*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
26th
October 2007 Email
to Premier Anna Bligh re her ABC Radio 612 declaration, earlier this day, that
her Government is not even considering the issue of Equal Age Of Consent
Reform.
On 26th
October 2007 Premier Anna Bligh spent just seven seconds on ABC612’s
“Madonna King” program dismissing a 19 year old gay
Peter of Taringa was told by the show’s
producer that he had to keep his question to the Premier succinct, so he asked:
“I was wondering when the Queensland
Government was going to change the age of consent laws between differing sexual
activities from 18 for anal intercourse to 16 to be in line with vaginal
intercourse?
Premier Anna Bligh’s response was:
“Peter, our Government has no plans to
consider that issue. So I guess that the answer to your question is that there
is no time frame because we have no plans in relation to that.”
When
I heard this I immediately phoned the ABC in the hope of asking Premier Bligh
for exact reasons why her Government is not considering this reform, but I was
told that they do not allow callers to ask questions on matters which had
“already been dealt with”. I then sent this email to Premier Bligh expressing
my disappointment at her display of indifference, and also posing the 2
questions that she needs to answer in detail.
----- Original
Message -----
From: John
Frame
Cc: Peter
Ridgley
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 12:19 PM
Subject: Anna Bligh answer on Madonna King
show 26th Oct '07
To: Premier Anna Bligh ThePremier@premiers.qld.gov.au
C.c. to: Peter Ridgley p.ridgley@student.uq.edu.au
Dear Ms Bligh,
I listened
with hope to your session on today's Madonna King program on ABC612. The reason
for that hope was that I knew that 19 year old Taringa resident Peter
R****** would be phoning in to ask you a question regarding reform of
Peter had sent
me a copy of the 24th September 2007 email which he sent to yourself and to the
Attorney-General.
So you
ought to be aware that Peter is a 19 year old gay man in a 2
year relationship with an 18 year old man. Peter has advised you that he
has personally experienced some of the severe negative consequences of the
current law.
I was therefore horrified to hear you instantly dismiss his question, when - in just one line - you quoted the "no plans for reform" line which has been repeated - without any qualification - over the last few years by former Premier Peter Beattie and by the last four Attorneys-General.
You might as well have reached through the phone line and slapped Pete R******'s face. Our state's youth deserve more respect than this - they also deserve to be valued enough to be treated with equity.
The two Equal Age Of Consent
questions which needs to be answered with urgency are:
1. "Exactly what are the specific reasons for the Queensland Government's failure to enact a truly equal age of consent, especially in light of the specific July 2005 recommendation (as repeated in full further below) by its Anti-Discrimination Commissioner that urgent action was necessary.
2. "Considering that it has been at least three years since every other Australian state and territory enacted a truly equal age of consent, by which year will Queensland finally allow that same vital act of equal support and protection for youth?
I still hold some hope that you will answer these questions in sufficient detail, and I welcome your reply.
Yours sincerely,
John Frame
jvframe@ozemail.com.au
Ph: 07 3350 1562 / mobile: 0409 501 561
Post:
----"There is no substitute for equality"----
as per: http://www.queerradio.org/AOC150705_ADCQ.htm
15th July 2005 Letter from
The Commissioner concludes by stating that “It
is now imperative that
ADCQ
Anti
Discrimination Commission
Our Ref: E/0009
15 July 2005
The Honourable Rod Welford MP
Attorney-General and Minister for
Justice
GPO
Dear Attorney-General
DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEXUALITY -
I write in
support of various community organisations and individuals who are seeking the
repeal of
The provisions of
the Criminal Code which impose different minimum ages at which persons can
lawfully participate in sexual intercourse are inconsistent with the objects of
the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991.
The real effect
of the Code that makes vaginal intercourse unlawful for a person aged under 16
years, and anal intercourse unlawful for a person aged under 18 years is to
treat homosexual males differently to heterosexual males and females. It
therefore discriminates on the basis of sexuality.
These provisions
of the Criminal Code are inconsistent with the object of the Anti-Discrimination
Act 1991 to promote equality for everyone and protect them from unfair
discrimination, and the premise upon which the legislation was enacted, namely,
that everyone should be equal before and under the law and have the right to
equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination.
In 1994 in the
case of Toonen V Australia, the United Nations Human Rights Committee
ruled that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Riqhts prohibits
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The older age limit for
lawful sodomy in section 208 of the Criminal Code therefore constitutes a
discriminatory provision which breaches Article 26 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Other States and Territories have,
since the decision in Toonen, repealed similar discriminatory and
homophobic laws.
As well, the statistics recently released by Queensland
Health and the research of Melbourne's La Trobe University indicate that
homosexual males under the age of 18 are sexually active, many are not
practicing safe sex, with an increased incidence of HIV infection.
The research
provides a clear message. It is now imperative that
These legislative
changes will ensure that
Yours sincerely
SUSAN BOOTH
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Queensland
Cc The Honourable
Peter Beattie MP
Premier
and Minister for Trade
P0
CITY
Cc Mr John Frame
WAVELL
HEIGHTS QLD 4012
Cc. Action Reform Change