Well I have had problems trying to upload my blog post but after spendig 3hrs on it over the last two nights I am to tired but will do it tommorrow. Promise.

This is a test but I won’t tell anybody if you don’t

I am having a great holiday I will blog some photos later tonight. The hard bit has been that my grandfather is about to pass away it is not urgent at the moment but it is now weeks and at any time his health could get worse fast and once that happens it won’t be a long process. It is fair to say that I don’t have a lot of good memories of my pop its a long story but I do love him. I have not spent a lot of time with him but I was thinking today of a few little fun memories including playing the pokies with him a few weeks ago. So instead of going straight back to Sydney I will be going via Ulladulla to spend a bit of time with him. At the moment it looks like I will go back to Sydney and work but anytime in the next 2 weeks he will pass away.

We have been aware of his condition over the last month or so once he came down to see my sick grandma so its not a shock that he is starting to deteriorate. It is still hard and today was a emotional day just starting to think about what it means for me and the family. So long story short not a great way to be spending the end of my holiday but also nice to have some space to work through this; so its going to be a interesting few weeks.

More holiday stuff shortly…

First off I don’t want to tell people how to vote. As most readers know I have always support liberal but due to me been on holidays I did a postal vote and I didn’t vote liberal crazy aye. I am sure my parents will freak.

I did just want to touch on gay issues in the upcoming election. I don’t believe in one policy parties and I never support voting for one party because of one issue because there are so many that effect us and the country and I don’t want to give my vote to somebody that may support gay issues but also make me unemployed. Sydney Star Observer has wrote an article about voting and what parties to support if you would like to make your vote count to support the GLBT community.

Read Sydney Star Observer’s article

” All people are equal, the major parties have agreed, but some commitments are more equal than others: the Liberals have promised to fix discrimination in Commonwealth superannuation, while Labor will reform all 58 areas identified by Innes and offer a relationship registry.

Smaller parties and high profile independents – including the Greens, Democrats, Hear Our Voice, Dani Ecuyer and Philip Nitschke – have also campaigned strongly to appeal to the gay community – with most supporting same-sex marriage.”

Do what you believe is right for you & the country. Happy voting (the NSW senate ballot has 79 candidates this time)

Well today after Megan & I kept complaining about the mat in my car it caused a accident. Yes whilst on the Blackwood Creek Rd coming around a corner my mat got caught under the brake pedal, I hit the dirt span and ran into a farmers fence. Causing “moderate” damage the cop said. So the car car is ok but that look isn’t. So this week looks like my car will be getting repaired, hopefully they will be able to get it done within the week and I get a free rental car out of it. Anyway im ok, car is drivable no damage to engine apart of the car just the body. Nice police man & met 2 nice John guys who assisted in the recovery.

Oh yeah I have also lost my number plate me & the farmer both couldn’t find it.

Will report the outcome of this & my holiday as things progress.

Well I am sitting on the Spirit of Tasmania about to leave Port Melbourne. It has been a interesting experience been in Melbourne. It hasn’t been all bad so thats good. Really just don’t know my way around and that scares me. I am so used to knowing Sydney and been able to get myself around.

So anyway here I am sitting on the boat, I got my boat license a few months ago; I wonder if that means I can drive the boat now. I might go ask. I really miss the boat from Sydney; for the convenience factor but it was a nice trip loved sailing out of the heads and was only about $80 more expensive, you got a bed and free dinner and breakfast. This time I am just getting a seat no bed so not too keen about that and everything costs money. Only good thing is that they have a pockies on board that makes me exited!

Interesting thinking about returning to Tasmania, having to be hard work leaving the past of Fusion behind and not getting involved about the shit that was involved about that. It has also been a interesting process contacting some old friends from that time and seeing if anybody responded and alot haven’t and I really like that good to know who your friends are and how think I have jumped the fusion ship.

Looking forward to catching up with some friends but also exploring. Hopefully I will get some sleep tonight (got some pills to help that process).

Will report tomorrow evening!

Here I am sitting at Megan’s house in Melbourne. I hate Melbourne always have. This is the first time that I have personally driven in Melbourne & its scary because there are trams that go ding ding and that freaks me out.

Anyway it was a nice drive, we listened to the waifs, diesel, crowded house, adam hills, ABC-Cricket, Dave Hughs, cat empire, pete murray. I did it in about 9hrs so that was good didn’t really stop much. I stayed over at a old work friends place and today we are hanging out then the boat tonight. Its only gonna take 8hrs and not gonna sleep much just have a seat irrr.

Photos soon

Well over the past few years I have left this side of my life outside of my blog but today that all changes & this in lots of ways is scary to publicly have on record that I am gay. For everybody who knows me, this is old news so mostly this won’t be a shock but here it is for the world to see. Over the past few months I have been more & more involved in the gay community and now am very much a open gay guy. With this brings its own issues with friends (mostly Christian’s & liberal voters), family (especially the parents) and religion in general been so isolated from this community. My forum tonight is not to have a debate about religion and homosexually. I will post these two links that express views on gay Christians; this is a interpretation and people bring so much of there own views, experiences, upbring and societies general view meaning that both normal Christians & gay Christian views are corrupt because the bible is not clear and we need to interpret. So have a look if your interested in these articles and I am very open to discussion. My one comment about this will be, is that God loves everybody and when it comes down to it, it doesn’t really matter. I will discuss these issues in depth at another time.

MCC (Metropolitan christian church sydney) position paper “Homosexuality is Not a Sin”
GCN (Gay christian network) Read the founder’s; Justin’s view on what he believes

So what I would like to discuss the issues facing homosexual people in Australia. I don’t think that you have to be a supporter of gay relationships to be disgusted with the current issues facing the gay community.

Federal recognition of same-sex relationships
At present the federal goverment does not view relationships of same-sex as equal to heterosexual ones. In this I am not saying gay marriage I am more talking about how de-facto & partner relationships with heterosexual couples are accepted as a relationship and thus receiving the benefits of there relationships from a government’s perspective. This includes but not limited to areas of taxation, social security, defense, insurance, immigration, pensions & superannuation. Because the federal goverment has not recognised same-sex relationships lives of thousands of same-sex couples are disadvantaged and more than that it is clear cut discrimination. If another minority group eg people from another country, people who vote democrats or people who like tea instead of coffee (you get my point) in society were treated like this everybody would be screaming to change this.

For more information read the Gay & lesbian rights lobby position on federal same-sex relationship discrimination

My second issue I would like to discuss is anti-discrimination & social justice issues.
If you have read the paper in the last few months the violence towards same-sex attached peeps in oxford street have increased (read a article from Sydney star observer on Police ministers promise to end street violence). Same-sex attracted people are daily discriminated against from the workplace, media, the law & even the public with one in four Australian’s don’t want gay people as neighbors the Human Beliefs and Values Survey found. The GLRL puts it nicely “We need a comprehensive federal anti-discrimination act, as well as a more effective state anti-discrimination scheme. More than this, we need to challenge homophobia in all aspects of society to ensure that lesbians and gay men are afforded social justice.”

Read more from GLRL
views on Anti-Discrimination and Social Justice

Just on that point as a youth worker and a young adult who has grown up been gay in society and only coming out in my late teens the discrimination and difficulties that GLBT young people face are increasing difficult. Issues with parents, and coming out to them and your friends. For me school was a interesting place going to a Christian school we were told a number of times that gay people are gonna burn in hell. As a young person working through there sexuality this wasn’t helpful from teachers and parents that didn’t support and help you work these things through. Adolescents is a hard time to go through no matter what, but with the issues of GLBT added in it makes a evil mix. Stats would say that approx 10% of the population are gay meaning schools with 1000 kids there is 100 kids dealing with issues of been same-sex attracted. Now this is a generalisation but in every school there would be a number of young people dealing with this issues and I would advocate more support needs to go into supporting these young people with the issues that they face.

For my last rant I would like bring to your attention is blood donation. If you have in the past twelve months you have had male to male sex you are not allowed to give blood at the bloodbank, you also can’t give blood if you have had sexual activity with a male you thing might be bisexual. I find this terrible, what should it matter who I sleep with for me to give blood, I find this crazy. (Red cross blood service selection criteria-sexual activity). I have yet to find a reason for this and will intend to over the next few weeks. But I will say now what difference does it make gay or straight you still can carry the same virus’ around. maybe people would say that gay people have more of a chance of contracting but this is bullshit (first time I have ever sworn on my blog) the same website says that they test for HIV, Hep B & C, Human T-cell lymphotropic virus & syphilis (Australian red cross blood service-safety and testing). So why should it matter can anybody tell me?

For me one thing that I found interesting is starting to look into the history of gay rights in Australia and I have a deeper understanding of why society is still so not used to gay rights. Did you know that it wasn’t until 1984 the Australian medical association removed homosexuality as a illness. My question is what is faith, what is upbring, what is wrong, what is just something different, what’s fair & what’s bullshit?

I will in the coming week talk about politics and gay but this is enough for me. Hope nobody is freaked out about finding out im gay and hurt that I didn’t tell them. I should have wrote a list, sometimes I forget who I told.

Its been a long time blogging; more to come tomorrow afternoon.

Interesting day today…”its been emotional” (Lock stock two smoking barrels)