*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
8th July 2000.
The following question was put on my behalf to the panel of speakers at the "Q21C (Queer in the 21st Century): Challenge & Response" Symposium at the University of Queensland:(The question was paraphrased by Geoff Barrie and received a response from Dr Paul Reynolds, who had presented a talk on the process of homosexual law reform in Queensland.)
Question for Q21C Symposium
The existence of a Sodomy Law in Queensland creates a situation where the vast majority of the public, as well as Government agencies themselves, wrongly believe that the age of consent for all male-to-male sex is 18 years old.
Both Attorney-General Matt Foley and Family Services Minister Anna Bligh have advised that they will not authorise a public awareness campaign to inform the public that it's 18 for anal intercourse, but 16 for everything else.
I believe that, through inaction, the Queensland Government is actively perpetuating discrimination against men aged between 16 and 18.
The only answer seems to be that the Sodomy Law itself must be dispensed with in order to achieve practical equality in sexual activity for everyone.
- Do you believe the Government would respond to a community demand to remove the Sodomy Law?
- What level of community activism would be needed to tip their hand?