Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 21:05:04 +1100 (EST) From: leto@werple.net.au (Brendon Wickham) Subject: (Australia) BrotherSister News - 22/2/96 BROTHER SISTER - QUEER NEWS FROM DOWNUNDER Issue 100 22/2/96 Including: 1. FAIRFIELD: BANS ON MEALS 2. ALP BIAS CLAIM OVER SURVEY 3. LEGAL AID BACKS TASMANIAN CHALLENGE 4. GAY COPS IN DRUG SCANDAL 5. BRIEFS This and previous postings are archived for the QRD. Point your URL to http://werple.net.au/~leto/news/index - or go through the Pacific Region of the QRD at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/world/pacific/ =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ FAIRFIELD: BANS ON MEALS *Services for patients at Fairfield Hospital have been severely disrupted in the fall-out from industrial action over the institution's future.* On the week-end, while many people in Melbourne attended the annual AIDS Vigil, the situation peaked with senior medical staff forced to order in take-away meals for patients. For several days toilets at Fairfield were not being cleaned. The situation arose following a dispute between management and unions over the future of staff following the Hospital's closure on June 30. Despite a recent Government undertaking ensuring senior direct carers in the HIV units will move to the hospital winning the AIDS tender, many staff remain concerned or are excluded from the guarantee. In response health unions imposed a range of bans at the hospital including not delivering meals to patients or cleaning toilets. The immediate crisis to patient care was resolved on Monday with the lifting of the ban on toilet cleaning and arrival of volunteers from the Victorian AIDS Council to deliver meals. AIDS Council president, Joseph O'Reilly told Brother Sister his organisation supported the unions in their attempts to gain suitable packages for their members and had negotiated with them to ensure patient care was not affected by any future actions. "The ancillary staff are important at Fairfield and have done good work, so should get a good (redundancy) package or be transfered," he said. A letter to Brother Sister from several AIDS activists, including Aids Council vice-president, Susan Paxton has condemned the State Government and North Eastern Health Care Network for the situation. "It seems women and men living with infectious diseases are being used as pawns in a terrible and bizarre game being played by the State Health Department and the North Eastern Network," they wrote. "Fairfield Hospital is being run down by the minute. The people of Victoria are losing a world-renowned centre of excellence in infectious diseases. "Public hospital patients are suffering appalling conditions. The Health Minister has robbed her people of their capacity to respond to infectious diseases now and in the future and we are oblivious to our vulnerability." Australian Nursing Federation secretary, Belinda Morieson said that despite State Government assurances there were still no redeployment agreement for respiration unit or other nursing staff. "Further, there is no agreement that nurses working in the HIV, AIDS and infectious diseases units will be employed in those or any other areas after June 30," she said. "The Government and Network are keeping the option open to split up HIV, AIDS and infectious diseases when Fairfield closes and the nurses with experience in those fields can get no commitment their expertise will continue to be available to their patients." Bill Calder ALP BIAS CLAIM OVER SURVEY *Gay activists in Victoria are split over the direction of the local community's election strategy with just over a week remaining before the Federal poll is held on March 2.* The state based rights group, Gay men and Lesbians Against Discrimination have accused the Australian Council for Lesbian and Gay Rights of a pro-ALP bias. Last month the Council decided to survey election candidates in electorates with significant lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual populations. It was left up to state representatives to decide which electorates to survey. In what has been described as a "shock decision" the significant electorate of Melbourne Ports has not been selected. Instead Higgins (safe Liberal incorporating Prahran) and Batman (safe ALP incorporating Northcote) were chosen. Melbourne Ports is held by the ALP's Clyde Holding with a margin of 5 per cent. GLAD member and Rights Council member John Davey is running for the Democrats in the seat as an openly gay man. Co-convenor for GLAD, Tracey Eldridge said Melbourne Ports was "arguably the greatest concentration of our community for the whole state." "It is akin to the Darlinghurst area in Sydney. We are at a loss to ascertain why the Council has omitted this seat." New South Wales has decided to survey three seats while the less populous states are only surveying one. "There is no fathomable reason why such an important seat should be omitted from the survey," she said. "We have to question the motives of those conducting the survey." Eldridge said her organisation would be seeking clarification on future election strategy processes. "It is inappropriate and negligent to disenfranchise gay men, lesbians, trannies and bisexuals in Melbourne Ports because of what appears to be a political bias towards the ALP." National Council spokesperson, Brian Greig acknowledged there was concern over the Victorian electorates chosen, but said the decision had been left to state delegates. "State delegates are ultimately accountable for their decisions on these matters to the lesbian and gay communities in their own state." Greig said he hoped the issue could be resolved without damage to the Victorian community. "Unity of purpose and solidarity in Victoria are essential to a healthy national lesbian and gay rights movement," he said. Victorian State delegate Robyn Walsh said the decision was not based on bias towards the ALP. Walsh said Batman was chosen because of its high lesbian population and to compare attitudes Higgins was chosen as it is a very different type of electorate. She recognised there was disquiet over the omission of Melbourne Ports: "I was relying on local knowledge of other people rather than myself and that was what we went with." She said the decision once set into train could not be altered, but added: "We'll learn from this experience." The Council's survey results were due out this week but are not yet ready for release. LEGAL AID BACKS TASMANIAN CHALLENGE *A fund raising dance party in Hobart has raised nearly $2,000 for the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group's High Court challenge to Tasmania's anti-gay laws.* Adding to this kitty, the Tasmanian Legal Aid Commission has overturned its previous decision not to fund the High Court challenge following an appeal from the Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group. The Commission has decided to allocate $800 to pay for solicitor's fees. Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome said the amount was a paltry contribution given that the Commission administers a $250,000 budget for public interest litigation. "The Commission"s direct contribution is a tokenistic attempt to divert criticism that its original decision not to fund us was politically motivated," he said. "But it does have the positive effect of freeing up those Legal Aid lawyers who want to work on our case but were prohibited from so doing while the Commission wasn't backing us." The date for the first major hearing in the High Court has been set down for March 15 in Canberra. At this hearing the Court will consider an objection from the Tasmanian Government that the case should not proceed because there have been no prosecutions under its anti-gay laws. Croome said that Tasmanian activists believe they have strong arguments against the State Government's objection, adding that the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has agreed to join them in arguing that the case should be heard. GAY COPS INVOLVED IN DRUGS SCANDAL *Accusations of recreational drug use and dealing among Sydney's gay and lesbian police officers rocked the Woods Royal Commission this month, after a high-profile gay Officer rolled over in the last days of January and testified against his colleagues.* The witness, identified only as BD4, accused officers from stations including Surry Hills, Bondi and Waverley of taking and trafficking in drugs. Another witness, BD1, accused disgraced heterosexual Constable Clinton Moller of dealing drugs at Sleaze Ball and other gay and lesbian dance parties. Moller, who is currently on the run, was also accused of selling ecstasy at nightclubs such as Axis, where he was employed as a doorperson, and Oxford Street's DCM. BD4 named Waverley Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Officer, Bruce Mexon, as allegedly dealing cocaine and ecstasy in the Californian resort of Palm Springs, following an international policing conference in September last year. Mexon denied he had sold cocaine and said the ecstasy was a Chinese "herbal" variety, legally available in Los Angeles. He said he had been given the tablets by a friend for free, but admitted selling them on for $US25 each. Mexon told the Royal Commission he had sold the tablets, "made up of Chinese black ginseng [and] guarana.. maybe to pay for the cocktail hour - as simple as that". BD4, who bought a capsule from Mexon, denied the ecstasy had been sold as "herbal". When questioned about his own drug use, he told the Royal Commission he had been free of drugs since October last year. BD4 said he had also given evidence against Moller prior to that date, but withheld his own confession until "at least I could say: 'Well, I'm not doing [drugs] anymore'". Another witness implicated by BD4 in using drugs, a gay police officer operating in inner-Sydney, said BD4's own apartment was searched just prior to xmas. He said he used to socialise with BD4 but they were "not the best of friends" since he "dobbed [other officers] in". BD4 told the Royal Commission his own exposure to drugs began when he moved in with his ex-boyfriend, almost four years ago. "My ex-partner - I'm gay, OK?... he used to smoke [cannabis] just of a night after dinner.. he's got a terminal illness, so I wasn't really going to be jumping up and down on him for that," he said. "As time went by, we'd go to a party, maybe take something for that, and so it went on." Ben Widdicombe, SSO ******** BRIEFS ******** BROTHER SISTER HITS 100 This issue marks the 100th edition of Brother Sister newspaper since the first copy hit the streets on May 1 1992. Since then the newspaper has steadily grown in size, circulation, staff numbers and office space. Brother Sister also started a Queensland edition in September 1993. To mark the occasion of the 100th edition a new design has been implemented for the paper as well as the introduction of the new motoring section, Rev-limit. TRAM DRIVER COMPLAINT The Public Transport Corporation is investigating claims that a group of 12 gay men and lesbians were harassed and verbally abused by a tram driver while leaving Midsumma Carnival on Feb 11. A spokesperson for the corporation, Ray Wilson has confirmed the complaints are under investigation. "I can assure the public that our staff are expected to adhere to the highest standards of customer relations, but because of the investigation, I can't provide any more details," he said. RAISING FUNDS The Mid-South Support group of the Victorian AIDS Council has launched a significant fund-raising and volunteer recruitment drive in Melbourne's "Golden Metre". The group is targeting gay and lesbian friendly businesses in the South Yarra and Prahran areas in an attempt to raise much needed funds and find new volunteers to help it in its work providing support for people living with HIV and AIDS in the mid-south suburbs of Melbourne. Mid-South Support community liaison officer, Matt Collins said gay men and lesbians could do more in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "Public interest in the epidemic has waned in recent times and yet the demand for support from persons living with HIV and AIDS is at an all-time high", he said. Anyone wishing to assist can ring Collins on 9826 4213. BEAT IS TARGETED Victorian police are undertaking a crackdown on the beat at Hurlingham Park in East Brighton, according to Police Gay Liaison Officer, John Winther. LAVARCH UNDER FIRE The Australian Council for Lesbian and Gay Rights has criticised Attorney-General Michael Lavarch for failing to establish a lesbian and gay rights project promised in last year's Justice Statement. Council spokesperson, Robyn Walsh said the Government's failure to choose an organisation to auspice its proposed Human Rights and Discrimination Law Centre places in jeopardy a $70,000 sexuality discrimination project that is to be undertaken by the centre when it is finally established. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ BOTTOM LINE Priscilla the Wasp? Drag, it would appear, is not confined to the human inhabitants of this planet. And if dolphins can enjoy lesbian and gay sex, why can't wasps experience the joy of transvestitism? Well, they can and do according to scientists at Adelaide University. They've discovered that the males of a species of wasp called the Cotesia rubecula often employs the tactic of temporarily transgendering in an effort to discourage rivals from his potential mate. When a male completes his mating ritual with a female (who are in short supply) it's often a vital ruse to frustrate other beaus. While the sexes look similar, the male 'drag' is able to convince rivals that he is otherwise gendered by mimicking the females behaviour and her submissive posture. He can even fool them with pheromones as his courting ritual with the female gives his wings a distinctly feminine odour. Brendon Wickham =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ Brother Sister is a fortnightly newspaper published in Melbourne, VIC and Brisbane, QLD, Australia. I have selected the main news stories as well as items of interest. Overseas media who utilise any or all of the above material please credit Brother Sister as your source (and by-line if it is listed). Thank you. Brendon Wickham