Wednesday, 9 October 2013

Learnt Something New (gay history month)

So, I read somewhere that it was Gay History Month and it got me thinking. What is Australian history. I knew that it wouldn’t be all that much, simply because we aren’t that new a place, and a lot more because the White half of us are British biased, and weren’t they still hanging men in those days?
Yeah, so you see how much I know, which is sad in a lot of ways, but well move on and hope the future well change that, even if I have to wait until I’m turning to dust in my grave.

 Anyway, I’m hoping to look into this a lot more, but I’m actually sick, and I have three books to write, plus I’m looking into getting a eBook program (as well as Photoshop) in the hopes that I can put out my ‘free’ reads as actual books, for you to get free.

Still, what he said got me thinking, and so I looked it up. This is the first search everyone does, so… here’s what I learnt from Wikipedia. I’m not taking it all to heart, because you just don’t in that place, but it’s a start…

By the way, just so we are clear. I’m shit at research and even more so about turning what I’ve learnt into something different.

 
Australia’s early years

When Australia was first colonised, most—all, of our laws came from Britain. Meaning the sodomy law was part of Australian law from 1788 through to 1944, which, in that time, the punishment for “buggery” (sodomy) was reduced from execution to life in prison in 1899.

To me, it kinda makes sense that the punishment was downgraded, considering that we were a country originally designed as one big fucking prison until they decided the place was liveable, so it would seem odd that they would kill off anyone that sodomised, how else would they get anything built?

Francis Wilkinson was the first man to be charged with buggery (but acquitted) in 1796.

The punishment for sodomy slowly came out of Australia, state by state.

·         Male homosexuality was decriminalised in the Australian Capital Territory in 1976, then Norfolk Island in 1993, following South Australia in 1975 and Victoria in 1981. At the time of legalization (for the above), the age of consent, rape, defences, etc. were all set gender-neutral and equal. Western Australia legalised male homosexuality in 1989 – Under the Law Reform (Decriminalization of Sodomy) Act 1989, as did New South Wales and the Northern Territory in 1984 with unequal ages of consent of 18 for New South Wales and the Northern Territory and 21 for Western Australia. Then since 1997, the states and territories that retained different ages of consent or other vestiges of sodomy laws have tended to repeal them later; Western Australia did so in 2002, and New South Wales and the Northern Territory did so in 2003.

It says that Tasmania was the last state/territory to decriminalise it, and that was only because the Federal Government and the United Nations Human Rights Committee forced them to repeal it in 1997.

And lastly, in 1951, NSW Crimes Act was amended to ensure that ‘buggery’ remained a criminal act “with or without the consent of the person”, removing the legal loophole.


The gay rights movement

The first line of this, talks about… well, something in the sixties, but what has me grinning it this line:

·         Some historians have attributed this to the ‘convict stain’ that tied erasure of white Australia’s convict past to comparable amnesia about greater allowance for sex between men than would exist after consolidated settlement and colonisation began.

Gay and lesbian rights movement groups weren’t organised until the late 1960s. Which seemed to actually mean mid-1969. There were a few others around the country, however, it was a Sydney organisation, the Campaign Against Moral Persecution, C.A.M.P founded in 1970 that is considered Australia’s first gay rights organisation.
Which took fast and country wide, supporting and heading demonstrations.
And also help other organisations to follow including the Gay Teachers Group, and The Homosexual Law Reform Coalition. Which started in the late 70s.

·         In 1972, the Dunstan Labor government introduced a consenting adults in private type defence in South Australia. This defence was later introduced as a bill by Murray Hill, father of former Defence Minister Robert Hill, In 1975, South Australia became the first state or territory to legalise sexual conduct between males.

It goes on to tell about a rally in Martin Plaza in 1978 were an estimated 500 people marched down George St., which is impressive amount of people especially when the population of Australia was roughly 14,192 people at that time.

·         In 1984, the Australian Medical Association removed homosexuality from its list of illnesses and disorders.

The last gay man arrested was on 14 December 1984 when he was caught having sex in his car on the side of the road. His sentence was 8 months.

There is more, about when Australia past right that allowed same sex couple granted a visa, and another about legalising sexual activity between consenting adults (in private).


The John Howard years

And lastly, there’s this part (Howard was our second last priminister) he’s a bigoted old man, and what is worse, now, we have another one. And even though the world has grown up and accepted it (okay, Western world, a little) there will be no way that a same sex marriage law being past in the next four year. Hell, I’m worried that woman’s rights will plummet with the man as our leader, since he’s a firm believer that a woman’s job is to have babies and cook his meals.
I kinda feel sorry for his wife but more so for his daughters as they have had to life with the added bonus of a father who thinks they should be married off—most likely to the rickets suitor, honestly, he’s the type of bully that would make a potential mate for his daughter by how big the pig was. (I’m generalizing, this is probably not correct)

It’s sad and as you can see I’m not happy with the situation we find ourselves in, but… we’ll, leave it there, and hope for the best in our future. But let us all give thanks that it’s only a four hour flight to a country that allows marriage, so we can increase their economy.

And that’s that, it’s all that there was here one this site. I’m hoping I’ll have time threw the month to look into other things in Australia’s LGBT community, but like I’m mentioned before, it’s looking like a very busy  month for me.

Hope you learnt something,

Till next time

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