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I was really amazed to learn almost half of
all Australians still cannot tolerate gay people. Surely we have come a long way since the days, almost 30 years ago, when [TV show] 'No.96's Joe Hasham shocked his way into suburban lounge rooms across the nation? But clearly not. A Melbourne study, published in the 'Australian Social Monitor', says 48 per cent of Australians still think homosexual behaviour is "always wrong". How could that be after years of school programs teaching children it's not abnormal to be gay, anti-discrimination laws, a generally sympathetic media and heaps of positive role models? Now, of course, it's understandable for the gay movement to write these people off as trapped in a time-warp and ignore them. But we're talking about almost half the nation. Maybe it's time the gay movement had a rethink on its image. Maybe Australia needs to see fewer gay mardi gras and more gays mowing the grass, clipping the hedges and maintaining the white picket fence. Put away the gold lamé, boys, and bring out the Hush Puppies. Drastic times, or at least drastic statistics, call for drastic measures. Call me out of touch, but I had no idea so many Australians felt that way. I have very close friends and in-laws who are gay or lesbian and as far as I could make out their sexuality was not of the slightest concern to anyone else. Even my 91-year-old grandmother got over it years ago. Two are in stable long-term relationships, and another wishes he was. All hold down highly respectable jobs, and all are -- if anything -- socially conservative. Yet it seems they are already offside with half the country before they are even introduced. I was so naive about all this that I thought [TV show] 'Big Brother's Johnnie was paranoid when he was evicted and immediately lashed out at the producers for deliberately making him look two-faced and bitchy -- the "bad gay". While I had registered that he was gay, that's about all the time and thought I had put into his sexuality. I just found it a little disconcerting he'd knife Sara-Marie in the diary room and then console her with loving hugs. But now I see Johnnie was on to something. Perhaps we do need more gays like him to look normal and unthreatening. Obviously, too many Australians see gays as quite the opposite and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the most famous and influential symbol of gay culture, is a big part of the problem. It may have started with the best intentions, showing gays had the courage to publicly walk the streets without hiding their sexuality and demanding more be done to reduce the AIDS toll. Since then it's degenerated into an in-your-face celebration of casual sex, public nudity and a sneering contempt for others' religious beliefs. As a way to win friends among more conservative people, it stinks. It tells them gays don't care for fidelity, respect or plain good manners. Even my late grandmother found it hard to take. She'd wince every time she saw TV ads for the mardi gras with nude nuns, bare bums and bits stuffed into leather pouches. What I'd like to see is more gays coming out and showing us the truth -- that being gay just a characteristic and not a cause. True, we are slowly getting there. Justice Michael Kirby, of the High Court, fits the bill pretty closely. We also have a couple of state and federal MPs who are publicly and respectably gay. But, given this latest survey, you can understand why most gay sportsmen would be a little nervous about how their sponsors and fans would react. With homophobia still so strong, I can't blame gays for preferring to keep their sexuality private. Perhaps it's time to can the mardi gras. I think gays have won the battle for rights. The challenge is to win respect. |