I have had an interesting week this last week or so about same sex marriage and children in gay families.
I was never really a big fan of same sex marriage, when I was a single gay dad. It never appealed to me as why the GLBTIQ community were fighting for equal rights and same sex marriage. I was happy to just be a gay dad, and to provide the best for my children. I was going about my everyday life as best as it could be. BUT, now that has all changed. I am in a loving relationship with an amazing person who adores my children as his own.
He took me to my first political rally, which was the same sex rally in Melbourne earlier this year. I was amazed of the turn out the different diverse of people there supporting same sex marriage. This was a major turning point for me as a founder of GLOCKIDS and Coming Out Australia . It got me thinking about me own relationship with my partner and my children. This is what family is about, showing the commitment to each other that love is all around and as gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender or any other identity that identifies us in the GLBTIQ community. I now what to be able to marry my partner and have the same equal rights I had when I was previously married as a heterosexual person. I have since attended the Same Sex Marriage rally in Ballarat and have taken a active stand against homophobia and the support of Same Sex Marriage.
The other day in the car, one of my children asked if my partner was step dad to him, he said that it was up to my son to call him what ever he wanted. That blow me away as we have never talked to my children about the step dad thing or same sex marriage, but it got me thinking that this is the generation we need to educate about same sex marriage and the different types of families that are out there, and it is ok to have these kinds of families as long as they are in a loving environment.
I heard on the radio that both Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott at a Christian conference, advised the audience that they both do not support same sex marriage. That just goes to show that we have a long battle on our hands and we need to get out there and fight for it.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Rural Town Homophobia and Mentality
Hello every one,
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
This week I am going to write about homophobia in rural towns. This weekend my partner and I went to Ballarat to support the same sex marriage rally on Sunday. We travelled up on the Saturday evening, after my extensive Q & A Mentor training. We settled nicely into our motel room before setting out for dinner.
We went to the main street to check out the restaurants, we picked one from driving past, as it seemed to be a nice place to go, WRONG.... As we approached it, it seemed to filled with the typical rural town Aussie families. It would have been an interesting conversation for all there to see 2 openly gay guys have dinner in their restaurant. So we choose to eat elsewhere. We picked a nice Greek Restaurant, which was perfect, it was quiet and the meals were delicious.
The next day, My Partner and I made our way to the meeting place for the rally... There were not as many as you would expect to see, say at Melbourne, but the turnout was a great small support group. So we headed off on the mission to be vocal about the fight for equal rights. We did not have any police escort (was this because, we are seen as a small minority group, who is out there to make a nuisance and to be seen as wasting police resources). We trodden along the footpaths into the main street, past shops and restaurants, with people trying to work out as to what was happening in their small quiet sleepy town. Some people waved and smiled and were happy to take the flyers we were handing out, some were absolute shock horror, as if we are diseased ridden venoms, trying their best to ignore us and go about their lives as we were not there. These are the people we need to push with, being in their faces, being out and loud, so they can hear us, and for them to know we are not going away.
It made me appreciate the comfort I have living in Melbourne and to be openly affectionate with my partner in public. But to try that in a rural town , is asking for trouble. It is easier for me to remove myself from that as I don't live there. I really do feel for the GLBTIQ community of the rural towns, that have no support or resources, as I grew up in a town with the similar mentality. I think it is time that the GLBTIQ community of the big smoke, get out there amongst the rural community and help fight homophobia. I will be making it my aim to help change that, by becoming more involved with theses communities, through my organisations such as Glockids and Coming Out Australia.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
This week I am going to write about homophobia in rural towns. This weekend my partner and I went to Ballarat to support the same sex marriage rally on Sunday. We travelled up on the Saturday evening, after my extensive Q & A Mentor training. We settled nicely into our motel room before setting out for dinner.
We went to the main street to check out the restaurants, we picked one from driving past, as it seemed to be a nice place to go, WRONG.... As we approached it, it seemed to filled with the typical rural town Aussie families. It would have been an interesting conversation for all there to see 2 openly gay guys have dinner in their restaurant. So we choose to eat elsewhere. We picked a nice Greek Restaurant, which was perfect, it was quiet and the meals were delicious.
The next day, My Partner and I made our way to the meeting place for the rally... There were not as many as you would expect to see, say at Melbourne, but the turnout was a great small support group. So we headed off on the mission to be vocal about the fight for equal rights. We did not have any police escort (was this because, we are seen as a small minority group, who is out there to make a nuisance and to be seen as wasting police resources). We trodden along the footpaths into the main street, past shops and restaurants, with people trying to work out as to what was happening in their small quiet sleepy town. Some people waved and smiled and were happy to take the flyers we were handing out, some were absolute shock horror, as if we are diseased ridden venoms, trying their best to ignore us and go about their lives as we were not there. These are the people we need to push with, being in their faces, being out and loud, so they can hear us, and for them to know we are not going away.
It made me appreciate the comfort I have living in Melbourne and to be openly affectionate with my partner in public. But to try that in a rural town , is asking for trouble. It is easier for me to remove myself from that as I don't live there. I really do feel for the GLBTIQ community of the rural towns, that have no support or resources, as I grew up in a town with the similar mentality. I think it is time that the GLBTIQ community of the big smoke, get out there amongst the rural community and help fight homophobia. I will be making it my aim to help change that, by becoming more involved with theses communities, through my organisations such as Glockids and Coming Out Australia.
I applaud Koby Drake for organising the Ballarat Same Sex Marriage Rally, as for a young man, who has been exposed to the homophobia and small town mentality of the ignorance people to make a stand for what he believes is his right and the right for other people in the rural GLBTIQ community, is a huge effort and should not be sneezed at. He is a perfect example of what the youth of the GBLTIQ community should be doing to make a difference for their generation and future generations to come. To fight homophobia, we have to make a visual presence and be heard. No matter how small the protests are or how they start, it is the continual support and drive is what will make the difference. We may not be able to change the attitudes of the older generation, but we can certainly make a change to the attitudes of the younger generation.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
My Coming Out Story
Hello Everyone,
I will make this blog a short one. I shared my "Coming Out" story with the Same Same organisation.
You may ask why I would want to do such a thing. I look at it this, as a way of sharing my journey will inspire others. Sharing your experience can be rewarding.....
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