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on Australian Justice |
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Compiled by GayToday
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesperson, Rodney Croome, says there's a clear link between such homophobic comments by public figures and street attacks on gay and lesbian people. "People who hate gays and lesbians will feel the viciousness which characterized Senator Bill Heffernan's attack on Justice Kirby, and the link Senator Heffernan has wrongly drawn between homosexuality and pedophilia, gives them permission to act violently", Mr. Croome said.
The editorial also criticized Australia's Prime Minister for his less than straightfoward stance: "Considered in itself, Senator Bill Heffernan's attack on High Court judge Michael Kirby is simply understood: it is as clear an abuse of parliamentary privilege as it is possible to imagine. "What is not clear is why Prime Minister John Howard thinks it acceptable to respond to Senator Heffernan's remarks evasively, neither endorsing nor repudiating them…While the Prime Minister continues to deal with Senator Heffernan's actions in this evasive manner, he risks creating the impression, wittingly or not, that the senator's campaign against Justice Kirby has his implicit support. The Age : A sorry abuse of privilege http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/03/14/1015909883936.html |
Sen. Bill Heffernan: Hateful remarks likely to cause violence against gays, activists say 