Rachel Evans, Sydney
Sydney's Daily Telegraph fed readers a bucket-load of prejudicial rubbish on May 29. In a front-page article titled "Nursery revolt", we were told: "Parents, family groups and the Federal Government are demanding a Sydney daycare centre immediately stop teaching babies and toddlers about gay, lesbian and 'transgender' parenting."
The uproar is over the use in seven day care centres in the Marrickville council area of Learn to Include books, in which the main character, a child being raised by two mums, has a friend with two dads. The dads are building the "Rainbow Cubby House".
NSW Labor Premier Morris Iemma joined the homophobic hysteria, reported in the May 29 Sydney Morning Herald as saying: "Daycare centres should not be used to teach children about gay and lesbian relationships." In response, local Greens mayor Sam Byrne told the SMH: "It's not a gay rights debate. It's not sex education. It's about inclusion and about having material that reflects the diversity of our community."
The furor followed PM John Howard's remark while visiting Britain last month that homosexual activists campaigning for equality are "fundamentalist minorities".
Farida Iqbal, Community Action Against Homophobia spokesperson, told Green Left Weekly that the label "fundamentalist" is designed to "discredit campaigners by echoing words used in the 'war on terror'", and that "like the 'war on terror', this homophobic campaign is full of lies". She asked: "Does the government and its right-wing media backers want another Cronulla riot — this time targeted at the gay and lesbian community?"
The threats to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people are very real. Private Lives: A report on the Health and Well Being of GLBTI Australians (2006) found that 60% of gay men and 56% of lesbians had experienced personal insults because of their sexuality. A 2005 report, Writing Themselves in Again, noted that same-sex attracted young people are up to six times more likely to kill themselves than straight youth.
We need more, not fewer, stories about loving same-sex parents to help stem homophobic attitudes and violence.
Mail messages of support to Tillman Park Children's Centre, 79 Unwins Bridge Rd, Tempe 2044, or email <maymurraycc@marrickville.nsw.gov.au> or <sbyrne@marrickville.nsw.gov.au>.
[Rachel Evans is the National Union of Students' queer officer and a member of the Socialist Alliance.]
From Green Left Weekly, June 7, 2006.
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