives
Looking forward, but not ignorant of the history of August 13
Apolitical, but not ignorant or unappreciative of those who support our objectives politically

Not this:
A protest rally
A partisan political event
An event purely for the gay community, or seen to be only for that community
An event to promote causes other than relationship equality, as worthy as they may be