Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1995 18:28:50 +1100 (EST) From: leto@werple.net.au (Brendon Wickham) Subject: (Australia) Brother Sister News - 16/11/95 BROTHER SISTER - QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER Issue 93 Including: 1. AIDS Vaccine - progress but no cure 2. Mortgage offer causes furore 3. Changing a 'backs to the wall' policy 4. Fairfield still has support 5. Tasmanian battle goes to court 6. Trany grant under fire 7. Attorney-general wrong claim 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/ =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ PROGRESS BUT NO CURE *This week's AIDS research breakthrough has attracted massive international attention, while locally it is being greeted with cautious optimism.* Scientists at Melbourne's Macfarlane Burnet Centre claimed to have made the world's most significant discovery in HIV/AIDS research, having identified a strain of HIV which appears not to develop into AIDS. Dr Nick Deacon, the study's main researcher and molecular biologist, says the findings will have worldwide ramifications, "The research project has put Australia at the international forefront of HIV research", he said. The international press has widely reported the findings and United States television network CNN has sent a team to Melbourne to report on the Centre's research. Researchers believe there is potential for a vaccine and are seeking a patent on the discovery. Development of any vaccine would likely be still another decade away. Director of the Centre, Professor John Mills says that while this is one of the most important discoveries since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic it is not a cure. "But (it) clearly points the way to new treatments and prevention strategies for HIV infection", he said. The president of the Victorian AIDS Council, Joseph O'Reilly, welcomed the findings and encouraged further research in the area. "The AIDS Council acknowledges the importance of solid scientific research in advancing our treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS", he said. "People living with and affected by the virus have benefited from research to date and look forward to benefiting from the latest finding in the future." A spokesperson for the Macfarlane Burnet Centre revealed to Brother Sister that they are receiving congratulatory messages from other research units around the world. The HIV strain that Macfarlane Burnet's researchers have identified was initially discovered by staff at the Sydney Red Cross. It was found that one donor and seven blood transfusion recipients were infected with the HIV virus for 12 to 15 years without developing AIDS. The Centre reports that the defective HIV strain is missing a gene known as nef, which creates a protein in the body that signals HIV cells to replicate the virus. Without nef the virus slows down and allows the immune system to deal with it. It remains infectious though. This Australian study leaps ahead of other findings in America where Harvard University scientists were experimenting with the nef gene in an immunodeficiency virus in monkeys. They too had found that once the nef gene was cut out from this virus that the monkeys did not develop AIDS and resisted infection when injected with the full virus. The centre's research focus is to develop a means to protect non-infected people from HIV with a chance that a vaccine may also be discovered. AMRAD, a pharmaceutical corporation, is financially supporting the project and will commercially market any product that arises from the research. No human trials are planned yet but scientists will begin testing formulae based on the research findings. According to Dr Deacon, a report from Macfarlane Burnet researchers has been published in the esteemed Science journal in the hope that it would given rigorous assessment by other teams working in HIV/AIDS research. Andrew Mast MORTGAGE OFFER CAUSES FURORE *Australian Mortgages has become the target of a hate campaign - including a bomb threat - after announcing a plan to provide discount home loans for lesbian and gay couples.* The company, which plans similar deals for single mothers and recently announced a new low rate for non-smokers, has received numerous abusive phone calls since announcing the proposal last week. Director Ron Guthrie said the company had also received numerous congratulatory calls - along with new loan applications - and was determined to push ahead. "We are not going to back off. I'm just saddened and very disappointed at the attitude of some people." The company plans to unveil its cheaper rate offer for lesbian and gay couples next March. Mr Guthrie said the current rates offered by Australian Mortgages were, on average, 1.5 percent less than the standard rate offered by the major banks and the new deal would cut them even further. He said the company was targeting single mothers and gays and lesbians because they had traditionally been discriminated against by the institutions. He also acknowledged that the lesbian and gay market, in particular, was extremely lucrative for home lenders. "Many gay people are professionals, with good salaries and no kids - they are true DINKS. They can afford to borrow money or take on more commitments than, for example, someone like me who has a wife and three children to support." But other banks and mortgage providers seem unlikely to follow the lead of Australian Mortgages, with those contacted dismissing the latest discount deals as discriminatory. Vicky Edema, managing director of the rival lender Austral Mortgage Corporation said that by offering discount deals to specific groups such as smokers and lesbian and gay couples, Australian Mortgages was effectively charging a penalty rate to those who fell outside those groups. Alison Church SSO CHANGING A 'BACKS TO THE WALL' POLICY NB: The Liberal party in Australia actually represents the conservative side of politics, despite it's name. The current federal government, Labour, is left-wing. *The Liberal Party's 'backs to the wall' policy regarding gay issues may soon come tumbling down. While no-one's making any promises, Federal Opposition Leader John Howard has been side-stepping the family status issue of late.* On the weekend he announced the family would be one of the Liberal Party's main policy issues in the next election. He told the press on the weekend his party would offer a society where the government picks up the pieces and a society that helps families to keep things together in the first place. When asked to give his definition of the family, he said: "I am not going to set out with a family policy to discriminate against people." The Shadow Attorney-General, Amanda Vanstone, has also been working the gay vote, recently accepting to be interviewed by the gay newspaper Sydney Star Observer. While not coming out in support of the Democrats' proposed gay and lesbian anti-discrimination bill, Vanstone did openly canvas the gay and lesbian vote by saying the community should be concerned with the health system and adding: "You've got not much, if anything, out of Labor after 13 years, but a lot of PR". That's not exactly telling her fellow party members that it's okay to face the wall but it at least acknowledges the Liberal's recognition of the growing power of the gay and lesbian vote. Standing totally away from the wall is John Howard's new speech writer, the openly gay Christopher Pearson. Howard has hired Pearson, who writes for The Australian, to write some speeches for the lead-up to the next election. According to SSO reports, Pearson has even been invited to make a contribution to a forthcoming speech Howard is delivering on 'family values'. This may all seem rosy, but as Victorian AIDS Council president Joseph O'Reilly points out, he wants more distinct signs. "We need to see what exactly is on offer. So far, there are no details and no policies. Let's call on the Coalition to make a clear statement in regards to gay and lesbian issues." O'Reilly went on to point out that it was only just last week that the Opposition spokesperson for Health, Michael Wooldridge called for the withdrawal of an AIDS Council booklet offering a safe guide to gay drug users. The wall hasn't quite tumbled but bricks may be loosening. Andrew Mast FAIRFIELD STILL HAS SUPPORT *People Living With HIV/AIDS have put forward a series of recommendations into the future of AIDS services in Victoria, following a forum this week attended by representatives from four different hospitals.* Convenor of PLWHA Victoria Joe McCluskey said the forum was the first chance that positive people had had to get information directly affects their future. "Previous forums", he told Brother Sister, "were just presentations with no chance for questions from the community." Amongst the recommendations put by PLWHA are for a ten year commitment from the Health Minister that Fairfield Hospital will remain on site. They are also calling for "a substantial capital injection" into the hospital, that positive people should be given the channels to become more involved in decision-making regarding services in this state and that options be offered as to where those services will be located. The Victorian AIDS Council has also released a discussion paper into the future of HIV/AIDS services in this state. The paper looks at the options for changes to the delivery of hospital services for positive people, foreshadowing the State Government's own examinations of the area. The Council hopes the paper will have a "maximum degree of influence" on the Government's decision-making process. Andrew Mast TASSIE BATTLE GOES TO COURT *The next stage of the battle for gay law reform in Tasmania began this week when the High Court was asked to find that Tasmania's laws prohibiting homosexual activity are invalid under last year's Federal sexual privacy law.* Leading Tasmanian gay activists, Nick Toonen and Rodney Croome have lodged a case with the Court which they hope will lead to the nullification of the State's laws against sex between consenting adult males in private. In the wake of last year's UN Human Rights Committee condemnation of these laws the Federal Government passed the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act guaranteeing all Australians the right to sexual privacy. But according to Toonen this law does not specifically overrule Tasmania's anti-gay laws. "Because our anti-gay laws are still valid the police can still use them to harass, intimidate, arrest and even prosecute adult gay men for private consenting sex. "Just as significant is the fact that the Tasmanian Government, businesses and private individuals still use the excuse that homosexuality is against the law to discriminate against gay and lesbian Tasmanians," he said. "For these reasons we are asking the High Court to rule that Tasmania's anti-gay laws are invalidated under the sexual privacy law." According to Toonen, Melbourne QC Alan Goldberg will appear in the High Court on behalf of the plaintiffs. "Alan Goldberg has offered his services for free because, despite fulfilling all the criteria for funding, we were unable to obtain Commonwealth or State legal aid," Toonen said. "We believe legal aid refused to fund us because the case is too controversial." Toonen said that a High Court ruling that Tasmania's anti- gay laws are invalid would be a huge step forward for the rights of gay and lesbian Tasmanians. "Obviously we would be happiest with an invalidation of the Tasmanian laws because such an invalidation will finally remove an unnecessary and destructive criminal stigma from our lives. "But this is a win win situation for us because if the Court does not uphold our case it will mean that the Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act is deficient and the Federal Government has not fulfilled its international obligations to protect our privacy." BRIEFS Trany grant under fire The Queensland Government has defended its decision to grant $3000 to a transgender support group based at Southport Hospital saying it would act as a preventative health measure. National Party MLA, Mick Veivers has belittled the grant saying it was to "show transexuals how to apply makeup". The president of the Australian Transgender Support Association, Gina Mather said the support group would improve the self esteem of transgenders, allowing them to integrate better into the general community and helping them find meaningful employment. She said the group planned to hold workshops on a range of issues from self esteem to dress and make-up. Lavarch wrong: claim The Australian Council for Lesbian and Gay Rights has said the Federal Attorney-General, Michael Lavarch is wrong when he says the Federal Government has no power to pass comprehensive legislation protecting gay people from discrimination. Asian tape launch An audio tape on being South East Asian and HIV positive has been produced by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria. The 30 minute tape, Heart of a Tiger is designed to educate young people from non English speaking backgrounds on the issues of being a gay bi-cultural man living with the HIV virus. It will be launched on November 20 at the Victorian AIDS Council by Melbourne writer Christos Tsiolkas, author of the novel Loaded and is available free to young people. Push for AIDS drugs The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations has called for speedy approval of the new HIV/AIDS treatment drugs, 3TC and Saquinavir by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ BOTTOM LINE GROWING OLD LASCIVIOUSLY (from the 'Smartarse' column) *The smell of old lino, dried sauce around the top of a bottle, cup after cup of tea, dentures, hairpieces: this is it, your Geriatric Nightmare.* I don't know many gay men and lesbians who are looking forward to their old age. As a society we don't generally cope well with ageing, but as a community we don't cope well at all. Many people I have spoken to see old age as a hideously lonely, barren time. We are raised on stereotypical images of spinster aunties who drink too much sherry or are expert bird watchers. Everyone seems to have at least one unmarried uncle in the family who lives in a musty little one bedroom flat somewhere gross, and who wears black skivvies and smells like cat piss all the time. The message seems to be that gay people are gonna have one hell of a tragic, boring, lonely existence from 50 onwards. As we are growing up we see images of smiling happy grandparents, a male and a female, in enduring relationships with heaps of grandkids, a gorgeous house, and plenty of time to swan around the world taking photos of wonderful things. This pasteurised version of old age does not include two sixty year old lesbians in flannelette shirts, happily chopping the wood, or walking their dogs, or making vigorous and glowing love on the beach. But why shouldn't it? The only reason we fear old age is that most of us think that we're going to be single, poor and alone. We shouldn't buy this line any more than we should buy the line that all lesbians want to be men and all gay boys really want to be women. It's part of a dirty old plot, if you ask me, to make us feel bad about ourselves. Of course old dykes and poofs have friends; some also have lovers, or pots of money, and some have wildly passionate sex on a regular basis. Sex is something we will never lose. The way we make love, the number of times a day or week or month we do it may change, but the capacity and interest is always there. I saw a film a few years ago which documented the lives of two women, lovers, in their sixties. The women's voices talked about their lives as the camera wandered all over their bed and their bodies as they made love. The sex started off slow and chaste, with lots of kissing and clothed bodies and stuff, but it soon became passionate and volcanic. It ended up being the most intimate and explicit lesbian sex I'd seen on film. Scenes like this can be confronting. It is difficult, at first, to see a woman with the body of your grandmother writhing about in ecstasy as her lover slips three fingers into her vagina. The odd part is that all of us will one day be older than we are at the moment. If we have high libidos now we'll have high libidos then. Let's not pretend that being old is a tragedy, let's admit that there are older people around who can teach us how to be lascivious after our sixtieth birthday. Go out now and get to know a gay man or lesbian who is older than you are; listen to them and learn. Jeffrey Smart =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ 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