*Age Of Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of Queensland, Australia - A campaign to remove our Sodomy Law (which was enacted in 1990).

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27^th June 2003 Email to the Premier of Queensland, Hon Peter Beattie, mentioning the news that had just broken regarding the 26^th June 2003 USA Supreme Court decision to overturn “Sodomy Laws” in all states. I invite the Premier to advise when Queensland will act on law reform and suggest our state will be an international embarrassment to Australia because of its reticence to act.

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From: "John Frame" jvframe@bigpond.net.au

To: "The Premier" ThePremier@premiers.qld.gov.au

References: AB33712F9FB5764BB8651DF2E6A538D50164020B@hermes.premiers.qld.gov.au

Subject: Sodomy Law Reform in Queensland

Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2003 19:29:48 +1000

Dear Mr Beattie,

Tomorrow, Saturday 28th June 2003 we are hosting a forum for youth at the NASH Theatre in Fortitude Valley in order to give youth a platform for some expression of their feelings on the ongoing problems caused by Queensland's 1990 Sodomy Law. The Law remains in spite of the fact that you personally know this to be a bad law (from your recommendations as chair of the 1990 PCJC Committee Report).

Today the USA Supreme Court has made a landmark final decision which strikes down similar Sodomy Laws across the entire United States.

Queensland is the only state in Australia with a Sodomy law - and with the recent "across the board" equalisation of age of consent in New South Wales, that situation seems all the more embarrassing.

Not only has Queensland's Sodomy Law effectively prevented the proper education of at-risk youth regarding safe sexual practices, but it has also denied tens of thousands of youth the possibility of being accepted by their peers as honest and good individuals - inclusive of their sexuality. You can't replace those lost opportunities, but you can act now, as a matter of urgency, to ensure that Queensland does not continue to be seen as the backward laughing-stock of Australia, in regard to age of consent.

You are welcome to send a representative to tomorrow's Youth Forum to tell any youth attending that Queensland Labor is prepared to take a proper moral stand on effecting law reform. If that is not possible, then I look forward to hearing from you by mail, email or by phone, as to when the Government is likely to act.

You know that I have been lobbying both yourself and the Attorney-General for the last 3 full years on this matter - all details are stored for public access at www.queerradio.org/AgeOfConsent.htm .

Details of tomorrow's Youth Forum are stored at http://www.queerradio.org/YouthForumAgeOfConsent.htm.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

John Frame
Ph: 3350 1562 / 0409 501 561

82 Main Avenue, Wavell Heights 4012.
more details: www.queerradio.org/JohnFrame.html
"There is no substitute for equality"