Growing up gay

WARNING: If you prefer not to read about illegal activities, please skip this post

Last night the ABC screened 'Our Gay Wedding: The Musical'. Two gay men planned and carried out their wedding as a musical. The wedding occurred on the first day that same sex couples could legally marry in Britain. Pretty well everyone involved in the wedding from the Registrar and the grooms, through to the relatives and friends attending participated musically in the ceremony (and some did so less musically). Parts of the ceremony were cheesy but there were plenty of moving, wonderful moments such as when both grooms' mothers sang a duet expressing honestly their feelings about discovering and coming to terms with their son's sexuality.

I was taken with information displayed on a big screen during the ceremony which informed both the progress made in removing discrimination against homosexuals but also the many areas where discrimination, indeed persecution, against homosexuals still prevails. It brought back memories of my own passage through a gay adolescence to adulthood.

My experience would be familiar to many gay Australians now aged in their sixties and older.

It is as recently as 1984 that homosexuality was decriminalised in my state of New South Wales. I was thirty-five years of age at the time. Prior to then it was illegal for me to engage my sexuality. Considering that I began sexual activity at the early age of twelve that constitutes twenty-three years of illegal activity simply responding to the sex drive that nature gave me.

At any stage in those twenty-three years I could have been arrested, prosecuted and gaoled. Indeed I was arrested once. I say arrested but I'm not sure of the technical status. Perhaps detained by police for questioning might be the correct legal status but either way to me it seemed like an arrest.

I was only twelve when I was arrested. I hadn't engaged in sex, nor touched, nor even spoken to the other person when I was detained. The other person was a plainclothes policeman. It was an act of entrapment. After lingering at a public urinal he gestured for me to follow him outside where we were approached by another man who also was a plainclothes policeman. They identified themselves as police and ordered me into their car. They drove me to a police station for questioning.

No adult relative relative, indeed no independent adult at all, was present during the questioning. They instructed me to complete a statement 'helpfully' suggesting forms of words at points when I felt incapable of expressing myself. The completed statement was a factually correct account but using language that was not my habit to employ and that my parents had never heard me express before nor indeed afterwards.

You can imagine the shock my parents felt when I was brought home unannounced by two policeman who handed them a copy of 'my' statement, alien language and all, to read. I presume the matter was referred to a Magistrate or some such legal arbitrator. As I hadn't actually been observed by the policemen to engage in sexual activity I assume my offence was soliciting or perhaps it was loitering with intent. I was required to attend a Psychiatric assessment to determine the level of my mental health.

I concede that I was in the habit of engaging in what then was illegal sexual activity. However consider the actions of the police that day. Entrapment, detaining and interviewing a minor without any independent adult and/or legal representative present, and 'assistance' given in completing 'my' statement. I think the last used to be referred to as 'verballing'.

Six years later when I applied for my first full time job, with a Government authority no less, I was in fear that the obligatory police checks would reveal that I had a criminal record. To my relief that was not the case.

There are homosexuals around the world nowadays facing far worse treatment than I experienced. It was good to be reminded of that fact whilst rejoicing for the newly married couple in their more enlightened time and place.

In Australia, we have progressed but marriage equality is still not on the agenda.

Men in love

Andrew is cruising through Europe with his long term partner and this week he wrote how he couldn't bring himself to join the fun on the dance floor because of a silent sense of disapproval of displays of same sex relationships amongst fellow cruisers.

Gays of our generation, and I am a few years older than Andrew, know this feeling well.

Andrew's timing was exquisite, his post falling as it did between two public displays of man to man affection.

The first was ESPN televising Michael Sam's reaction at the moment he was notified that he been drafted into the National Football League. The interest in this event was that Sam is the first out gay man to be drafted to play in USA's most popular sporting competition.



Sam's reaction was first publicised on Twitter as a still shot from the video in which he was kissing and embracing his partner. As the photograph of a single moment in time that picture suggested a very passionate, almost sexual, moment. Seeing that moment in context the video reveals an emotional Sam sharing his joy - and probably relief - with presumably family, friends and his loved one in just the same manner as we view heterosexuals doing without any disapproval.

Whist the majority of published comments about Sam and his partner celebrating his selection have been supportive there were still a number of high profile highly negative reactions. The fact that people feel any need to comment at all about the situation indicates that GLBT individuals still have a long way to go for complete acceptance.

Fast forward a week or so to the Europa Cup Final (soccer) between Sevilla (Spain) and Benfica (Portugal) a match played in Italy and viewed by hundreds of millions around the world. Here adult men, presumably heterosexual, hugged, danced with excitement and even kissed each with joy.



Did anyone complain? Did anyone see the end of human civilisation through such public displays? Were Christianity, family values and the like threatened? Not that I am aware. But they were straight men and, of course, European. Enough said.

12 Years A Slave

This year's Academy Award winning Best Picture, '12 Years A Slave', is based on the experiences of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.

The film opens with Northup already in servitude. A short flashback sequence then provides images of his family life as a free man and in general terms how he was kidnapped. From that point the film focusses intently on life as a slave.

I had held off seeing this film, released in Australia some time ago, because I felt the material would be harrowing to view and that's how it transpired. Director, Steve McQueen, has crafted a stunning film that relentlessly reveals the shocking abuse inflicted on those in servitude. The images, shocking enough in themselves, are made all the more powerful, book ended as they are by static images that are almost portrait and landscape works of art in appearance. It is as though McQueen is daring the audience to watch whilst the camera lingers for uncomfortably long periods on the sickening behaviour.

Ejiofor retains an almost saintly dignity throughout in a performance commendably devoid of excess theatrics but I found the pick of the performers to be Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o and Paul Dano. The only discordant aspect in casting is that of Brad Pitt in a short but key cameo near the end which smacks of celebrity tokenism.

Whilst the events depicted in the film date back to the 19th Century I could not help but reflect on current day injustices - some sadly not too far from home - where humanity remains badly lacking.

This film is not an entertainment but it is an important reality check on past and present instances of discrimination, abuse and intolerance. The lessons of history which we never seem to learn.
★★★★

Lucky country

I am occasionally reminded that despite our many complaints we in Australia live in a lucky country. As distant as we are from many of the world's hot spots we don't escape entirely the high security measures so prevalent in these days of terrorism fears. But there are exceptions.

Yesterday I attended the matinee performance of Australian Opera's production of 'Aida'. Also in the audience was the popular New South Wales' Governor, Professor Marie Bashir. She appeared to be accompanied by two family members but there was not a security officer nor a uniformed and braided Aide de Camp in sight.

The rows in the Sydney Opera House are fifty or so seats wide and Professor Bashir's seat was bang in the middle of one of them. Just like any other patron, Professor Bashir made her way past dozens of other audience members at every production break cheerfully acknowledging each as she passed by.

I liked that we weren't made to engage in a vice regal rendition of 'God Save The Queen' as happened once when I attended a staging of Swan Lake in the presence of a previous Governor-General.

Till choice do us part

'Celebrities' Katy Perry and Russell Brand are to divorce

The latest example in the growing portfolio of evidence of the natural superiority of heterosexual marriage over same sex unions.

During his marriage Mr Brand informed an interviewer....

"I can’t believe I used to have sex 20 times a week, especially now I’m married. But now I’m a bloody good gardener," Russ joked.

Sounds gay to me.

Husbands

Husbands is a web based mini 'mini-series'. The first series of eleven episodes (to date) lasts less than thirty five minutes in total. I think it is funny and clever and like all good comedy it contains within it's over the top surface a core of serious references.

The link takes you to all eleven episodes.

What glass ceiling?

We residents of Sydney, Australia now have the complete set.

Queen Elizabeth (Head of State)

Quentin Bryce (Governor-General)

Marie Bashir (State Governor)

Julia Gillard (Prime Minister)

Kristina Keneally (State Premier)

Clover Moore (Lord Mayor)

Good parents/Bad parents

A couple (father and mother) have been fined for neglecting their children.

Leaving aside debate whether the punishment in this instance is sufficient for the offence the case shows yet again the innate suitability of heterosexual parent couples that gay parenting could not possibly provide.

When have we read of gay parent couples behaving in this way?

Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes

Today's post by Andrew brought back memories for me of the day I attended a lecture by Jane Elliott renowned for her exercises in exposing the effects of prejudice and bigotry.

As I entered the auditorium for her presentation she appeared in the foyer and took my companion, Rs, aside briefly. Rs, a workmate, was a very tall, fair haired and blue eyed man. When we sat down in the auditorium Rs informed me that Ms Elliott had invited him to come up on stage when asked during the session.

When that moment came Rs was called up along with a much shorter, dark haired woman of African origin. Ms Elliott engaged them in gentle banter then asked them to face each other and to identify differences between themselves. In turn the two identified the obvious differences; height, gender, hair and eye colour but no matter how much Ms Elliott pressed neither mentioned the racial difference.

It was a fascinating demonstration of how political correctness can be taken to extremes. Ms Elliott's entire presentation was brilliant and if you have never done so it is well worth seeing the documentary in which she divides her class into two groups, the blued eyed group who have all the privileges and the brown eyed group who are downtrodden. Then the two groups exchange places. It is a real eye-opener (pardon the pun).

Floating down the Nile again...

It appears that the Premier is about to backdown on the issue of gay adoption to appease the Reverend Fred Nile and effectively purchase his support for other legislation.

Of course we all know that religious heterosexuals are the only ones suitable to be parents and are the best role models. Just ask Mel Gibson.

For times when we think we have it tough

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