Down Under

Down in Australia the results from a nationwide non-binding referendum are in and marriage freedom won! But… you know there is always a “but.” This time it is the fact that the parliament conservatives are against marriage equality, so they are proposing a “religious bigot freedom” bill.

Conservatives Try to Sneak 'Religious Freedom' Into Australia's Marriage Bill
The right is using marriage equality as a Trojan horse for anti-LGBT legislation.
The Advocate
By Daniel Reynolds
November 13 2017


Australia is expecting a sizable "yes" majority to the question of legalizing same-sex marriage, according to recent polls.

However, this vote is nonbinding, which means it is up to the country's Parliament to pass legislation. And versions of this marriage equality bill include so-called religious freedom exemptions that attack LGBT rights, reports Al Jazeera.

Sen. Dean Smith, a member of the ruling Liberal Party (which is actually conservative), drafted a bill with bipartisan support that would give religious officials the power to refuse to marry same-sex couples.

Okay, that is the same as the U.S. which doesn’t force religious officials to perform marriages for same-sex partners. But…

An even more draconian bill written Monday by Sen. James Paterson would give a broad license to discriminate against LGBT people to businesses, teachers, parents, and nonprofits. If passed, this law would, for example, allow a baker to refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple, or students to "opt out of classes that conflict with their values," said Paterson.

"If it is wrong to force a priest to participate in a same-sex wedding against their beliefs, it should be wrong to force a florist or a photographer too," Paterson told The Australian.

So once again the conservatives ignore the consensus of the voters to push their agenda of hate and bigotry.

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In other news, the military has now said they will cover our medically necessary healthcare include Gender Confirming Surgery (GCS).

Pentagon to Pay for Surgery for Transgender Soldier
NBC News
By Courtney Kube
November 14, 2017

WASHINGTON — An active-duty service member was to undergo gender transition surgery Tuesday in the first such procedure approved under a waiver allowing the Pentagon to pay for the operation, according to a Defense Department document.

The patient is an infantry soldier who identifies as a woman, according to a source close to the service member. She got her Combat Infantry Badge in Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan in 2003, the source said.

Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, head of the Defense Health Agency, which provides medical care to active-duty personnel, approved the waiver request for the surgery Monday, defense officials said.

Now the question is; is this going to be just a onetime coverage or will it be policy? Will they cover only a lucky few servicemembers who have already received permission for surgery?

Time will tell.

If Trump’s ban on trans servicemembers stands up in court then I think we should push to have ROTC kicked off college campuses. Back when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) was the law of the land colleges kicked ROTC off their campus because it did not conform to their non-discrimination policies and the same should be done for us.