The Adventures of QueerPenguin

I'm Not Surprised

Erk!! Father forgive me, it's been a while since my last confession. This whole doing-actual-work-at-my-job caper is seriously eating into life's important things, like blogging and...shit.

Anyways, I had a particularly heart-felt email from a QP reader asking me my thoughts on the latest Daily Terror queer bash posing as investigative journalism. So my reply, cynical old bitch that I am, is:

I'm not surprised.

I wish I could say I was particularly shocked, angered or upset by the latest anti-queer campaign of that painfully abrasive brand of toilet paper known as the Daily Telegraph, but I’m not. The Terror has form when it comes to scaremongering over raising awareness within young children of sexual diversity, and its attack on the Tillman Park Childcare Centre at Tempe, for “daring” to educate pre-schoolers about the reality of families with two mums or two dads, is yet another chapter in its depraved manifesto of gutter “journalism”.

I’m not surprised, because the specific target of the Terror’s assault is Marrickville Mayor Sam Byrne, who has proudly and explicitly supported the centre’s choice of juvenile texts depicting same-sex families in everyday situations. The Terror’s editorial delights in reminding its readers that Byrne’s mayoral campaign was actively supported by the Greens, one of the Murdoch media’s preferred whipping boys of choice. The Terror’s real agenda here is revealed in the final line, when it claims that “this outrage shows anyone considering a protest vote (ie, in favour of the Greens) should read the fine print”.

I’m not surprised that our state leaders on both sides of politics (if indeed, one believes a left/right dichotomy even exists in state politics anymore) have fallen over themselves to be the peppiest cheerleader for the Terror. Premier Iemma, who does not “personally believe it appropriate for two-year-olds to be dragged into the gay rights debate”, is but an unamusing Muppet, with the Terror’s arm wedged firmly up his backside and determining when and what he should speak, lest he say one thing by accident that might actually cost him one single vote.

I’m not surprised that our federal government has jumped on board to fuel the flames of ignorance and fear with absolute alacrity. Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop – who, would you believe, is considered a “moderate” in federal Liberal politics – is literally echoing the Terror (see the editorial) when shrieking about the “perverse biases put into early childhood development”. It’s precisely the sort of rhetoric that’s music to John Howard’s ear and will keep her accustomed to the front bench of that government.

I’m not surprised that the actual reality of this situation – a pre-school educating young minds to diverse families in a council with a high concentration of parental same-sex couples – has been lost in the s-bend flush of sensationalist headlines that define our least favourite tabloid rag.

Opponents of minority sexualities are fully aware that young minds are the most malleable to tolerance and understanding. That’s why this assault is so fierce and well-resourced. Maybe I’m just an overly cynical sod, but I only wish I could say I didn’t see something like this coming.

But I'm not so cynical I won't put out a "chin up" to any same-sex parents out there genuinely saddened by this garbage or fearing for their children and the subsequent victimisation they may face now this gay-bashing has once again been validated. I genuinely believe that, like the cognitive aberration that fueled racial segregation, this mind-set of hate will - eventually - dissipate through natural evolution.

See? Not such a cynical bitch after all.

posted by Sam @ Monday, May 29, 2006