Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 15:53:19 +1000
From: leto@rabbit.com.au (Brendon Wickham)
Subject: (Australia) Brother Sister News - 26/12/96

BROTHER SISTER - QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER

Issue #122 - 26/12/96

Including:
1. ALSO plans change for centre
2. Education program for police and schools
3. Pink dollar hot again
4. Trannies for female jail
5. AIDS Council faces payout
6. No more EAR ache

This and previous postings are archived for the QRD. Point
your URL to http://werple.net.au/~leto/news - or
go through the Pacific Region of the QRD at
http://www.qrd.org/qrd/world/pacific/


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ALSO PLANS CHANGE FOR CENTRE

*A sudden turnaround has seen The ALSO Foundation
abandon plans for a Community Centre which was to
house permanent tenants. *

At a Board Meeting last week future tenants were ruled
out and it was agreed that current tenants at ALSO's Cato
Street premises-Melbourne Queer Film and Video
Festival, Gay and Lesbian Switchboard and Bent TV-be
given notice that their tenancies are to be terminated.

None of the current or proposed tenants, nor ALSO's 850
members, were consulted prior to the Board's decision.
Following the meeting, each of the
current tenants was asked to relocate within six to twelve
months.

Despite successful and public efforts to attract tenants to
new and larger premises yet to be purchased, a series of
recommendations, drafted by The ALSO Futures Task
Force, were endorsed by the Board to effect a shift in focus
from tenancies to "the provision of work stations,
meeting rooms, messaging services and administrative
support services".

According to Danny Vadasz, Chairperson of ALSO, it is
likely that the Centre, now to be known as The ALSO Gay
and Lesbian Resource Centre, will be rented rather than
purchased.

Vadasz said: "At the moment the indications are that we
would need a very large grant to make it worth our while
and they're not there."

A further $600,000 is required prior to any purchase.
Vadasz revealed that "if ALSO can negotiate an end to
the existing tenancies, there is no immediate need for
ALSO to move premises."

Robyn Walsh, Co-convenor of Gay and Lesbian
Switchboard, learnt last Wednesday of the Board's
decision. Walsh said: "All the discussions that have
happened previously...about the Community Centre
have included
Switchboard's place in that community centre...this was
the first indication that there was going to be an issue
with that."

Like the other tenants, Switchboard is not a commercial
organisation. It currently pays ALSO a non-commercial
rent and has no lease. Facilities are accessed on a user-
pays basis.

Switchboard claim their service requires very specific
needs, all of which are met in its present location. These
include: a phone room, privacy for its counsellors and
the provision of keys and access for over one hundred
volunteers. Walsh concedes that "we would have
difficulty with a tenancy somewhere else because of the
specific needs."

Suzie Goodman, President of Melbourne Queer Film and
Video Festival, described the Board's decision as
"devastating". Said Goodman: "Queer Film are bitterly
disappointed by this move because ALSO is shifting the
goal posts in the middle of the game.

"We were wholeheartedly invited to become part of the
Community Centre when it was first planned and ALSO
has very publicly endorsed that. We have no lease, we are
entirely in their hands. It was always an agreement that
we would stay for the duration. We were part of that
Centre and right now they've changed their minds."

Vadasz does not believe this is the case: "The justification
for moving from Ross House, where we previously were,
to Cato Street was on the basis that we would be able to
offset the costs of all the space that we didn't require by
bringing tenants in. So it was really a matter of
convenience. There is nothing that sets out that ALSO's
primary role in providing community centre facilities is
to provide tenancy."

Although often very busy, Goodman argues that "no one
has any trouble accessing that centre." Tenancy is not an
issue for all groups: many community groups don't want
or need permanent facilities, "many organisations would
not be in a position to pay rent anyway".

Goodman believes that the pressure for space has come
not from community groups, but from ALSO Parties, a
notion that Vadasz dismisses as a "conspiracy theory".
However, authored by Mark Yeo, Administrative Officer,
the "Report
Regarding Community Centre Usage", on which the
endorsed
recommendations were based, does suggest that Parties
have significant needs and use a relatively small amount
of space within the Centre. Goodman questions their
need for space in the Centre given that both office and
other space is available in a warehouse leased for this
purpose.

ALSO have offered to assist the three tenants with their
efforts to relocate. Vadasz: "Nothing has been promised
in terms of money, but certainly the potential is there if
they can put up a good case to seek funding from ALSO."
Walsh states that Switchboard would not be viable
without "significant support from ALSO in any
relocation".

Goodman adds: "I welcome their help. If they're going to
change the goal posts they'd better take us along and
show us where the new posts are."

Vadasz maintains that the community stands to benefit
from what ALSO believes to be a more equitable
arrangement. "What we are just trying to do is make sure
that every group has an equal opportunity to have access
to the resources and that it isn't just two or three groups
that have the lion's share and everybody else misses
out."

Goodman says: "What they're arguing is that they don't
want to favour anyone, but the reality is that unless they
help organisations...the community won't have these
organisations. They've just got to realise they have a
responsibility. ALSO has got to realise that it has to speak
for more than just a bunch of businessmen on a Board."
Jodie Joyce




EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR POLICE AND SCHOOLS

*Homophobic attitudes will be targeted in a new
education program to be implemented by the Equal
Opportunity Unit of Victoria Police.*

Following the lead of its New South Wales counterpart,
Victoria Police are set to promote an understanding of
the specific needs of gay men and lesbians, both within
and beyond the force, as part of an education package
which canvasses diversity and difference in Victoria.

The package reintroduces for discussion gay and lesbian
issues neglected in recent times. According to Peter
Horsley, Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer, following
its formation in 1990, the Police Lesbian and Gay Liaison
Committee were regularly invited to address members of
Victoria Police and, in particular, new recruits. However,
since the introduction of the Equal Opportunity Act in
1994, Horsley claims that the Committee has not been
invited to adopt this educative role.

Inspector Jill Wood, co-founder of the Gay and Lesbian
Police Employees Network (GALPEN) and member of the
Equal Opportunity Commission's Gay and Lesbian
Reference Group, emphasises the significance of the
training program. "The police force should be seen as
reflecting the community and there's been very little
education on gay and lesbian issues, so that's why it's so
important to get this package up and running so that we
are truly reflecting all of the community."

Victoria Police are looking to the Equal Opportunity
Commission for assistance with the training program.
The Commission are currently developing a "diversity
package" for use in Victorian secondary schools. Renn
Barker,
Commission Media Officer, confirmed that the issue of
homophobia is to be addressed in the package. It is likely
that it will be forwarded to all principals, who would in
turn be responsible for educating their staff. The source of
funding is being determined at the moment, with the
budgetary needs and obligations of both the Education
Department and the Commission under consideration.

Wood believes that education can reduce the fear often
evident in discussions of, and attitudes towards, gay men
and lesbians. "Perhaps we can change their [some police
members'] attitudes slightly and if we do then perhaps
they're going to question the fact that yes in the past I
might have been homophobic but I can see where they're
coming from."

The education program may also "make it a little bit
easier for members to come out and not be afraid to do
that in the workplace". And for members of the gay and
lesbian community reluctant to request Police assistance,
Wood argues that this initiative is "giving a bit of a
message and saying that the Police Force is prepared to
address these concerns and we do have people who are
going to help you".
Jodie Joyce




PINK DOLLAR HOT AGAIN

*Daily newspapers again jumped on the pink dollar
bandwagon last week as results of Campaign's most
recent survey became public.*

The magazine's research shows that gay men earn and
spend much more than the population average.

The study also revealed that companies who had
marketed themselves toward
the gay spending dollar were already reaping large profits.

Campaign's survey showed that the average gay male
spends an average of $59 or more a month on CDs, $400 a
year on skin care and $350 a year on aftershave.

Over 40 percent of gay men are said to own a computer,
29 per cent had a mobile phone and they spent an average
of $33 a week on alcohol.

Conducted by Significant Others Marketing Consultants,
the survey results have gay men pegged as earning, on
average, $36,475 a year.

Other important consumer findings were: almost 40 per
cent went overseas last year, more than half ate in a
restaurant at least once a week and 23.6 per cent dined out
two or more times a week, more than half would change
banks if offered a gay credit card.

The survey also listed gay-friendly companies. On the list
were Ansett, ANZ Bank, Holden, IBM, Myer/Grace Bros,
Optus, Qantas, Suzuki, Telstra, Tooheys, Toyota and
Westpac.

Researchers say that the push into the gay and lesbian
marketplace has steadily increased over the past five
years.

A spokesperson for IBM told the Herald Sun  that they
advertised in the gay press because research showed it
was an attractive market. She claimed the company
encouraged diversity and was not perturbed about
seeking gay custom.




TRANNIES FOR FEMALE JAIL

*Jails in New South Wale are set to become the first in
the world to accommodate male to female transgenders
in women's prisons. *

The Sydney Sunday Telegraph has reported that the plan
will allow offenders currently in male prisons but who
recognise themselves as women to serve their sentence
under their elected gender.

One supporter of the changes is recently-released,
convicted murder Donald Geoffrey Macpherson who
would have served time in an all-female prison although
initially jailed as a man.

Macpherson, 60, who changed his name to Kimmie and
began taking female hormones while in jail, was released
last month having served 18 months in a male prison for
the murders of Carey Crooke, 17, and Charles Devine, 77.

Shortly before release, she wrote of how transsexuals in
prison became "lambs to the slaughter in many different
ways".

Transgender lobby groups are hailaing the move by the
NSW Corrective
Services Department as a major breakthrough.
Gender Centre spokesperson Bill Robertson said
transgender inmates would number less than 100, but
were those at greatest risk of abuse.

"It is very common for male to females to suffer
horrendous abuse within the prison system," he said.

"It's the same as saying you are gay in prison-you
become a piece of meat."

The proposed change in NSW Corrective Services policy
was sparked by the high rate of assaults against
transgender inmates.

Under the new rules, expected to be rubber-stamped by
NSW Government legal officers within the next few
weeks, women who considered themselves male could
also request transfers across the gender divide.

The Corrective Services Transgender Policy Working
Party began drafting the policy well before anti-
discrimination laws to protect transvestites and
transsexuals were introduced in the state.

The Transgender (Anti-Discrimination and Other Acts
Amendment) Bill, which became law in October,
prevents discrimination against people who identify or
live as a member of the opposite sex regardless of
whether or not they have undergone sexual
reassignment surgery.

This means that a pre-operative male-to-female or
female-to-male prisoner could conceivably ask to be
jailed with the opposite sex.

A Corrective Services spokesperson was reported as
saying, "It won't just be an automatic thing where if you
see yourself as the other sex and you identify with the
other sex you will automatically be transferred to the
other jail."




AIDS COUNCIL FACES PAYOUT

*Staffing changes at the Queensland AIDS Council
(QuAC) have left the organisation temporarily without a
president or vice president and potentially facing a
payout of thousands of dollars in court costs and
compensation.*

The resignation of President Mike Kennedy on Tuesday,
December 10 sparked three secret ballots for a
replacement, all of which were tied between the two
candidates, Secretary Adrian Lovney and Vice President
Trevor Watt.
Lovney, who said he was unable to work with the Board,
and three other Board members signalled their
intentions to resign, but all returned to a meeting on
Friday, December 13, withdrew their resignations and,
having the numbers to do so, the Board terminated the
employment of the Council's Administrative Director
Noel Hobson.

This lead to the subsequent resignation of Trevor Watt
who said he "could not support the way in which Noel
Hobson had been instantly dismissed by the Board",
claiming that Hobson had been "given 60 minutes to
leave the building".

"Mr Hobson's solicitors have written to the Board in very
short terms about the way the sacking was carried out and
the matter may well have to be sorted out in the Courts,"
Watt said.

"Ironically the Agenda for the remaining Board members
on the Friday the 13th meeting had included a proposal
that some of QuAC's accommodation units be
airconditioned. This had been informally discussed and
was certain to have been passed. The money is there
already.

"The Friday meeting had limited time. People were
under commitments to get to work and because of the
'take-over' of the meeting, the item wasn't reached," he
said.

"Let some of the QuAC Board spend a summer in hot
units, unwell and with problems like trying to keep
medications which can't be put in a refrigerator, under 30
degrees. I am not interested in spending time on political
arguments and power struggles or on people acting in a
way which puts QuAC's precious funds at the risk of
Court actions."

Noel Hobson said only that litigation is pending and he
had been advised by
his solicitors and union to make no comment.

Adrian Lovney said the change was "an internal
management decision made in the best interests of the
long and short term future of the AIDS Council."

"We are not interested in getting into fights," he
continued, "only in getting back to business, back to
delivering services and preventing HIV transmissions-
what we're supposed to be doing."

Acting Convenor of Queensland Positive People (QPP)
Hugh Board said that "the QPP Committee have long had
concerns about the quality of services provided by QuAC
for people living with HIV/AIDS [PLWHAs] in
Queensland. These included its failure to provide strong
advocacy for PLWHAs on such issues such as housing,
poverty and access to therapies particularly in remote and
regional areas.

"It was increasingly becoming concerned about QuAC's
ability to mount adequate home care rosters, develop
targetted education campaigns and maintain a strong and
viable volunteer base," he said.

The Committee does not have direct representation on
the Council's Board and was not involved in the staffing
rearrangements, but did prepare a statement outlining its
concerns for the meeting on December 10.

Board said the Committee looks forward to working with
the new administration.

The Board appointed Charelle Giobatti as Acting
Administrative Director until more permanent
arrangements are put in place.
Giobatti had no comment to make on the changes.
Stephen Scott




NO MORE EAR ACHE

Community radio station EAR FM last week responded
to complaints about anti-gay statements made during one
of their test broadcasts. The station replaced the offending
Bert And Ernie show with high profile gay DJ Tony
Svelha. A station spokesperson said that the station
management never encouraged homophobic behaviour
on their programmes and had disciplined the
announcers that sparked the controversy reported in the
last issue of BrotherSister. Svelha has DJed on the
Melbourne gay and lesbian club circuit for over a decade
and earlier this year released a CD titled Glad To Be Gay.



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BOTTOM LINE

Smartarse by Jeffrey Smart

PRIME MINISTER'S GAY SHAME

What would you do if you picked up some spunky thing
in a nightclub, did the wild thing with them until dawn
and let them borrow a pair of your cleanest Calvins, only
to find out that his/her name was Molly Kernot, Alfonse
Beazley, Duncan Kennett, Wilfred Howard, Lucy Colston,
or maybe even Mary-Beth Costello?

Your response could depend on your voting patterns. If
you voted Democrat in the Senate and Liberal in the Reps
you'd be OK with Kernot, Howard, Kennett or Costello,
but Beazley or (gasp) Colston would send you retching.
Patrick Keating, of course, passes muster no matter who
you vote for.

The children of politicians are statistically just as likely as
any of us to announce "Mum, I'm a dirty nance!"
Politicians can't act like normal parents in this situation;
there's another dynamic-the electorate!

The electorate is a nasty, vindictive, changeable monster.
If a pollie does something it doesn't like it just turns
around and votes them out of office. Vicious bitch of a
thing.

So if a Prime Minister's daughter trots home from school
and cries, "Mum and Dad, I'm a DYKE!" there's more to
be considered than "Where did we go wrong?" The PM
has to ask, "How's this going to bite in the electorate?"
Recently interviewed in Who Weekly, John Howard was
asked how he would react if his kids came out to him.
"I'll be honest with you," he said, "I'd be disappointed,
even upset, but it wouldn't stop me loving them and
caring for them." What a relief; at least we know little
Tim or Richard or Melanie won't be turfed out of
Kirribilli House if they cavort home from Oxford St with
a same-sex partner in tow.

The Prime Minister went on to describe homosexuality as
a "difficult lifestyle". "I don't have any prejudice against
gay people, but I don't know anybody who's had children
who's ever said to me they'd like one of their children to
be homosexual."

What a stoic role model the Prime Minister is, what a
stern defender of moral values. He wouldn't want his
kids to be gay, he'd be hurt and disappointed, but he
would still care for them if they were.

What a gorgeously patronising attitude: You've let me
down, nelly son of mine, but as I am your father I have a
duty of care to see that you're provided for, so here's $50,
don't spend it all on Mardi Gras tickets.

John Howard has demonstrated many times that he
wants a quid both ways, he wants to appeal to bigots,
racists and homophobes, whilst not completely alienating
the more liberal members of the community. He did it
with Pauline Hanson, he does it on the Republic, and
now he wants to do it on homosexuals. Mr Consensus
Howard, Mr Softly Softly, Mr Pussyfooting PM.

Franca Arena, fearless paedophile-hunting NSW state
MP, has two gay sons. She calls their sexuality, publicly,
the greatest disappointment of her life. If these people
were not in politics and didn't face re-election, would
they be as vile about homosexuality? Would they be a bit
more human? Anyone wanna adopt those poor Arena
boys?
Jeffrey Smart




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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