*Age Of
Consent & Legal Sexual Activity for the State of
From the website of Queer Radio, the gay & lesbian Community Radio program on 4ZZZ fm102.1
in
Correspondence
Summary List…
Items are in reverse chronological order - from the most recent back to
Click the date of each item to go to the FULL TEXT of that
document (with hyperlinks
to jpeg images of the original documents):
10th May 2010 Letter to all Queensland Members of Parliament
(posted individually to their electorate office). I draw their attention to the 3rd February 2010
statement by retired High Court judge Hon. Michael Kirby in which he
clearly states that Queensland’s discriminatory age of consent law should be
reformed. The letter follows up an email
sent to each Member of Parliament on 21 April 2010 to account for the
possibility of any of the emails having been blocked by spam filters.
1st March 2010 Email with to Premier Anna Bligh and Attorney-General Cameron
Dick. Regarding the 3rd February 2010 statement by
the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG of strong support for equal age of consent
reform in Queensland. Michael Kirby retired as a Justice of the High Court
of Australia in February 2009. The
email contains the full text of the statement by the Hon. Michael Kirby (rather
than adding the pdf file as an attachment or risking that the recipient
wouldn’t bother to download it).
10th December 2009 Email with confirmation letter to Premier Anna Bligh,
Attorney-General Cameron Dick and to my local MP Hon. Neil Roberts. Regarding the QNews magazine article “Gay Sex In
4th December 2009 Feature article by John Frame published by
QNews magazine in their 4th
December edition (#235) on page 9 “. Slightly edited for space by Toby Longhurst, with the headline “Gay Sex In
23rd September 2009 Email to all
29th July 2009 Email to Premier Anna Bligh, Attorney-General
Cameron Dick and to the Courier Mail as well as The Australian. On the previous evening, 28 July 2009, Tony
Fitzgerald – author of the 1989 Fitzgerald Report on widespread official
corruption in
1st July 2009 Email to all
I pose two questions:
(1) As
Members of Parliament, regardless of your personal moral conviction, you are
all mature men and women. How many of you would reasonably expect that 16 and
17 year olds who are living as a couple would not be engaging in
sexual intercourse?
(2) How
many of you would expect that it would be fair for young same sex couples
in
29th May 2009 Email to Premier Anna Bligh, Attorney-General
Cameron Dick, my local MP Neil Roberts and to the Courier Mail. I point out that I have discovered that, since at least 2008, Queensland Labor’s
official Policy Platform has included written support for equal age of consent
reform: Section 7.9 of the Justice and Governance
Chapter has been: "7.9 Labor will ensure
uniformity of age among laws relating to the age of consent for lawful sexual
activity;". Also on 18th
October 2008 Queensland Labor’s Kingston Regional Conference officially called for the Attorney-General to
act on that policy, but there was no response from the Attorney-General.
I ask “Since it is clearly Queensland Labor's own written
official Policy to act on equal age of consent reform, when will the Queensland
Government bring this state into line with the rest of
24th April 2009 Email to
21st April 2009 Letter to newly appointed Attorney-General
Cameron Dick citing Qld Anti-Discrimination Susan Booth’s 15th
July 2005 letter calling for urgent reform and offering a brief outline of
how the unequal age of consent should never have been passed. I show
that there is no Hansard evidence of any Member of Parliament arguing either
for or against a higher age for anal intercourse in the three opportunities for
them to do so. I state that Queensland Labor has a proven record that they have
a moral obligation to enact equal age of consent reform and ask for an honest
commitment and effective timeframe for action. Premier Bligh has advised that the decision on reform is entirely in
the hands of the Attorney-General and we can only hope that this new Minister
will prove himself to be a man of integrity and action.
20th October 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. to Premier Anna Bligh and Attorney-General Kerry Shine) in which I highlight that Queensland’s
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner advised the Government on 15th July 2005 that the discriminatory
unequal age of consent is in clear contravention of Article 26 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights. This was the argument which brought
international pressure to force law reform in
20th June
2008 Email to all
12th May 2008 Email to Tim Herbert, Senior Policy Advisor to
12th
May 2008 Email from Tim Herbert, Senior Policy Advisor to
30th April 2008
Email to Premier Anna Bligh and to Attorney-General Kerry
Shine referring to the 30th
April 2008 announcement by Federal Attorney-General Robert McLelland that the
Rudd Government would be acting to fix 100 identified areas of national law
which currently discriminate against same sex couples. I state that “The
Rudd Government's action is highly praiseworthy - however equality in
Queensland needs to first take the step of bringing its legal treatment of
same sex attracted youth into line with the rest of Australia, by equalising
the age of consent”.
I also question the validity of the Bligh
Government’s claim that there are widely held views in opposition to this
reform – citing the
fact that a statewide hour long program on the ABC local radio network (7-8pm,
23 April 2008) discussed Queensland’s unequal age of consent in detail – and
yet not one person opposed the suggestion that the age of consent should be
truly equal at 16.
16th April 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. to Premier Anna Bligh and
Attorney-General Kerry Shine) regarding their 14th April 2008 article in which I note the quote
from the Premier: "I can certainly say that as
(a past) education minister, I'm aware that many teachers and many guidance
officers and school support staff face the reality of talking to young people
about their sexuality."
I challenge the Bligh
Government to answer these two key questions:
(1) In 1990 Peter Beattie's PCJC Committee recommended an equal age of
consent at 16, so why is our
(2) When can
12th April 2008
Email to Premier Anna Bligh and to Attorney-General Kerry
Shine referring to my 12th April 2008 email to the Courier Mail
and their 12th
April 2008 cover story “School bans gay couples” (by Robyn Ironside).
The same journalist also wrote a complementary page 2 article “Teenagers well aware of
their sexual preferences”- which included the unequal age of consent.
12th April 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail regarding their 12th April 2008
cover story “School bans gay couples” (by
Robyn Ironside). The same journalist
also wrote a complementary page 2 article “Teenagers well aware of
their sexual preferences”- which included the unequal age of consent.
3rd April 2008 Email to Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. Premier Anna Bligh,
Attorney-General Kerry Shine, ADCQ Commissioner Susan Booth). "Bligh
should be as proud as Goss of our Anti-Discrimination Act". I refer to a recent statement on the ABC TV’s 4 Corners by
former Premier Wayne Goss that he counted the Anti-Discrimination Act as one of
his proud achievements as Premier. I point out that it is now nearly 3 years
since Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth wrote to the
Premier and Attorney-General calling for urgent equal age of consent reform. I
state that: “The Bligh Government ought to prove that it
continues to respect and take pride in our Anti-Discrimination Act by finally
responding to the Commissioner's recommendation - with the knowledge that they
will be doing a great good by allowing necessary legal equity for all
Queensland youth.”
22nd March 2008 Email to Editor of
the Courier Mail (C.c. Premier Anna Bligh, Attorney-General Kerry Shine) regarding the
19th
January 2008
Email to all
5th
December 2007
Letter from
Premier Ana Bligh in response to my 26th
October 2007 email. The problems with this letter are:
(a)
it misrepresents the nature of the
needed reform – which is in fact about allowing equal support and protection
for all youth at age 16, and NOT about ”lowering
the age of consent for sex between males”. This shows that the Government is
as ignorant as those in the general public who assume that the act of anal
intercourse virtually defines “sex between males”. The truth is that the current
law makes anal intercourse the only
sexual activity which is illegal for any
person (of any gender or sexuality) if aged under 18. Widespread ignorance
leads many to assume that ALL sex between males is illegal if either of them is
aged under 18. A truly equal age of
consent is necessary in order to remove the current resulting
discrimination against same sex attracted youth and also to enable the maximum
protection and support of all youth.
(b)
it does not address the two specific
Equal Age Of Consent questions which required urgent answers. They were:
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?
NB: On 7th January 2008
I phoned Deputy Chief Of Staff Stephen Beckett’s office, hoping to discuss the
above points. He was not available. On 9th January 2008 I received a
call from Jessica, a worker in his office. She took details of my concerns and
assured me that someone with legal authority would phone me in the near
future.
2nd December 2007 Email to ABC Radio 612 announcer Madonna King regarding
her blatant attempt to sabotage my “talk back” question for Premier Anna Bligh
on 30th November
2007 on the issue of Equal Age Of Consent Reform. On the eve of World AIDS Day, I particularly wanted The Premier
to address the fact that the current law actively impedes adequate relevant
safe sex education for 16 and 17 year olds. Sadly ABC presenter Madonna King
allowed The Premier to get away with an answer which was pure obfuscation.
30th November 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh re
her ABC Radio 612 dismissal, earlier this day, of my own question on the issue
of Equal Age Of Consent Reform. On the eve
of World AIDS Day, I particularly wanted The Premier to address the fact that
the current law actively impedes adequate relevant safe sex education for 16
and 17 year olds. Sadly ABC presenter Madonna King allowed The Premier to get
away with an answer which was pure obfuscation.
Listen to the question and
response here as an mp3 ( 570k, 1m 40s).
Please note: Madonna King did
her level best to sabotage my question. On 26 October 2007 I had spoken off-air only with her show’s producer
and I was advised that they do not allow more than one question to the Premier
on any one topic – and that my only option would be to phone back on 30
November and take my chances with every other caller at getting to put my
question to the Premier.
I had asked:
"Regarding the fact that Queensland, since 2003, it's been the only
state or territory Australia which has an unequal age of consent and that
leaves Queensland's 16 and 17 year olds in a situation where they're not
getting adequate relevant safe sex education, why is the Queensland Government
not willing to change the law so that Queensland 16 and 17 year olds are
treated with equal protection, equal support - especially regarding HIV
infection - as is every other youth around Australia?"
I had clearly stated that 16 and 17
year old youth were not getting “adequate relevant” safe sex education – I did
not say that the current law blocks all safe sex education. It seems clear from the
experience of both Peter R. On 26 October 2007 and myself on this day,
that Premier Bligh cannot be expected to give a straight answer to any question
on this issue.
2nd November 2007 Email from the office of Hon. Attorney-General Mr. Kerry
Shine in
reply to my 24th
September 2007 email. The Attorney-General ignores the issue I had raised of the
increasing risk of HIV for youth as a result of the current law and once again merely repeats the
Government’s standard line of “no … plans for reform in this area”.
1st
November 2007
Letter from
Premier Ana Bligh – still no action. The Premier
acknowledges my 10th
October 2007 email in which I referred to
newly published data on increased incidence of HIV infection in
Premier Bligh notes the contents
of my email but continues Peter Beattie’s stance of leaving all responsibility
for official decision making on this matter with the Attorney-General.
26th October 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh
re her declaration, earlier this day on ABC Radio 612, 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.
10th October 2007 Email to Premier Anna Bligh (C.c. Attorney- General Kerry
Shine and the Editor of the Courier Mail) referring to
newly published data on increased incidence of HIV infection in
24th September 2007 Email to our new Premier, the Honourable Ms. Anna Bligh (C.c.
Attorney- General Kerry Shine) urging the
announcement of a fixed time-frame for equal age of consent law reform –
ideally with a date of effect before 1st December 2007 (World AIDS
Day), in order to prove the Bligh
Government’s commitment to fighting the spread of HIV for all Queenslanders,
and their commitment to the equal protection and support of all youth.
31st August 2007 Email from the office of Hon. Attorney-General Mr. Kerry
Shine in reply to my 27th July 2007 email (to the Editor of the Courier Mail, C.c. to the
Attorney-General) in which I had quoted Peter Beattie from 1990 to support the need for an equal age of consent to help
prevent HIV infection of our state’s youth. The Attorney-General advises “I agree that we need to ensure young
people have access to safe sex information, and an attitude of openness,
honesty and frankness will facilitate this.” However he then repeats the stock Government line that “the issue of the age of
consent is one in which there are deeply held and opposing views. The
Government has no plans to alter the applicable law at this time…”
27th July 2007 Email – letter to the Editor of the Courier Mail (C.c. to the Premier, Attorney-General and Neil Roberts MP) – with the heading “Beattie
Government leaves
16th July 2007 Email sent as a “letter to the Editor” of the Courier Mail (not published):
“National same sex couples equity debated
while
“While media has recently focused attention on the unequal treatment of same sex Australian couples, I believe that most Queenslanders would be outraged to learn that since 2003 we have been the only state or territory which does not allow equal treatment of our same sex youth.
In a 1990 PCJC Report, Peter Beattie declared his
support for the majority recommendation of a truly equal age of consent,
so exactly when will his Government enact reform to allow all
2nd July 2007 Letter to the Leader of The Opposition, Jeff Seeney in reply to his letter dated 26th
June 2007.
Confirming
the message delivered in my 29th June 2007 phone call to his Parliament
House office. I point out that Mr. Seeney has clearly been given inaccurate
advice regarding the majority recommendations in the 1990 all-party Parliamentary Criminal Justice
Committee Report on Reforms in Laws Relating to Homosexuality. I include a copy of
page 49 of that Report (pdf file page 52) in which Recommendation 7 is very
plainly in favour of a truly equal age of consent.
The
text for Mr. Seeney’s letter had apparently been copied (word for word in the
last 3 of four paragraphs) from a 24th January 2006 letter which was
sent to me by Lawrence Springborg (then Leader of The Opposition). In my reply
I include a copy of the 27th January 2006 letter which I had sent to
Mr Springborg. That letter remains equally relevant in addressing, in detail,
the Leader of The Opposition’s assertion that no circumstance has arisen since
1990 to justify any reconsideration of their position.
26th June 2007 Letter from The leader of the Opposition, Jeff
Seeney acknowledging receipt of the
DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of Consent Reform
in
Mr.
Seeney states that the Nationals stance is that they do not support an equal
age of consent. However he then wrongly
claims that the all-party 1990 Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee
(chaired by Peter Beattie) had made a majority recommendation in Report
favouring an unequal age of
consent. Mr Seeney has clearly been
given inaccurate advice – because the Majority Recommendation number 7 of the Committee’s 1990 Report (on report page 49) was that: “THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT THE AGE OF CONSENT FOR HOMOSEXUAL ACTS IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE PRINCIPLES OF SEXUAL EQUALITY AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BE THE SAME FOR
MALES AS IT IS FOR FEMALES, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE SEXUAL ACT IS
HETEROSEXUAL OR HOMOSEXUAL. (THIS PRINCIPLE IS HIGHLIGHTED IN POINT ONE ON PAGE
60 OF THE COMMISSION’S REPORT.)”
I
phoned the office of the Leader Of the Opposition on Friday 29thJune
2007 to explain this factual error in Mr Seeney’s letter – and I was advised
that my message would be passed on to Mr. Seeney, but that the attitude of the
Opposition would be unchanged. I said that I believed the Opposition are
enititled to their opinion, but that it should be based on factual grounds.
26th June 2007 Letter and DVD-Video/CD-ROM package sent to the Chief of Staff, The Courier
Mail newspaper. After receiving the 22
June 2007 letter from Attorney-General Kerry Shine advising continued inaction
on reform, I contacted the Courier mail by phone and sent them (by Registered
Mail) a detailed package of printed
information as well as the same DVD-Video/CD-ROM package as was sent to every
Queensland Member of Parliament. I wrote that “I believe that
Premier Beattie will be content to remain inactive on this reform, for as long
as he knows that there is no pressure from mainstream media. He should be forced
to explain exactly why his Government has been refusing to allow equal
protection and support of all
22nd June 2007 Letter from the office of Hon. Attorney-General Mr. Kerry
Shine in reply to my 18th
May 2007 letter and DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack. The
Attorney-General merely repeats the
Beattie Government’s standard line of
“no … plans for reform in this area” – with absolutely no justification for
that inaction. This is in spite of the fact that the six statements on the DVD
made it very clear that the current law should be reformed urgently because the
law has a severe negative impact on the health and well being of youth – and
also because the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner has declared that the law is
blatantly discriminatory.
June 2007 A DVD-Video/CD-ROM package entitled “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of Consent Reform in
Since
early 2000, when I started pursuing this reform, the Premier and his various
Attorneys-General have all refused (or failed) to meet with a representative
group in order to discuss the need for urgent reform. So I decided to bring the
people to them via the medium of DVD-Video. Filmed between February and May
2007, the six contributors are Qld Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan
Booth, QAHC General Manager Paul Martin, Brisbane PFLAG President Shelley
Argent, ARCQ spokesperson Rod Goodbun, Queer Radio presenter Felix Kellett and
psychologist/psychotherapist Tim Klein. I believe that the combined statements
constitute a compelling argument for urgent reform.
This link goes to the covering letter which was personalised
for each recipient and below that
you’ll find the image of the cover art
as well as all six statements as embedded YouTube
videos – and links to each full transcript.
NB: The June edition of
(click
the image for full text plus link to a full size jpg of the article)
18th May 2007 DVD-Video/CD-ROM
package entitled “6 Statements of Support for Equal Age Of
Consent Reform in
This
file is the covering letter
specifically worded for the Attorney-General and includes the full video
interview transcripts. I sent this a couple of weeks before any other packs
were made up because I had hoped for a timely positive response of commitment
to reform action. I received a letter from the
Attorney-General’s Senior Policy Advisor Paul Bini, dated 28th May 2007,
stating “The Attorney-General has asked me to advise you that he is seeking
further information and a full response will be forwarded to you shortly.” No
further response has been received from his office.
See full details of the
DVD-Video/CD-ROM pack – including covert art and YouTube videos of all six statements at: AOC_June_2007_DVD_CD-ROM_pack.htm
16th January 2007 Email to Hon. Attorney-General Mr. Kerry Shine acknowledging his 22 November 2006 emailed
message and urging him to accept the
consideration of an equal age of consent as being a totally separate matter to
issues affecting same sex couples. I advise that his department already
posesses all the arguments necessary in order to justify urgent enactment of an
equal age of consent. I am concerned that there would most likely be a very
prolonged process of consultation involved in identifying and justifying a
range of reforms which affect same sex couples (for example adoption, fertility
clinic access etc). An equal age of consent is a youth-specific issue, just as
is the age of an adult under Criminal Law (17 in
30th November 2006 Courier Mail article by feature writer Jane
Fynes-Clinton. In this detailed and concise feature, especially related to
World AIDS Day, Jane connects many of
the more important issues related to Queensland’s unequal age of consent –
including that the current law places youth at increased risk of HIV infection.
She personalises the story with bookended references to Keith Phillips, an
openly gay year 10 student at Alexandra Hills State High in
22nd November 2006 Email from newly appointed Attorney-General, Hon. Kerry Shine
acknowledging my more recent emails and
stating “I advise that
at some point in the near future, I plan to meet with groups interested in
these and other same sex couple issues to discuss them further.”
In
the past six and a half years of pressing the Beattie Government for equal age
of consent reform, this is the very first contact
from either the Attorney-General or the Premier which expresses a willingness
to meet with relevant groups in order to discuss the issue. I hope this means that
the Beattie Government is also considering declaring a timeframe for action on
reform. Urgent action on reform had
been strongly recommended in July 2005 by Queensland Anti-Discrimination
Commissioner Susan Booth.
17th October 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney General Linda
Lavarch directing
their attention to the 16th October 2006 announcement by the Hong
Kong Government that they will no longer contest their High Court’s
decisions that an equal age of consent for sexual activity must apply to all
citizens at age 16. I ask that the Premier and Attorney-General find the Hong
Kong decision to be inspiration for finally enacting a truly equal age of
consent of 16 in
*** a brief letter has been received
from the Office of The Premier, merely advising that this matter falls under
the responsibility of the Attorney-General. However in his several terms as
Premier Mr Peter Beattie has often enough been known to publicly declare that
he would be instructing the Attorney-General to take action in reform of the
Criminal Code. He cannot claim that his role as Premier precludes influencing
the actions of the Attorney-General.
8th October 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie (Cc Attorney-General and
editor of Sunday Mail) suggesting a strong
link between the negativity contained in the article “Teen failed for stand on gays” in the Sunday Mail on this
date and the current unequal age of consent (which exacerbates misinformation
and anti-gay sentiments).
*** a brief letter has been received
from the Office of The Premier, merely advising that this matter falls under
the responsibility of the Attorney-General. However in his several terms as
Premier Mr Peter Beattie has often enough been known to publicly declare that
he would be instructing the Attorney-General to take action in reform of the
Criminal Code. He cannot claim that his role as Premier precludes influencing
the actions of the Attorney-General.
10th September 2006 Email to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney General Linda
Lavarch acknowledging the return of the
Beattie Government with a massive majority and suggesting that can now feel safe in enacting age of
consent reform. I also point out that since there is no Hansard record of
any Member of Queensland Parliament ever speaking either for or against the
unequal age of consent, there is little likelihood of opposition to reform.
7th
September 2006
Email to Premier
Peter Beattie, Attorney General Linda Lavarch and my local Member Neil Roberts highlighting a 6th September 2006 article in the Courier
Mail which states the high risk of suicide in same sex attracted youth. I suggest that, since we
all do know the definite link between oppression of same sex attracted youth
and the drastically higher rate of suicide for them, the very least the
Beattie Government can do is to immediately reform the one basic flaw in
current Criminal Law which is known to actively impede the acceptance and
support of same sex attracted youth - namely the unequal age of consent.
12th June 2006 Email to all
31st May
2006 Letter from Premier
Peter Beattie – still no action. The Premier
acknowledges my 10th April 2006 letter and my 5th May 2006 email.
However he addresses not one of the issues that I had raised in those
communications – which had included asking how the Premier morally justifies
his inaction. I am advised that the Premier “appreciates your ongoing efforts to keep him apprised of
your views on this issue.” However the Premier
is well aware that these are not my views alone – they are shared by the
Queensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth, the management of the
Queensland AIDS Council, Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays and
by 740
NB: I believe that the Premier
perceives an advantage in trying to portray me as being a “lone voice”. There is no doubt that
the lack of community action is
primarily due to the current lack of a broadly focused local LGBT rights group,
and to the almost complete disintegration of university student action groups.
The other major problem is that there is only one statewide newspaper – The
Courier Mail – and their senior editors have so far refused to print any
relevant article on this overdue reform.
5th May
2006 Email to Premier
Peter Beattie (with C.c. to Attorney General Linda Lavarch and the Editor of
the Courier Mail) referring to Mr. Beattie’s
appearance on ABC Television’s evening news in
which he stated that he had been asked to comment on the inaugural Civil Union
of two women which was performed that day in the British Embassy, Brisbane. Mr.
Beattie stated that he supported equal treatment for gays and lesbians, but did
not support gay marriage. In my email I remind the Premier that his refusal to
enact an equal age of consent in
11th April 2006
Email to my
local Member of Parliament Neil Roberts (Member for Nudgee) –
regarding the 10 April 2006
letter which I posted to the Premier in reply to the Premier’s letter dated 5 April 2006. I included copies of both these letters
for Neil’s reference, and I express my concern that “If
the Labor Party doesn't care enough about youth to enact something as basic as
an equal age of consent, then how can they be trusted to care about
anything else in our community?"
10th April 2006 Letter to Premier Peter Beattie in
reply to his letter dated 5 April 2006 which had
suggested that the correct information which is displayed on the Youth Advocacy Centre website constitutes an
effort made by his Government toward adequately informing the public in regard
to age of consent and legal sexual activity. In my reply I advise that it was
own persistence from July 2000 in lobbying the YAC which resulted in their
decision to amend their displayed information in December of that year and that
the YAC are not really a representative Government body.
I remind
the Premier of other highly relevant points in support of reform, including his
own proven involvement in the history of the Queensland Sodomy Law, and I ask “How can the current law be considered moral or just? How
can your Government justify its ongoing failure to enact reform?”
5th April 2006 Letter from Premier
Peter Beattie – regarding the Youth Advocacy
Centre. The Premier is responding specifically to my 1st December 2005 emailed comment that “When I
interviewed you on
In my 10th April 2006 letter of
reply to the Premier, I detail why the Youth Advocacy Centre’s correct
information is mainly a result of my own persistent efforts in 2000 – rather a
result of any action by the Queensland Government.
22nd March 2006 Official Ministerial Response posted by
Queensland Attorney General Linda Lavarch to Parliamentary
E-Petition Number 421-05 (which was finalised on
In
preceding weeks the Courier Mail had reported that Peter Beattie was actively
negotiating with the conservative religious Family First Party to secure
preference deals for the upcoming state election (hoping to split the
conservative vote). Successive polls had shown the Nationals to be almost
certain to win at the next election. Nationals Leader
Lawrence Springborg has clearly stated that they will not support an equal age
of consent.
21st February 2006
Email to
Attorney-General Linda Lavarch – (with copy to local MP Neil
Roberts) expressing concern that Beattie Labor must act urgently on Sodomy Law
Reform while it still holds a clear majority of Members of Parliament. Today’s
Courier Mail ran an article which states that the results of two recent polls
indicate a landslide victory for The Nationals in the next state election
(which may be as early as November 2006). When previously in power in ‘96/’97
the National Party not only reinstated the Sodomy Law, but also simultaneously
changed the terminology (“anal intercourse” to “sodomy”), raised the minimum
age (from 17 to 18) and doubled the penalties (from 7 to 14 years gaol). The
Nationals leader Lawrence Springborg has clearly advised that they do not
support any reform of the Sodomy Law.
7th
February 2006
Letter from Premier
Peter Beattie which ignores the vital matter of
actually reforming the Sodomy Law and refers instead to a consideration of
whether or not the Government might have done anything to educate the public
effectively in regard to the current law. In my 1st December 2005 email I had written: “When I interviewed you on
27th January 2006
Letter to
24th January 2006
Letter from
Mr
Springborg also attempts to dismiss the validity of Sodomy Law Reform by
claiming that “No circumstance has arisen since that time to justify any
reconsideration of this position.” See my 27th January 2006
response.
19th
January 2006 Email to all Queensland Members of Parliament – on
the fifteenth anniversary of the commencement of the Sodomy Law I wrote to all MP’s
calling for support of urgent reform and drawing their attention to the written
opinions of support from Queensland
Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth (15 July ’05), from Brisbane Parents & Friends of Lesbians And Gays (14
July ’05), from over
twenty respected Community Groups (MidOctober ’05) and from 740 signatories
to the Parliamentary
E-Petition (tabled 9 August ’05).
1st December 2005 Email to Premier Peter Beattie on this World AIDS Awareness Day: pointing out that
it is a sad state of affairs for the Beattie Government to persist with
inaction on Sodomy Law reform, when they know that this law places youth at
increased risk of HIV infection.
I refer in
this email to my telephone conversation on
23rd November 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Linda Lavarch,
in reply to my 20th October 2005 letter in which I
had:
(1)
requested an official Ministerial response to the finalised Parliamentary E-petition
calling for Sodomy Law Reform, which had been referred to her office on
(2)
requested a response to several earlier requests for a representative community
group meeting with the Attorney-General.
However the
Attorney-General’s response fails to address either of these points and merely
reiterates that “the Government has no plans to alter the applicable law at
this time.”
On the
afternoon of the day I received this letter,
17th November 2005
Email to Premier
Peter Beattie referring to his statement in
the ABC television special “Political Football” (
2nd November 2005 Letter from
Shelley
concludes by saying: “The AIDS Medical Unit, HIV/AIDS Report of 2004, states
that HIV and sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase in
25th October 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Linda Lavarch, in
reply to my 25th July 2005 email in which I had
referred to the letters by ADCQ Commissioner Susan Booth15th July 2005, Brisbane PFLAG 14th July 2005
and I also welcomed a favourable response the Parliamentary E-petition
which was just about to close at that time.
In this
letter the Attorney-General acknowledges the key points and correspondence, but
advises:
“I agree
that we need to ensure young people have access to safe sex information and
that our laws operate fairly and justly. However, the issue of the age of
consent is a vexed one and one in which there are deeply held and opposing
views. The Government has no plans to alter the applicable law at this time.”
24th October 2005 Emailed “letter” to the editor of the Courier Mail
in response to their feature article “AIDS battle not yet over” (Jane
Fynes-Clinton, CM 24 October 2005, P9). The article addressed rising rates of
HIV infection in
20th October 2005 Letter to Attorney-General Linda Lavarch requesting a Ministerial response to the finalised
Parliamentary E-petition
calling for Sodomy Law Reform, which was referred to her office on
Mid October 2005 Community Services
Group letter to the Beattie Government calling for urgent reform of
the Queensland Sodomy Law.
Over twenty
highly respected health and welfare community groups and organizations
co-signed this letter which had been initiated by the (1) Open Doors Youth Service, (2) Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And
Gays, and (3) peak HIV health body the Queensland
AIDS Council. Troy Hakala of the Qld AIDS Council advises that the letter
was posted to the five respective Ministers in mid-October.
12th August 2005 Email to the Attorney-General Linda Lavarch
referring to the May 2005 Non-Government
Report on the Implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights Of
the Child In Australia which clearly calls for reform of the Queensland
Sodomy Law. I also point out that the National
Children’s & Youth Law Centre have been lobbying for our state to join
the rest of Australia in setting 18 as the age of an adult under criminal law
(currently it is 17 in Queensland). I suggest that these two reforms are linked
in that they help protect and support youth and that they should be enacted
simultaneously.
2nd August 2005 Email to Attorney-General Linda Lavarch confirming
my
25th July 2005 Email to the newly elected Attorney-General Linda Lavarch
asking for her favourable support for urgent reform of the Sodomy Law. I inform
her regarding the important letter of opinion sent
by Queeensland Anti-Discrimination Commissioner Susan Booth and of the Parliamentary
E—petition which will be presented in Parliament on
15th July 2005 Letter from Queensland Anti-Discrimination
Commissioner Susan Booth to
Attorney-General Rod Welford and to Premier Peter
Beattie declaring that
The
Commissioner concludes by stating that “It is now
imperative that
14th July 2005 Letter from Brisbane Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays
to Premier Peter Beattie calling for urgent reform of the Sodomy
Law. This letter expresses the great concern of parents for the health and
well-being of their same sex attracted children, just as for their heterosexual
children – and highlighting the critical risks to same sex attracted youth
which are perpetuated by the Sodomy Law. “PFLAG parents want the government to
provide the same rights for our gay youth as our heterosexual youth.”
6th July 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Rod Welford, advising
that he has considered my 21 June 2005 email and my
6 June 2005 letter with attachments in which I had
highlighted the severe and increasing risk of HIV infection which is presented
to youth as a direct consequence of the Queensland Sodomy Law. Regardless of
the risk to youth, the Attorney-General reiterates that “The Government has no
current plans to amend these laws.”
4th July 2005 Letter from Attorney-General Rod Welford, advising
receipt of a forwarded email from Education Minister Anna Bligh ( she had
advised me she would do this). I was given some hope by the Attorney General’s
advice that “I have noted the contents of your email and will bear the
information in mind in the context of any discussions I may have on the subject
with my Cabinet colleagues.”
21st June 2005 Email to Attorney-General Rod Welford, Premier Peter Beattie
and Health Minister Gordon Nuttall advising them that I had been
interviewed on ABC Radio 612 by
Steve Austin on
6th June 2005 Letter with attachments to Attorney-General Rod
Welford, Premier
Peter Beattie and to Health Minister Gordon Nuttall calling
for urgent action on Sodomy Law reform in the light of two significant
publications during May 2005:
(1) a
Queensland Health announcement that HIV infection rates continue to climb in
our state (by 19.% in 2004), and
(2) a
detailed report by
(1)
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Hon
Rod Welford (go to Word
file copy)
(2) Health
Minister Hon Gordon Nuttall (go to Word file
copy)
(3)
Minister For Child Safety Hon Mike Reynolds (go
to Word file copy)
3rd
June 2005 Today I am advised by the
Attorney General’s office that regardless of the risk of HIV to the state’s youth,
the Beattie Government will not consider enacting reform of the Sodomy Law –
certainly not within the current term of office (up to 2007). It is totally unacceptable that the Beattie
Government can hold such an unsubstantiated and clearly politically motivated
position on this reform. The health and well-being of the state’s youth should
always take precedence over pandering to conservative/fundamentalist voters for
the next election. The Sodomy Law should not have been enacted in the first
place, and a Government with” moral fibre” would certainly have enacted reform
years ago. We wait and hope for a change of heart and mind by the Beattie
Government.
2nd June 2005 Email to all members of Queensland Parliament,
extending from my email of 25th August 2004 I
highlight the recent announcement by Queensland Health that HIV infections in
our state increased by 19.2% in 2004 and that on 25th May 2005 La Trobe
University published research
on 1,749 same sex attracted youth Australia-wide which shows that 15-18 year
old youth are choosing to do anal intercourse at an early age and that 25% of
them are not using condoms. In
3rd
February 2005 Press Release by Paul Martin, Manager of the Queensland AIDS
Council - stating that “The current law causes confusion amongst
many in the community who believe that all sex between men is illegal before
the age of 18” said Paul R Martin of the Queensland AIDS Council. “We are
concerned that young people who are sexually active are reluctant to come
forward to access sexual health services and receive sex & relationships
education for fear of being prosecuted”.
Mr Martin went on to say “There is no legitimate reason why the age at which young men and women
can have vaginal sex, which may result in child birth, should be any different
from the age at which people can legally have anal sex. The current law does
nothing to protect young people, on the contrary it criminalises young people
who choose to have anal sex”.
4th December 2004 Email to
5th October 2004 Email to Health Minister, Gordon Nuttall (C.C. to Premier and
Mark Counter). I point out that Queensland Health’s youth-specific
sexual-health website www.istaysafe.com does not include any
mention of anal intercourse (or anything other than heterosexual sexuality).
1st October 2004 Letter from Health Minister, Gordon Nuttall, in
which he expresses concern for risks presented to youth by the Sodomy Law,
however he refers to the Department’s www.istaysafe.com website as if that site was a flagship for
HIV/AIDS education and yet that site does not even mention anal intercourse
(“sodomy”).
Mr Nuttall
states that the Department is about to launch into a major statewide
school-based sexual health program – which will no doubt completely exclude
sexual health matters related directly to anal intercourse. This is of extreme
concern, considering that recent Australian research indicates that up to 4 %
of all 16-19 year old Australian men and women choose to engage in anal
intercourse (for various reasons). It is appalling that these youth will
be deliberately denied life saving sexual health information.
3rd September 2004 Letter from Opposition Leader,
25th August 2004 Email to all members of
10th August 2004 Email (with confirming letter) to Premier Peter Beattie,
pointing out that there is a high HIV risk to youth inherent in the Queensland
Sodomy Law. His 1990 PCJC Report clearly connected that a Sodomy Law would
prevent effective HIV/AIDS information from reaching persons doing anal
intercourse – that’s why they recommended against it. Research published by Dr Jo Lindsay
for La Trobe University in late 2001 indicates that nearly a quarter of all
Australian male and female youth engage in anal intercourse – but in our state
they don’t get access to any safe sex information on that activity. I urge Mr
Beattie to reform the Sodomy Law for the sake of all existing and future
28th June 2004 Letter from Attorney General Rod Welford, in
response to my 27th May 2004 letter. Mr. Welford
states that the Queensland Government has no plans (and therefore no time
frame) for reform of the Sodomy Law. The state of
22nd June 2004 Letter from office of Premier Peter Beattie,
responding to my letter dated
29th May 2004 Email to the Editor of the Courier Mail. Seeking
mainstream press support in raising public awareness of the need to reform the
Queensland Criminal Code by removal of the Sodomy Law.
27th May 2004 Letter to Premier Peter Beattie, Attorney General Rod Welford
and Neil Roberts MP (my local MP). I request a clear timeframe for
removal of the Sodomy Law. With their renewed massive majority in the current
(February 2004) Parliamentary term this should present no political risk. I remind that
14th January 2004 Email to Honourable Rod Welford MP, Attorney-General and
Minister for Justice pointing out that his 12th
January 2004 email is in error in suggesting that I am requesting a change
in age of consent law. I reiterate that what I seek is removal of the Sodomy
Law – early in the next Queensland Parliament (following the 7th February
election).
12th January 2004 Email from Honourable Rod Welford MP, Attorney-General and
Minister for Justice acknowledging that the Premier has also
referred my 5th January 2004 email to him. Mr
Welford’s reply is brief, but it is also in factual error in suggesting that I
am requesting a change in age of consent law. The age of consent is already a
very reasonable 16 for all men and women – but it’s the removal of the Sodomy Law
that needs his particular and urgent attention. NB: several MP’s from both
sides of Parliament have emailed replies to me, thanking me for bringing this
matter to their attention and stating that they will keep these points in mind
for future discussions.
5th January 2004 Email to all members of Parliament in
27th November 2003 Email to the office of Premier of
2nd September 2003 Letter from Attorney General Rod Welford,
in response to my 27th June 2003 email, which had
been forwarded from the Premier’s Office. Mr. Welford acknowledges my comments
in that email which included: “Today the USA Supreme Court has made a landmark
final decision which strikes down similar Sodomy Laws across the entire
Mr. Welford
confirms the Premier’s statement that the Government has no plans to change the
existing law “this term”.
19th August 2003 Letter from the office of Premier of
What I am
specifically seeking is the removal of the “Sodomy Law” (Sections 208 & 209
of the Criminal Code 1899) – a law which applies technically to all women and
men, regardless of their sexuality – but which, in practice, actively
discriminates against 16 & 17 year old men who may be gay or bisexual (regardless
of whether those men are sexually active or not).” (as per my 25th July 2003 letter).
The letter
also reiterates that the Government has no plans to amend existing legislation.
25th July 2003 Letter to Premier of
When our
most eminent public servants can, even inadvertently, seem to equate “sodomy”
with being “homosexual sex”, then it is little surprise that the vast majority
of the general public wrongly believe all sex between men to be illegal under
18 years – with the resultant denial of services, lack of peer support and
increased risk of suicide for those men.
Mr. Beattie
had advised that no further reforms of existing laws would occur during the
current Parliament, so I also ask for a declared commitment to enacting this
reform as a priority, following the upcoming state elections (which are due by
mid-2004).
23rd July 2003 Letter from the office of Premier of
N.B:
“sodomy (anal intercourse)” is not equivalent to “homosexual sex”:
Unfortunately
the Premier’s letter errs twice in suggesting that I am “advocating a reduction
in the age of consent for homosexual sex” – which is not the case at all. It is important to note that the age of
consent is already technically equal, at 16 years, for all men and women –
regardless of their sexuality. The big stumbling block to equal treatment of
gay and bisexual young men in
10th July 2003 Email to
6th July 2003 Email to the Sandra McLean of the Courier Mail
(for their “Perspectives” page), pointing out the inequities of
27th June 2003 Email to the Premier of
27th June 2003 Email to the editor of the Courier Mail (for their
“Letters” page), again referring to
“It is of concern” Mr
Doostkhah said, “That while young gay and bisexual people are at much greater
risk of suicide and self-harm than even other young Queenslanders, the
government continues to practise discrimination of this sort against them.”
“We would urge the
10th April 2003 Email to the Courier Mail “letters” regarding
their article “Report
calls for earlier sex education”(Judy Skatssoon CM 9th April 2003, P 15)
regarding the release of a report on “The
Australian Study of Health and Relationships”. The CM article states that
sex is known to be happening for men and women at 16 and that 9% of men
have either done sex with men or have wanted to. This is a powerful statistical
tool to influence the Beattie Government toward swifter reform of the Qld
Sodomy Law. My emailed letter states that
12th November 2002 Letter to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney
General Rod Welford, responding to Mr Beattie’s public declarations
about his “known stance” on social equity in the week following the 6th
November 2002 proposed Discrimination
Law Amendment Bill 2002. Mr Beattie reminded the media that he was Chairman
of the Committee which presented the October 1990 PCJC Report on Homosexual Law
Reform. That report recommended an unqualified equal age of consent. I again
invite details of an opportunity for our delegation to meet with the Government
to discuss amending the law.
28th October 2002 Letter to Premier Peter Beattie (with copy and covering letter to Attorney General Rod
Welford), requesting a meeting with both himself and the Attorney General
by a delegation in order to discuss rapid implementation of the recommendations
made in the October 1990 Report by the (Labor majority) Parliamentary Criminal
Justice Committee Report “Reforms in Laws Relating to Homosexuality – an Information
Paper”. The Report had recommended that no higher age be set for any
sexual activity and that the age of consent should apply equally to both men
and women, regardless of their sexual orientation.
28th October 2002 Letter to Attorney General Rod Welford,
with attached copy of 28th October 2002 letter
to Premier Peter Beattie requesting a meeting with both himself and the
Premier by a delegation in order to discuss rapid implementation of the
recommendations made in the October 1990 Report by the (Labor majority)
Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee Report “Reforms in Laws Relating to
Homosexuality – an Information Paper” The Report had recommended that no higher
age be set for any sexual activity and that the age of consent should apply
equally to both men and women, regardless of their sexual orientation.
11th October 2001 Press Release to newspaper
The Courier Mail, radio stations ABC, FM104, B105 and Triple J, television
stations Bris 31, ABC TV, Network 10, Channel 7, QTQ 9. Sent with a copy
of the age of consent pamphlet asking for broad
media support in the light of the Attorney General’s 9th
October 2001 statement that he won’t respond to any further correspondence
from me. (no support or response received from any of these media)
9th October 2001 Letter from the office of Queensland Attorney General Rod
Welford in response to my 26th September
2001 letter (which included a copy of the finished pamphlet
and disputed his claim that community legal centres are the only source needed
to inform the public about age of consent). He advises that he will not respond
to any future correspondence from me on this issue.
26th September 2001 Letter to Attorney General Rod Welford
with attached copy of finished pamphlet. I point
out that there are only a few Community Legal Centres and that are not only
very hard to find, but also very unlikely to have correct information to offer
to anyone enquiring about age of consent and legal sexual activity.
21st September 2001 Letter from Attorney General Rod Welford
in which he acknowledges receipt from the Premier of my letter dated 15th August 2001. Mr. Welford ignores my request for
broad dissemination of information and focuses only on the pamphlet. He
restates his belief that Community Legal Centres alone are the answer to
informing the public on these matters.
24th August 2001 Letter from the office of Premier Peter Beattie
acknowledging receipt of my letter dated 15th August
2001. The Premier says he has nothing to say in response to my specific call
for action, but merely intends to pass it on to the Attorney General for his
comment.
15th August 2001 Letter to Queensland Premier Peter Beattie in
response to a letter 13th August 2001 from his office.
I provide a clear and concise statement of my expectations and point out the
failed logic in his letter. I again request a personal interview to discuss the
matter in reasoned detail.
13th August 2001 Letter from the office of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
in response to my 6th July 2001 letter requesting a
personal meeting or a declaration of planned action. The letter merely concurs
with the Attorney-General’s 22nd June 2001
statement of unwillingness to act.
10th August 2001 Letter to newspaper The Courier Mail, radio
stations ABC and Triple J, television stations ABC TV, Network 10, Channel 7,
QTQ 9. Sent with a copy of the full 10th
August 2001 letter to Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney-General Rod
Welford. I ask for media support to encourage Government action. (no support or
response received from any of these media)
10th August 2001 Letter to Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney
General Rod Welford (with a copy to MP for Nudgee, Neil Roberts)
requesting a reply my letter dated 6th July 2001
asking for a personal interview in order to discuss the time frame for the
implementation of Mr Beattie’s 15th June 2001 commitment to adequately inform
the public about existing laws governing age of consent and legal sexual
activity.
9th August 2001 Email to www.ageofconsent.com
following up the emails of 2nd June 2001 and 16th May 2001, again providing
supportive evidence to my request that they amend the information on their site
(They wrongly state that all sex between men under 18 is illegal).
6th July 2001 Letter to Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Attorney
General Rod Welford asking for a personal interview in order to
discuss the time frame for the implementation of Mr Beattie’s 15th June 2001
commitment to adequately inform the public about existing laws governing age of
consent and legal sexual activity.
26th June 2001 Letter from my local Member of Parliament Neil Roberts MP for
Nudgee, in reply to my letter of
22nd June 2001 Letter from Attorney General Rod Welford, in reply
to my letter of
15th June 2001 I interviewed Premier Peter Beattie
at the Brisbane Powerhouse Centre for the Live Arts, and asked him about the
potential for progressive law reform in consequence of his party’s huge
majority in the recent state election. I also ask him specifically whether he
will act to effectively inform the general public about age of consent and
legal sexual activity. He clearly stated
"Alright, well if it’s about educative,(sic) educating about the existing
law, well we’re always happy to do that, OK?". He
does not, however, state a time frame for such action.
Hear the
unedited audio in mp3 format at http://www.queerradio.org/PeterBeattie150601.mp3
or read the complete transcript at www.queerradio.org/PeterBeattie150601.htm.
2nd June 2001 Email to www.ageofconsent.com
following up the email of 16th May and including the
31st May 2001 Letter from the office of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie,
in reply to my letter of 22nd May 2001. The inference is that he is leaving the
matter to the Attorney-General to handle.
22nd May 2001 Letter sent to each of Attorney General Rod Welford, Premier
Peter Beattie and local member Neil Roberts MP asking for a public
statement to clearly define age of consent and legal sexual activity. In the
light of the Government’s massive Labor majority there should be no
"conservative electoral backlash" concerns to hinder a clear matter
of explaining current
21st May 2001 Letter received from new Attorney-General Hon Rod Welford MP
in reply to my email of 25th April. He confirms the definition of age of
consent and legal sexual activity, but advises that he will not consider
removing the Sodomy Law or make any effort to ensure the public is correctly
informed about age of consent and legal sexual activity.
16th May 2001 Email to TripleJ FM mail@triplej.abc.net.au advising that
www.lawstuff.org.au
have amended their website to show correct
details as from 16th May 2001.
22nd February 2000 Letter. The initial letter, hand delivered to
the Courier Mail as a follow up to my phone conversation that same day with their
Features editor, Ian McGoldrick. I asked for a retraction or correction
regarding their 19th Feb 2000 article by Deborah Cassrels. No written response was received, and no retraction or
correction was printed.
19th
February 2000 Feature article in the Courier Mail (19th February
2000, page 27) “Reasonable Age” written by Deborah Cassrels. Deborah presents arguments which overwhelmingly favour equal treatment and
protection of youth through a truly equal age of consent, by interviewing
eminent gay community activists Dr Wendell Rosevear of Stonewall Medical
Centre, Janet Fitzgerald of the Gay and Lesbian Welfare Association and Lindon
Oldfield of the Gay and Lesbian Business Association. She also quotes clear
support for reform from Terry O’Gorman, vice-president of the Queensland
Council for Civil Liberties (and president of the Australian Council for Civil
Liberties).
NB: the big error in the
article headline “Reasonable Age - An open invitation to paedophiles, or an end
to sexual discrimination? Lowering the age of consent for boys is an issue
which inspires strong debate.” is that in
Deborah also makes
a serious error in stating that “according to Australian law, homosexual sex between
consenting males must involve people over 18. Sex with a 17-year-old female is
legal sex in most states. But sex with a 17-year-old male is paedophilia.” This was
life-threateningly dangerous and wrong information to distribute unchallenged
to the general public. Since 2003
End of list. RETURN
to main age of
consent & sodomy law INDEX
Last updated 10th
February 2010