I don't like being patronised. I am reminded of men who dismiss women's arguments by accusing them of being hysterical.
My statement was perfectly logical and I am dealing with facts. I live with these particular facts every minute of every day.
We are still regularly subject to homophobic violence. Gay children are still bullied at schools. A 13 year old boy was bullied to death recently in Queensland.
Not one of his classmates saw any consequences for their actions. Instead, they were given grief and trauma counselling!
They were responsible for his death. No one acted to help him while he was alive. But his killers got help to cope with his death!
Meanwhile Safe Schools is being abandoned in NSW because the Catholic Church runs that state government and it wants to see us all dead.
(They also had the former education minister removed because he queried their spending of public funds.)
Our suicide rates are much higher than in the general population. The rate of mental health issues is also much higher.
Youth homelessness and unemployment are higher. Many young gay kids drop out of school because they are rejected by their families and become homeless.
Or because of the bullying they experience at school. I remember being beaten up every day for five years of high school.
This has devastating effects which are lifelong and from which it can be difficult to recover.
In most states discrimination is unlawful but that doesn't mean it doesn't occurr. It does, frequently, in all areas of life.
People are passed over for jobs, or for promotion, or refused rental accomodation, but now they aren't told the real reason.
I once had a client who was unfairly dismissed because his employer and colleagues wrongly thought he was gay.
However he wouldn't let me lodge an antidiscrimination claim (based on perceived not actual sexuality) because he was terrified other people would think he was gay.
And formal discrimination remains in some areas, notably superannuation, aged care and health care.
Further, under commonwealth law and the law in most states and territories, religious institutions are EXEMPT from these anti-discrimination laws.
So religious organisations, including affilliated schools, aged care facilities and hospitals, can legally discriminate against us.
Even though many of these affilliated institutions receive significant government funding.
The homosexual advance defence to murder is still on the books in at least one state and is only now being removed in QLD.
Name one openly gay AFL player (in an actual league team). Oh wait - there aren't any. Do you seriously think not one of them is gay?
They dare not come out because of the discrimination. Just as Ian Thorpe didn't dare to come out while he was a competitive swimmer.
Name one openly gay member of the Australian cricket squad. At the Beijing Olympics there was only one openly gay Australian athelete. Although Matthew is fabulous enough to take the place of 200.
In many walks of life it is difficult to find openly gay people. Yes things have improved but to say we do not experience discrimination is simply wrong.
Every time I change job I keep my sexuality secret until I have confidence that it will be accepted.
I put up with electricians tagging the electrical equipment in my office and referring to me as "that fa_" behind my back.
Because I have learned that making complaints about this will see you labelled a troublemaker.
Recently I overheard a colleague teasing another colleague because he was wearing a pink jumper and suggesting that meant he was "a poofter".
How could I possibly explain how uncomfortable that made me feel?
Yes there are now some successful openly gay people who are positive role models for young people.
But there are also some successful women. That doesn't mean there is no discrimination against women any more. Clearly there is.
The fact that the situation is worse in other countries doesn't mean there are no problems here.
On twitter today a Fairfax political reporter tweeted a photo of a man who hurled homophobic abuse at him and his partner in a Canberra restuarant.
I've been similarly abused by people in road rage incidents, and randomly in shops, at service stations, and especially in the Perth nightlife district of Northbridge.
It is perfectly logical for me to point out that you can't possibly know or understand what we experience because you're not one of us.
And my experiences are factual. I am passionate about this but I am not hysterical.
