Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd Flips: I Support Marriage Equality

Australian former PM Kevin Rudd, who opposed a 2009 amendment while in office that would have paved the way for marriage equality, declared today that he has changed his mind in a lengthy post on his blog.

Said Rudd, in part:

I have come to the conclusion that church and state can have different positions and practices on the question of same sex marriage. I believe the secular Australian state should be able to recognise same sex marriage. I also believe that this change should legally exempt religious institutions from any requirement to change their historic position and practice that marriage is exclusively between a man and a woman. For me, this change in position has come about as a result of a lot of reflection, over a long period of time, including conversations with good people grappling with deep questions of life, sexuality and faith.

Rudd said that he changed his mind after a talk with a former political staffer, a Christian active in his Pentecostal Church, sat down with the former PM and told him that he wanted to be married.

Added Rudd:

And so the re-think began, once again taking me back to first principles. First, given that I profess to be a Christian (albeit not a particularly virtuous one) and given that this belief informs a number of my basic views; and given that I am given a conscience vote on these issues; then what constitutes for me a credible Christian view of same sex marriage, and is such a view amenable to change? Second, irrespective of what that view might be, do such views have a proper place in a secular state, in a secular definition of marriage, or in a country where the census tells us that while 70% of the population profess a religious belief, some 70% of marriages no longer occur in religious institutions, Christian or otherwise.

Rudd adds that homosexuality is not a choice:

I for one have never accepted the argument from some Christians that homosexuality is an abnormality. People do not choose to be gay. The near universal findings of biological and psychological research for most of the post war period is that irrespective of race, religion or culture, a certain proportion of the community is born gay, whether they like it or not. Given this relatively uncontested scientific fact, then the following question that arises is should our brothers and sisters who happen to be gay be fully embraced as full members of our wider society? The answer to that is unequivocally yes, given that the suppression of a person's sexuality inevitably creates far greater social and behavioural abnormalities, as opposed to its free and lawful expression.

He continues, speaking about the arguments that it might hurt children, and debunks the right-wing arguments against that, concluding:

Finally, as someone who was raised for the most important part of his childhood by a single mum, I don’t buy the argument that I was somehow developmentally challenged because I didn’t happen to have a father. The loving nurture of children is a more complex business than that.

Rudd says he won't be taking a leadership role on the issue but just wanted to make his new position known, urging the legislature to enact the freedom to marry for all.

Growing Up, Coming Out, and Learning to Speak the Language of Love: VIDEO

The process of coming out as gay and falling in love for the first time is explored in the new short film The Language of Love written by and starring 17-year-old Kim Ho, who developed it with Australian playwright Tommy Murphy and the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney.

Watch the touching film, AFTER THE JUMP...

Ho's film, directed by Laura Scrivano, began as a monologue called 'Transcendence' he wrote for a competition for The Voices Project.

Do-It-Yourself Rainbow Crosswalks Popping Up All Over Sydney in Response to Shameful Crossing Removal

Yesterday I reported on the shameful action by NSW Roads and Maritime Services in Sydney, which stealthily removed a much beloved rainbow crosswalk in the middle of the night.

Now, rainbow crosswalks have begun springing up all over Sydney in response to the removal in a kind of chalk and paint revellion.

The do-it-yourself demonstration even has its own Facebook page.

Sydney and its Gay Community are Furious After the State Ripped Out its Rainbow Crosswalk in the Middle of the Night

Since its Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Sydney's Council and LGBT community has been involved in a debate with the city over keeping a rainbow crosswalk in the center of its gay village.

Last night, a city official (with the last name Gay, ironically) gave the order to remove the crosswalk, the Daily Telegraph reports:

Roads and Maritime Services removed the crossing overnight at the request of Roads Minister Duncan Gay, ending the stalemate between Sydney Council and the government. [Lord Mayor] Cr Moore, who was hosting a forum on the council's cultural policy when the trucks started to arrive at Taylor Square last night, said the move was "a retrograde step".

"I felt they'd come like a thief in the night to remove this crossing that had had such amazing support from the community and which had such support from the business community in Oxford St," she said "It's a sad day for us as a contemporary, progressive city and I thought that's what the crossing symbolised."

LGBT site Same Same adds:

The official reason for its destruction is that it is “unsafe”, but Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich and Mayor Clover Moore has shown the safety risk assessment of the crossing is “low risk”, clearly debuking Roads and Maritime Services concern. Greenwich suggested emergency crews were dispatched last night from Ultimo to vanquish the crossing, again raising questions about government resource allocation to instill discrimination and also begging the question about where priorities lie.

“It’s one thing to call for the removal, but to divert RMS crews under the guise of emergency road works is an aggressive act that Sydneysiders will not forget,” he reacts angrily. “Local businesses, residents, and the City of Sydney Council were not given any notice. This even surprised the RMS crew who at the last minute were instructed to remove the crossing."

UPDATE: Towleroad (@TLRD) Twitter follower @LiamGeslaf has alerted us that a rainbow crossing memorial has started at the site of the former crosswalk.

Supporters can plant their own flags or buy one at the site.

A Touching Video Tribute to Australia's Fight for LGBT Equality: WATCH

A compilation of Aussie pop culture, news items and politics on the topic of equality.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via dna magazine)

Gay Mardi Gras Police Brutality Victim Speaks Out in Interview: VIDEO

Jamie Jackson, the reveler at the center of the Sydney Gay Mardi Gras police brutality incident, sat down for an interview with Jan Grimshaw of Australia's A Current Affair. Jackson talks about what led to the incident. Jackson, who was in costume, says the incident started when he touched a girl and was accused of assault.

Meanwhile, a second video has emerged which shows Jackson possibly swinging at an officer as he was apprehended before he was slammed to the ground in front of onlookers.

Watch both videos, AFTER THE JUMP...