Right, about these recent changes to the EqualRights legislation here in Victoria, I’m not happy and I have concerns. Let me
say straight up that I don’t think there should be any exemptions to the law. It defeats the whole purpose of the law and
effectively implies that there exist second class humans unworthy of legal protection.
Allowing religious organisations to discriminate against gays, lesbians (and
the whole queer spectrum), as well as single mothers, people living in ‘sin’
and whatever else offends their mediaeval morality is a giant step backwards
for human rights in general. As a lesbian myself, I find the privileging of
religious bigotry in our legal code deeply offensive.
Some of you may be thinking, ‘Goodness, what’s all
the fuss about? Surely no gay person would want
to work for a church that doesn’t approve of them?’ The trouble is, we’re not
just talking about churches and schools anymore. Ever since John Bloody Howard
turned over some of the functions of the welfare system to private enterprise
in the late 90s, religious organisations have got their fingers in more pies
than ever before. Now we’re talking about hospitals, universities, nursing
homes, respite care, disability services, charities, camping grounds and
employment agencies, among others. That’s suddenly a whole lot of jobs in a
whole lot of sectors where gays, lesbians, single mothers and de facto lovers
are no longer welcome. Whatever pathetic, specific cases were made in the past,
such as that having a gay teacher in school was potentially hazardous (presumably
we were able to waft invisible gay germs at the students), they don’t add up as
a justification for a blanket ban across so many different sectors. If these
groups receive government funding they should obey federal laws but instead
they’re allowed to thumb their nose at us and go back to discriminating against
whomever they wish. It sucks.
The truly disgusting irony in all of this is that
the people now being allowed to indulge their bigotry are precisely the same
people who historically tortured, hanged, burnt at the stake, imprisoned and
locked us up in asylums. The Christian church has been a powerful bully, used
to getting its own way for more than fourteen centuries. During that time it
fought every democratic, educational and tolerant initiative. It only lost its coercive
power over ‘heretics’ and unbelievers in the last couple of centuries and like
so many other bullies that have been stripped of power, they have the immense gall
to turn around and squeal that now they
are being discriminated against! ‘Oooo-er, stop oppressing me! Stop restricting
my right to exercise my deeply held religious beliefs! Respect my God-given
bigotry!’
Homophobia is not the only prejudice deeply embedded
in the Bible. You can make a similar case, with loads of scriptural
justification, for slavery and racism. With this new government respect for
religious views are you going to allow churches to be racist again? I thought
not. That would be a step too far in the twenty-first century. So it’s just the
queers and the fornicators on the bottom of the heap…again. Gee, thanks.
Speaking of the queers, it might be time to reflect that historically we are
the last minority to be picked up by the tolerance bandwagon and the first to
be pushed off when times change. The only people who fight for our rights, are
us. I’ll be turning 50 soon and I’ve seen the pendulum on tolerance for queers
swing three times in my life, from increasing tolerance in the late 70s to the
homophobic backlash when AIDS was discovered in the 80s to the increasing tolerance
again in the 90s. With a new conservative government in power in Canberra, I
wouldn’t bet against that pendulum swinging again. Maybe it’s time to forget
the trivial side issue of gay marriage and concentrate on the ongoing fight for
full, equal, human rights. Sixteen centuries and still waiting.
