hey i am josh(gaytheist)

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Welcome, Josh!

I don't know why everyone's picking on your sexuality...I think admitting you're from the UK should have been the major point of contention...

It certainly was here from the 1960's,when we hated the Pommies*,who took the focus off the Italians and Greeks.(being a Pommie) who in turn were replaced by the Vietnamese. Today we hate the Muslims.

Plus ca change ,plus c'est la meme chose.


Australia is one of the more homophobic countries in the developed world. gay bashing was a national sport here until well into the 1980's. There was an especially vile case here in 1972 when a gay university lecturer ,Dr George Duncan was murdered in such an incident. 'The word' has always been that it was done by police. Dr Duncan was drowned in the Torrens river,which runs behind Adelaide university.This incident led to South Australia becoming the first state in Australia decriminalise homosexual activity.

Things began to change in this State with the election of a blatantly gay Premiere (like a US state governor) Don Dunstan.He liked safari suits an once wore pink hot pants to parliament.Everyone pretended he was just 'colourful'. Don had homosexual acts between consenting adults legalised in South Australia in the early 1970's


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*POMMIES: A pejorative term for an English person. Does not apply to Scots,Welsh or Irish.: One of the reasons was in the 1950's and 60's the English were known as 'ten pound tourists".They paid only ten English pounds for their fare by ship.The Australian government paid the rest. The condition was that they had to remain in Australia for two years or the full fare became payable.Although the majority were people who wanted a new life, many were idiots who just wanted a holiday and who whinged constantly. Fortunately the whingers tended to leave after their two years.


Many South Australian still revere Dunstan:

A reformist, Dunstan brought profound change to South Australian society. His socially progressive administration saw Aboriginal land rights recognised, homosexuality decriminalised, the first female judge appointed, the first non-British governor, Sir Mark Oliphant, and later, the first indigenous governor Douglas Nicholls. He enacted consumer protection laws, reformed and expanded the public education and health systems, abolished the death penalty, relaxed censorship and drinking laws, created a ministry for the environment, enacted anti-discrimination legislation, and implemented electoral reforms such as the overhaul of the Legislative Council of parliament, lowered the voting age to 18, and enacted universal suffrage, and completely abolished malapportionment, changes which gave him a less hostile parliament and allowed him to enact his reforms. He established Rundle Mall, enacted measures to protect buildings of historical heritage, and encouraged a flourishing of the arts, with support for the Adelaide Festival Centre, the State Theatre Company, and the establishment of the South Australian Film Corporation. He encouraged cultural exchanges with Asia, multiculturalism and an increase in the state's culinary awareness and sophistication. He is recognised for his role in reinvigorating the social, artistic and cultural life of South Australia during his nine years in office, remembered as the Dunstan Decade. However, there were also problems; the economy began to stagnate, and the large increases to burgeoning public service generated claims of waste. One of Dunstan's pet projects, a plan to build a new city at Monarto to alleviate urban pressures in Adelaide, were abandoned when economic and population growth stalled, with much money and planning already invested. After four consecutive election wins, Dunstan's administration began to falter in 1978 following his dismissal of Police Commissioner Harold Salisbury, as controversy broke out over whether he had improperly interfered into a judicial investigation; the police had been systematically keeping dossiers on left-wing politicians. In addition, policy problems and unemployment began to mount, as well as unsubstantiated rumours of corruption and personal impropriety. Dunstan became increasingly short-tempered, and the strain was increased by the death of his second wife. His resignation from the premiership and politics in 1979 was abrupt after collapsing due to ill health, however he would live for another 20 years, remaining a vocal and outspoken campaigner for left-wing social policy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Dunstan