Evil Has A Political Party
...And that party is Family First.I don't want to go into great detail about the latest developments in South Australia with Unley Liberal MP Mark Brindal, mainly because I know Mark personally and while I don't think he's acted entirely appropriately here, I know at heart he is a good, if perhaps misguided man.
What I do want to highlight is the beyond-offensive hypocrisy of Family First in response to this development.
What's the best FF MLC Andrew Evans can come up with in reply to Mark's heartfelt explanation of why he has had to hide in the closet and lie to his family for so long?
"Prove that you are born gay."
Furious as this made me, I was prepared to let it slide. But then I read this:
Andrew Evans from the Family First party is a close parliamentary colleague of Mr Brindal and says he feels badly for his friend.
"These are very sad events. I don't rejoice when a person makes a mistake," he said.
How fucking dare he.
I don't understand how these people can function without imploding from all that hypocrisy.
Mark has been the sole progressive Liberal in SA, and the state will be worse for him not being there when he finishes up as member for Unley. He has always been a strong champion of queer rights, more so than most ALP members over there, and he also has a strong track record in other social justice and reform issues, such as prostitution law. As I've said, I'm not condoning what he has admitted to, but unlike that fuck Evans, Mark has honesty and integrity on his side.
Evans is no friend to any queer person. He, and his party, are enemies that must be stopped.
Almost as infuriating is the local rag's editorial on this. Choice cuts include:
THE public, and more particularly voters in the seats of Unley and Adelaide, have a right to know more about the homosexual relationship between Mark Brindal and a 24-year-old man...
Homosexuality is not an offence, but personal behaviour, personal morality, are issues which may determine how some people cast their vote.
Once again, we see the Murdoch machine working to define homosexuality as anathema to "morality". Here's the reply letter I fired off - which I'm sure will remain unpublished:
Yesterday's editorial would seem to imply Mark Brindal should disclose every graphic detail of his sexual life for the sake of voters in his electorate. Would this be required of all MPs or only the gay ones?
Would that we lived in a society where, despite the advances made, homosexuality still was not frowned upon or an potential impediment to fully realising one's career and life ambitions. Mr Brindal did not spend all these years in the closet by accident; it was necessary in the face of such virulent homophobia from many of his own party's colleagues.
Mr Brindal's actions with a young intellectually impaired man may be inappropriate, but please do not suggest that homosexuality and a sense of personal morality are mutually exclusive. That's precisely the sort of reasoning that forced Mr Brindal into the closet to begin with.
UPDATE: Letter got published after all. Yay.
posted by Sam @ Tuesday, August 09, 2005
7 Comments:
you make me even more ashamed of my current place of employment than i normally am..
*sigh*
*shakes fist*
I wonder how that Family First Dickwad can prove that he was "born heterosexual". Cnut.
It concers me that it is considered inappropriate for an person of "normal" intellegence to have consensula sex with a person of reduced cognitive capacity. There has been no question that the relationship between Mark Brindal and the other man was consensual. People with an intellectual disability have the right to a sex life.
Mark Brindal may have been a Liberal member, but he has a conscience when it comes to social justice. During the SA Lets Get Equal campaign, Mark has been totally supportive, participating in the demonstrations at parliament house and giving encouragement to all those involved. They may have got at him, but as Mark stated today he is not going to allow the "Neaderthal SA Liberal party" or any hypocritical SA MP sit comfortably. If they have skeletons in the cupboard, he will open the cupboard door.
David: I totally accept that point, which is why I'm not jumping to sensationalist conclusions the way the media is.
There are, however, issues not necessarily relating to the cognitive capacity of this man, but to his history as a ward of the State, which may mean he was abused and is consequently more vulnerable than other young people who have been under the State's care.
But I also genuinely believe Mark did not go after this man for that reason, and I really hope he can come out from hiding and show he is indeed unquestionably capable of consenting to a legal relationship (which this was). It may not remove the cloud over Mark's name but it will be a vindication of sorts.
Gidday Sam, keep up the good work!
cheers
-weez
Cheers weez, and you too bud.
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