Rodney Croome
08.11.11 1:00 am
Marjorie and Danielle
Address by Rodney Croome at the launch of Housewife Superstar; the very best of Marjorie Bligh I was astounded. “If this place was about ego”, I said “it would be in Melbourne or Los Angeles or somewhere that would attract more attention. Instead, it is here in humble Hobart where David Walsh grew up.” Hobart would have been a tight fit for a man of Walsh’s intellect and vision like Walsh. It is a place where people would not always have appreciated or understood him. But it is his place and we are his people and he has given us all this gift, for free, unconditionally. This is an act of love.In exactly the same way, Marjorie Bligh’s many books are anything but an act of ego. They are about her readers, not her.
Wallaby shows support for Marriage Equality at Rugby World Cup
Alex Greenwich, Australian Marriage Equality. MR
09.10.11 1:12 pm
David’s stance also sends out the message that marriage equality is a reform Christians can and should support.
• Monday:SA Liberal Leader is second Coalition leader to back marriage equality
Tackle the fundamental problem
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group MR. Picture: of Rodney Croome
16.08.11 1:59 am
A response to: Marriage equality is not the main issue, by Tim Neal, HERE Studies from North America and Europe have shown that feelings of well-being, security and acceptance among same-sex attracted people and their family members increases dramatically when same-sex couples have the choice to marry. This is for two reasons.
Commit to ending hate, Libs told
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
08.07.11 1:11 pm
The call comes in the wake of Launceston Liberal MP, Michael Ferguson’s angry response to claims by North West MP, Brenton Best, that the Tasmanian Family Institute that Ferguson founded incited hatred against GLBT people.
• What Will Hodgman says ...
• Gillard stops gay Aussies marrying in New York ...
Libs’ same-sex surrogacy push fails
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group MR
12.04.11 12:05 pm
We are pleased the Liberals have responded to the heart-felt pleas of same-sex partners with children, and have now decided to treat all Tasmanians equally
• Australian Services Union Endorses Marriage Equality
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
07.04.11 12:25 am
Christian lobby/State Liberals oppose best interests of children. Homophobia tag defended Tasmanian gay activists are furious the State Liberals want same-sex surrogacy to remain a crime, despite the decriminalisation of surrogacy for heterosexual married and de facto couples, and singles.
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group MR
30.03.11 1:18 pm
Supporters of marriage equality will conduct a peaceful Vigil for Equality at the University of Tasmania today, 6.30pm Wed, March 30th, 2011.
• Nick McKim
Constitutional question not an excuse to fail to act on same-sex marriage
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
08.03.11 6:47 pm
A response to Michael Stokes’ Marriage Act validity, on TT, HERE What all of the experts agree on is that it is impossible to be absolutely certain about the validity or invalidity of state same-sex marriage laws until the High Court has ruled on the constitutional definition of marriage. This has been used as an excuse by some state legislators, including those who support the principle of same-sex marriage, to dismiss the state same-sex marriage laws out-of-hand and to declare same-sex marriage “a federal issue”. But what they routinely ignore is that exactly the same concern is put forward by national legislators to dodge their responsibility to legislate for equality.
Michael Stokes, comment: Summing up, there is no absolute constitutional barrier to a State gay marriage law. The barrier, if there is one, is the Commonwealth Marriage Act which in my opinion is inconsistent with such a law. There may be an absolute constitutional barrier to a Commonwealth gay marriage law, which will be invalid if it falls outside the scope of the Commonwealth marriage power.
Burnie Advocate endorses marriage equality
Rodney Croome, Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
19.11.10 3:00 pm
Referring to Monday’s Roy Morgan poll showing the North-West Coast of Tasmania is no longer one of the nation’s most homophobic regions, today’s Advocate editorial states,
“It is pleasing to see the North-West Coast is becoming less homophobic…However, more needs to be done. Our attitude towards homosexuals and their right to marry needs to change. There is no logical argument against gay marriage. There are many countries that have been progressive enough to allow it and funnily enough the sky hasn’t fallen in. If you think about it, it’s really simple. If two people love each other, why should they not be allowed to marry?”
Parliamentary inquiry best response to Church discrimination demand
Rodney Croome
19.05.10 12:40 am
The details of the Church’s demand keep changing, as do the reasons for this demand, and the Government’s response to it.
Rodney Croome
23.04.10 12:04 am
In each case, the chattering of Melburnians has been laced with dismissive comments about Tasmania, comments which suggest current events are somehow explained by an intrinsic fault or flaw in Tasmanian society, stemming, you guessed it, from colonial times.
A case for coalition government in Tasmania
Rodney Croome, Writing on New Matilda: HERE
26.03.10 5:00 am
It is in the best interests of all Tasmanians to have a government that is large and talented enough to allow ministers to make informed, considered and accountable decisions.
Rodney Croome
15.10.09 7:06 am
The Tasmanian Government has finally given in to pressure from the Catholic Church to allow Church schools to legally turn away or expell students who aren’t Catholic. The Government says this ıs reasonable. But it’s anythıng but.
The Catholic Church justifies immense public funding of its schools on the basis that this gives parents a choice about how their children are educated. Now the Church wants to take away that choice AND keep its funding. The people who will suffer most are non-Catholic families who swallowed the choice rationale and enrolled their kids at the local parish school. Now they will be sent to the back of the enrollment queue.
27.07.09 4:40 am
RODNEY CROOME Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group
Applause for Tas Labor endorsement of same-sex marriage vote sends strong message to Rudd Government
‘Bogans’ are the most important catalyst for social change
08.07.09 8:59 am
RODNEY CROOME
Jane Rankin-Reid hits the nail on the head. Why have our political leaders remained silent on this issue? For that matter, where are the voices of the Anti-Discrimination and Social Inclusion Commissioners? Part of me hopes the Government is waiting till it can announce a properly-funded education program about how indispensable minority communities are for Tasmania’s future. But that’s so naive, it makes me laugh to write it. Justa Bloke also has an important point. In my experience the most effective advocates for minorities, especially in the work place and in domestic settings, are blue collar workers, or “bogans” as this discussion is labelling them. They say what they think, they’re direct and they’re heartfelt. In the end, they are the most important catalysts for social change in the state. Read more, Comment at the end of the article, HERE
07.07.09 8:43 am
RODNEY CROOME
The two instructive points here are,
1. sections of Tasmanian society have not benefitted from the island’s recent economic progress and resent what they see as symbols of this progress (Asian students, gay immigrants, the new green-tinged middle class etc) Read more, Comment at the end of the article, here
01.06.09 4:40 am
RODNEY CROOME
What we’re seeing here, driving the common human failing of inconsistency, is the equally common failing of conceit. We legitimise what we like about ourselves, or dislike in others, by anchoring it in the past. We delegitimise what we don’t like about ourselves by denying it any lineage.
What we’re also seeing is how superficial Australia’s acceptance of our convict past really is. Unless our convict ancestors can be embraced for bequeathing qualities we value, we isolate them in a past that was forever locked and sealed by the end of transportation – ironically, a typically nineteenth century response that is as strong as it ever was.
02.02.09 3:10 am
Rodney Croome
It is an all-too-Tasmanian habit to believe we can transcend our history. The very name “Tasmania” was meant to wipe away the stain associated with “Van Dieman’s Land”. In the same way 150 years later by calling ourselves “the New Tasmania” we hoped to be released from any association with the prejudices and close-mindedness of the old one. Never looking back is a hard habit to break, having, as it does, its origins in the desperate hopes of our emancipated convict forebears to have their crimes forgotten and their reputations rehabilitated. But break the habit we must, if we are to grasp that for better or ill our history makes us who we are.
23.12.08 10:16 pm
Rodney Croome
Concern over gay exclusion from social inclusion strategy. Call to strengthen inclusion in Commissioner’s role
Part of the solution, rather than the problem
22.12.08 1:04 am
Rodney Croome http://www.rodneycroome.id.au/weblog
On Tuesday, Assistant Tasmanian Police Commissioner, Steve Bond, launched a new publicity program ( Here ) for TasPol’s LGBT liaison officers, including flyers, brochures and posters.
10.12.08 9:47 pm
Tonight’s HCC Salamanca Market arrest apology:
Here’s the latest ABC radio news story
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/10/2443118.htm
Here’s the apology
http://tglrg.org/more/401_0_1_0_M/
Here’s Rodney Croome’s formal response at last night’s reception
http://tglrg.org/more/402_0_1_0_M/
Here’s the text of the flyer for the Salamanca arrest photo exhibition as a backgrounder
http://tglrg.org/more/402_0_1_0_M/
Today
• Travels around Tasmania with some latte sippers • Bobby-z ... and the Miners of Potosi • MIS growers felled again • Ancanthe ... all that will be lost • Writers, artists, journalists ... how to foment a (peaceful) revolution
• SURROGACY LAW TREATS COUPLES EQUALLY • TAS GOV’T MUST ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS CHARTER • ANTI-DISCRIMINATION FORUM TOLD CATHOLIC SCHOOL BIAS EXEMPTION ‘A BIGOTS’ CHARTER’
Nobody with any sense takes advertising too seriously. Always check the facts for yourself rather than relying on ads.
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