EAT AT JOE'S: March 2006

Below is the message gay activist Rodney Croom gives on his site,in the wake of the Tasmanian election, to the LGBT community. I suggest his comments have wider application for people of a progressive bent generally. It relates to the challenge of 'The Brethren',in particular. His steps would apply to all fundamentalist scare -mongering , and major party complicity, as Victoria and N.S.W. head towards elections.

"So here’s my 13 steps to successfully meeting that challenge.1. Take note of anti-LGBT ads and fliers as soon as they appear, even if it’s in Mildura or Dubbo. It won’t be long before they appear in Prahan and Darlinghurst too. 2. Scrutinise these ads and fliers for anything approaching incitement to hatred and make official complaints accordingly.3. Discover whether the individuals authorising them are members of the Exclusive Brethren. If so, expose this to the media immediately (the longer the public has to absorb the message the better). Also ensure the media is aware of who the Brethren really are, particularly that they are not permitted to vote or participate in public debate. 4. Compare the Brethren election materials to Liberal election materials for any obvious similarities. 5. Watch Liberal Party leafleters carefully to see if they are also distributing Brethren materials (as has been alleged in Tasmania). 6. If there does appear to be a link, challenge the Liberal Party and high profile Liberal right wingers to declare whether they have had recent meetings with the Brethren and whether any of the issues dealt with in the ads and fliers were discussed at these meetings 7. Also, challenge the Liberal Party and high profile Liberal right wingers to declare, not only whether they have received money from the Brethren, but whether the Brethren have received money from them. 8. The fact that the ads and fliers will target a particular political party (probably the Greens, and possibly the Democrats and/or Labor) is not an excuse to ignore them. While they may cost the party at which they are aimed a few votes, they will cost the LGBT community much more. LGBT people who live in rural and regional areas are especially vulnerable to the fear and hate they incite.9. The fact that the ads and fliers will probably not determine the election outcome is also not a good reason to ignore them. Their poisoning of community attitudes will linger long after the election.10. Don’t rely on normally-supportive MPs from parties that aren’t targeted, to tackle anti-LGBT ads and fliers aimed at their electoral rivals. Anything which hurts opposing parties helps them.11. Don’t rely on the party that’s being targeted either. It will be ambivalent about directly engaging the Brethren on LGBT issues, particularly in rural areas. Its excuse will be that a response will give the Brethren oxygen, that it’d rather tackle LGBT issues proactively, or that it simply has bigger fish to fry.12. Ignore all the world-weary, inner-city, late-modern types who are charmed by the eccentric Amish-like anachronism of the Brethren. Behind the latter's rejection of modernity, their head scarves, and their “thees” and “thous”, is a serious engagement in some very contemporary social and political debates.13. Most of all, be prepared from some classic judo-activism, turning the energy of hate into something positive by having transgender advocates and same-sex couples ready to explain to all and sundry why equality and justice for sexual and gender minorities is crucial for happier and safer families and communities. There you have it: what we should have done, and what others still have the opportunity to do.As long as they start work now."

See Rodneys site here http://www.rodneycroome.id.au/weblog