Date: Sun, 8 Oct 1995 13:00:11 -0500 From: leto@werple.net.au (Brendon Wickham) Subject: (Australia) Brother Sister News 5/10/95 BROTHER SISTER - QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER Issue 90 Including: 1. Hearing on QLD insurance company's policy towards HIV 2. Shutting door on Fairfield Hospital 3. AMA plan under fire 4. Racism remains a problem 5. NSW may back gay marriage 6. Defacto reform campaign launch 7. Keating delivers on AIDS This and previous postings are archived for the QRD. Point your URL to http://werple.mira.net.au/~leto/news/index - or go through the Pacific Region of the QRD at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/world/pacific/ =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+= =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+ LANDMARK HEARING ON HIV *The life insurance industry is facing a landmark test case over it's discriminatory policy towards HIV cover, in a case before Queensland's Anti Discrimination Tribunal.* A Brisbane pharmacist has charged the AMP Society with using irrelevant and discriminatory questons to evaluate life insurance cover for HIV/AIDS. The case before Queensland's Anti Discrimination Tribunal claims the AMP uses irrelevant and discriminatory questions to evaluate life insurance cover for HIV/AIDS. If the case is successful, Australia's life insurance industry will be forced to change the way high risk prospective policy holders are identified and evaluated, therefore improving the chances of gay men receiving HIV/AIDS cover. The complainant, Gary Yong Gee, and his partner, Roger Sawkins, himself an actuary with a knowledge of the life insurance industry, went to the Anti Discrimination Tribunal after the AMP offered Yong Gee disability insurance cover which excluded HIV/AIDS. Sawkins, who was involved in discussions setting up the industry code of conduct in relation to the virus in 1988, said three questions the companies asked prospective policy holders (proposers) were irrelevant in finding the real risk of future HIV infection and discriminated against gay men. The challenged questions are as follows: (have you) engaged in male to male anal sexual activity since 1980, (have you) worked as a prostitute since 1980, and (do your former sexual partners) belong to any of the above groups? Sawkins said Yong Gee was not asked any questions about the nature of his relationship or his strict adherance to the safe sex guidelines as defined by the Queensland AIDS Council (QuAC). "We consulted with QuAC and the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and suggested to AMP a more relevant set of questions. "But AMP maintains gay male sex is the primary source of infection and heterosexual sex is not important, so they don't have to ask about it," Sawkins said. Although life insurance companies currently ask if a proposer has engaged in gay anal sex, they do not ask questions about unsafe sex in either a gay or a heterosexual context. In a submission to the Queensland Anti Discrimination Tribunal, AMP argued "the relative risk for most heterosexual contact is significantly less than corresponding homosexual contact", based on the advice of one doctor, Dr Julian Gold. In a separate statement the company stated "(to argue that insurers should accept) that 'safe sex is safe' seems to defy the very logic of the various AIDS authorities who themselves acknowledge that 'safe sex' practises are 'safer'". AFAO and QuAC, however, are supporting Yong Gee's case and have arranged legal representation for him. Sawkins maintains the questions as they stand are discriminatory as they over emphasise the risks for gay males, particularly those who adhere to safe sex. "As Kinsey says, something like 37% of men have engaged in male to male sex, yet probably less than 10% will identify as gay. "A lot of the others will present themselves as heterosexual. All of those people are also at risk, perhaps more so because they are not so aware of the specifics of safe sex. "If you're an AMP agent and you're asking questions about male to male anal sex in front of a client's wife and children, is he going to tell you the truth?" Sawkins said. He said the question relating to prostitution was also problematic because there had been no recorded cases of HIV infection spread by prostitutes in Australia. Similarly, statistically, one in three men have used prostitutes, therefore one in three proposes should have difficulty answering the question truthfully. "They know people are lying to them, but they're not doing anything about it," Sawkins said. He said AMP had asked Yong Gee why, if he considered himself to be low risk through his sexual activity, did he want HIV cover. He said as Yong Gee was a pharmacist and sold needles, he was at some risk of needle stick injury. "AMP asked this only a few months after four patients were inadvertently infected through small operations at a New South Wales doctor's surgery. "It seems inconceivable that a gay person who is in a relationship and who practises safe sex is rated as a high risk, whereas someone practising unsafe heterosexual sex is not. "Quite evidently, people who are having kids are also having unsafe sex," Sawkins said. He said various anti-discrimination bodies had heard other complaints, usually associated with superannuation, but these cases are usually settled outside of the courts. "In this case money won't settle it. The only thing that will settle as far as we are concerned is a change in the industry's code of practice," Sawkins said. A preliminary hearing is set for Friday October 6. Iain Clacher DOOR SHUTTING ON FAIRFIELD HOSPITAL *The Victorian AIDS Council has moved a step closer to shutting the door on Fairfield Hospital, with the release last week of a discussion paper titled 'The Ideal Hospital'.* In a clear move accepting the closure of Fairfield, the paper calls for Fairfield Hospital's "culture of care" to be remembered by naming the new specialist HIV/AIDS unit the =46airfield Institute of Infectious Diseases. The paper makes no recommendations where the new unit should be located, but urges that the MacFarlane Burnet Institute be encouraged to share the site. It also calls for the unit to be near a quiet treed area, with access to garden space so the AIDS Memorial Garden can be re-established. The paper also urges that standard of care in a range of areas equal or better that currently provided by Fairfield Hospital. The paper was prepared by outgoing AIDS Council President Bradley Englemann and Board members Joe McCluskey and Gary Glare. It is to be presented at a public meeting being held at Fairfield Hospital Auditorium in Thursday 12 October at 7pm. AIDS activist Bob Newey, in a letter to 'Brother Sister' this fortnight has attacked the discussion paper. "It appears the exercise is reinventing the wheel. The document is a description of Fairfield Hospital with the services and culture of care already in practice," he writes. "One can but ask why VAC is agreeing to deplete existing resources to find this same service amongst other hospitals when we have Fairfield. It would appear a sounder strategy to focus time, energy and resources to pursue a policy of supporting the existence of Fairfield in its entirety." Newly elected AIDS Council president, Joseph O'Reilly told 'Brother Sister' that the question of whether or not Fairfield could be saved was a political assessment. "Ultimately that is (dependant on) what the Minister is thinking and what the Premier is thinking. Whether or not we've got the capacity to mount an effective political campaign to influence them in some way I don't know." Bill Calder AMA PLAN UNDER FIRE *AIDS activists have attacked a plan by the Australian Medical Association to consider breaking the confidentiality of some patients with HIV.* Under the proposed new policy, if a doctor has a patient who is HIV positive and deems that the patient's sexual partner is at risk, the doctor has a right to inform the partner with discretion. The new plan was revealed in an article in the latest edition of the AMA's newsletter, 'Australian Medicine'. Victorian AIDS Council president, Joseph O'Reilly slammed the AMA for not mounting adequate arguments for such a change. "There is no justification for it." He said such a policy change risked generating a complacency in people relying on their doctor to tell them if their partner was HIV positive. "It undermines peoples commitment to take universal precautions when having sex." The executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, Ralph Mclean was reported saying AIDS groups across the country opposed such a position. "Any person going to a doctor about any condition has a right to assume a confidential relationship with their doctor." RACISM REMAINS A PROBLEM *Dr. Gerard Sullivan, a Sydney based academic, told a national conference on 'Emerging Lesbian and Gay Communities' that racism remains a significant problem within the gay community.* Organised last weekend in Sydney by the Australian Centre for Lesbian and Gay Research, the conference brought together activists and academics from the Asian region. In the opening address to the conference Sullivan said it was necessary to frankly discuss negative aspects of some inter- racial gay relationships. "It is often assumed, for example, that an Asian man will be passive and like only older men. Some anglo-Saxon men see an Asian man as something exotic, but inferior." Sullivan said. The large number of gay classifieds placed by older white men specifically seeking young Asian men was cited as evidence of racist stereo-typing. "While many relationships are positive and negotiate cultural differences successfully, it remains the case some are based on racist stereo-types and inequalities of power." Sullivan commented. But Sullivan also told the conference that many men resist such stereotypes. "Consider the case of a recent classified placed by a young Asian man that began 'I don't do laundry.' This is just one of many examples of Asian- Australian gay men setting the agenda." According to T.C. Ng, founder of Silkroads (a gay Asian support group), racist behaviour is a common occurence at bars. But Ng is positive about the future. "In the last five years or so there has been a notable increase in confidence among young gay Asian-Australian men. They are more willing to make their own mark in the gay community, independently of white men." Ng told Brother Sister. Aboriginal Activist Sue Green, from the Wiradjuri community in Northern NSW, told the conference that indigenous lesbian and gay Australians were subject to open and vehement racism. While some conference participants were eager to hear about homophobia within aboriginal communities, Green declined to discuss the issue. "I'm not going to speak about homophobia within aboriginal communities because the bigger hurdle I and others face is racism in the lesbian and gay communities." Green said. Green attacked mainstream lesbian and gay organisations for expressing only tokenistic interest in aboriginal issues. She told the conference that indigenous people's determination to fight injustice should not be underestimated. "We're not victims, we are survivors. We'll survive homophobia and racism." she told the conference. Michael Connors NSW MAY BACK GAY MARRIAGE *Gays, lesbians and tranys are on the brink of a significant political breakthrough with NSW Attorney General Jeff Shaw about to present State Cabinet with a series of far reaching legal reforms recognising same sex relationships and trany rights.* If approved, the Shaw proposals will see Parliament debating - and possibly legislating - in favour of same sex recognition and trany rights by the end of this year. "I would like to see legislation which treats a variety of stable relationships in a non-discriminatory way. That includes same sex relationships and other relationships, irrespective of their sexuality." Shaw said. "We want to treat all relationships in a way which is not governed by the traditional heterosexual view. I think society has changed, and the community is ready to accept that relationships ought to be dealt with equitably, whether they are based on marriage or otherwise." The most likely option for legal recognition of same sex relationships is via a Domestic Relationships Act. This would see lesbian and gay couples entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples on issues such as property rights, bail, compensation claims, and decisions related to hospital care and treatment. Shaw said he is also looking at amending other pieces of legislation which have a discriminatory impact on same sex couples, citing wills and probates as one example. As well, Shaw will present Cabinet with two proposals on trany rights. One proposal is to amend the Anti- Discrimination Act so that it specifically covers transsexuals as well as gay men and lesbians. The other is to allow post- operative tranys to change their birth certificate to reflect their chosen gender. Dominic O'Grady SSO DEFACTO REFORM CAMPAIGN LAUNCH *A campaign to bring about legislative reform on the definition of a defacto relationship was launched last week.* The lobby group HomoDefactos, has circulated a petition which will be presented before the Federal Senate later this year. At it's generl meeting, the group also resolved to undetake a series of mesaure to enure all gay men and lesbians contributing to superannuation schemes were clear about their spousal benefits and entitlements. HomoDefactos plans to directly lobby the Prime Minister, Paul Keating, whose goverment initiated the Australia-wide Superannuation Guarantee Charge. The group can be contacted on +61 3 9314 9797. KEATING DELIVERS ON AIDS *Prime Minister Paul Keating has announced support for a Third National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which is likely to target gays and Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders as the key "at risk" groups in Australia's AIDS epidemic.* Speaking in Canberra last week, Keating said: "It is clear to the Government that there remains an overwhelming need for a national HIV/AIDS strategy." He said the strategy, which provides the blueprint for Australia's response to AIDS, will have "dedicated, secure and adequate funding" for the next five years. Keating said the overriding objectives of the strategy must be to care for those affected by HIV/AIDS, to conduct further research into transmission, to redouble efforts to prevent new infections, and help contain the spread of HIV in the Asia- Pacific region. "We've always stuck together on difficult things and we're going to stick together on this," said Keating. A noticeable omission in Keating's speech was any reference to gay men. Keating preferred to talk about "people living with HIV/AIDS" and their membership of the "Australian family". The Keating commitments were delivered at last weeks launch of Professor Richard Feachem's evaluation of the Second National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which expires next June. Feachem, who is chief health adviser to the World Bank, has spent the past 12 months evaluating that strategy at the request of the Federal Government. His recommendations will form the basis of the Third Strategy. =46eachem's report identifies gay men and Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders as key groups to target between now and the year 2001. He recommends maintaining bi-partisan support for a national strategy, and suggests maintaining Commonwealth funding at around $110 million per year. SSO =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+= =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+ BOTTOM LINE Nostalgia for Beats There's probably a fair number of you out there who are desparately avoiding coming anywhere near hearing about the information superhighway let alone using the damned thing. Trouble is, it's gotta be one of the most pervasive aspects of the mid-90's and, try as you might, it's not the easiest topic to avoid. Now, you might be justified in thinking that those gentlemen who enjoy the adrenalin rush of an anonymous groping in the public loo would have a good chance of side-stepping the annoying hype over the World Wide Web and e-mail and all that. Think again. In a Sydney lavatorial establishment some net-head has put his internet address instead of a contact number on the toilet wall. You gotta admire the enterprising nature of the guy but doesn't it somewhat take the adventure out of going to the local beat in times of testosterone inspired excitement? And what does this imply for future proponents of outdoor sexual pursuits? Will we one day see a group of gentlemen furtively eyeing each other off in the bushes, portable computers logged in to the internet and at the ready to respond to an e-mailed enquiry? Perhaps they could use satellite positioning to locate the computer of their preferred beau for the night. Like, yeah, that one by the tall gum tree, okay co-ordinate tracking and.....locked in, quick type message before anyone else gets in "Hi, I'm a 45=BAw at 148=BAs, track me baby and lets connect!" Is nothing sacred? Brendon Wickham =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+= =3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+=3D+ Brother Sister is a fortnightly newspaper published in Melbourne, VIC and Brisbane, QLD, Australia. I have selected the main news stories as well as items of interest. Overseas media who utilise any or all of the above material please credit Brother Sister as your source (and by-line if it is listed). Thank you. Brendon Wickham