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Anti-Homophobic Lessons to Begin in Kindergarten Was Most Anti-Gay Australian State 12 Years Ago |
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By Rex Wockner International News Report
Tasmania was Australia's most anti-gay state 12 years ago. Now,
following a decade of high-profile work by the Tasmanian Gay and
Lesbian Rights Group (TGLRG), it is perhaps the nation's most
gay-friendly state.
In the latest development, the state Education Department announced April 7 that all schools from kindergarten to grade 12 will implement programs from an anti-homophobia kit. The department also has thrown its support behind a systemwide Stop Homophobia poster competition, given same-sex couples spousal rights under the Teacher Transfer Policy, and adopted a Departmental Language Policy to promote use of language that is inclusive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their relationships. "When it comes to challenging homophobia the Tasmanian school system has gone from being the worst in the country to being the best," said TGLRG founder Rodney Croome.
But the struggle had just begun. Conservative forces supporting the continued criminalization of sodomy staged large anti-gay rallies across the island. The crowds were whipped into near frenzies with lurid details of gay sex acts and assurances that an international homosexual conspiracy was plotting to overthrow world governments. This caused more Tasmanian homosexuals to come out of the closet and join TGLRG. In the small city of Ulverstone (pop. 10,000), 60 gays confronted 900 farmers with a "Talk To Us Not About Us" campaign. "I was absolutely terrified," TGLRG founder Rodney Croome recalled. "It reminded me of the 1950's in Atlanta -- something you'd see on television. They talked about this international conspiracy and said the aims of our movement were to genetically engineer perfect men for our personal pleasure and to pervert all men for our purposes. They talked about some horrendous sexual activities with bottles and displayed a big slide that detailed all the sexual practices of gay men." The crowd actually chanted, "Kill 'em, kill 'em." Reporters were horrified and extensive national TV coverage strongly favored the gay cause. The battle raged on. State Attorney General John 'Bullbars' Bennett proclaimed, "There will be no legalization of sodomy until hell freezes over." "There was just no other issue," Croome said. "The three major daily [Tasmanian] newspapers were stuffed with homosexuality." Pro-gay straights around the state formed branches of a group called HUGS, Heterosexuals Unafraid of Gays. But by 1991, the climate was still such that the state Legislative Council voted 11-4 to retain the sodomy law, the last such statute in Australia. Activists launched a case before the U.N. Human Rights Committee which, in 1994, ruled that the sodomy ban violated the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Lawmakers were unswayed. In 1996, they voted again to keep the law. Finally, in 1997, the dam broke. The House of Assembly and the Legislative Council legalized homosexuality. One year later, legislators banned discrimination, incitement of hatred and severe ridicule based on sexual orientation. By 1999, the state tourism bureau was producing a gay visitors guide. And earlier this year, Rodney Croome himself -- Tasmania's most famous gay freedom fighter -- was named an inaugural recipient of the government's Tasmania Day Community Service Award. Some stories do have happy endings. |
