I’D like to briefly hold your attention in this short period before marriage equality is legislated in Australia, because nobody will ever give a second thought to the years of struggle that led to this week’s resounding public vote for same-sex dignity. The concept of marriage equality first hit me like a bullet in 2004, […]
The hate that dare not speak its name: @burgewords comments on #VoteNo to #MarriageEquality
September 21, 2017
It would make for a better, fairer and more entertaining match if #TeamNo owned the term ‘homophobes’. AUSTRALIA is fighting a very old battle. It’s been Trojan-Horsed into every household in the form of the Turnbull Government’s postal survey on federal marriage law. Like all wars, the propaganda is rife. We’re being asked to vote […]
Better ban the Bard if #SafeSchools scares you: @burgewords comments on Australia’s #NeoPuritans
March 18, 2016
Hated by the Puritans, the complete works of William Shakespeare was firmly entrenched in the Australian school syllabus decades ago. WESTERNERS have lived through many periods in which extreme Christians distributed anti-gay propaganda and thereby got the ear of authorities, and this month’s spat from Australia’s hard, religious right shows not much has changed in four hundred years. […]
LGBTI versus Christians, an unnecessary war: @burgewords comments on #SafeSchools
February 26, 2016
This is not a suffering competition for martyrs, it’s a legislative process taking place in a secular nation. THE Turnbull government has no firm plans for a public vote on marriage equality. We only know it’ll be ‘after the election’, an Abbott three-word slogan for ‘on the never-never’; and that it will be a non-binding, […]
Keeping #MarriageEquality off the record: @burgewords comments on #NeverMarried
January 23, 2016
It felt like a cold label for what was a beautiful love affair. WHEN the South Australian government was caught out by the world’s media for its lax approach to recognising overseas same-sex marriages on death certificates, the justifiable outrage about Marco Bulmer-Rizzi being documented as “never married” to husband David resonated with many readers. One small voice of […]
Coming out in the cold: @burgewords reviews #Carol
January 21, 2016
The wait for enlightenment will be long, and the darkest, pre-dawn hour lies ahead. WITH nothing more complex than a series of firmly-closed doors, the film Carol takes a powerful dramatic turn that subtly gives two women the space to explore their attraction. When Therese (Rooney Mara) slips into the passenger seat beside Carol (Cate Blanchett) […]
#Homophobia for the holidays: @burgewords on creating #LGBT characters
December 21, 2015
It would surprise most people to see what a strong thread of prejudice runs through families. Spending time with family over Christmas and New Year can be a challenge for anyone, but journalist and author Michael Burge explains how his first collection of short stories grew in the fertile ground of familial homophobia. WHEN I began […]
#QuestionableDeeds in action: @burgewords in conversation with @margokingston1
September 26, 2015
WHEN I asked Margo to help me launch my non-fiction debut Questionable Deeds: Making a stand for equal love and my first collection of short stories Closet His, Closet Hers, Tony Abbott was still Prime Minister and marriage equality remained on the never never. When we met this week at Avid Reader bookshop in West End, Brisbane, […]
#MarriageEquality on the never never: @burgewords on the politics of hope
August 13, 2015
It’s clear marriage equality will remain just a high hope TONY Abbott has knocked Australian progressives and moderate Liberals into motionless disappointment on marriage equality. The biggest political football of his government has been booted around by parliament again. There’ll be a few free kicks when the cross-party marriage equality bill comes before parliament, but […]
Navigating prejudice: @burgewords explores #MatthewFlinders
June 27, 2015
It’s time to shift perspective and explore the homophobia Matthew Flinders encountered. SPECULATION about the sexual orientation of iconic English seaman Matthew Flinders rose like a colourful maritime flag over a decade ago when previously unknown letters surfaced, including emotionally charged passages written by Flinders to fellow explorer George Bass. In his 2007 Meanjin article “Exploring love: […]
