This Bill will have been debated in the House of Assembly by the time blaze goes to press but I thought it important to bring to your reader’s attention the dangerous lies that fundamentalist groups such as FVA are employing to justify discrimination against Transgender, Lesbian and Gay South Australians.

Mr d'Lima presents two scenarios; the first titled 'Mummy - is that person a man or a woman' bizarrely suggests Christian bookshops will be forced to employ "obviously transgendered staff, or staff who are flaunting what seem to be lesbian or homosexual mannerisms, hairstyles, tattoos or dress".

Clearly FVA is less concerned with transgender people who 'pass', that is abide by their social mores of gender, and with 'straight acting' lesbians and homosexuals.

The second scenario, "Christian welfare agency is disbanded after refusing to employ lesbian couple as foster parents" suggests that Catholic adoption agencies in the U.S. and U.K. have been forced to close because of Equal Opportunity legislation. This is wrong, the withdrawal of adoption services by any group is because they choose to close rather than provide an equitable adoption service for all people who wish to parent.

As a transgender person, father and grandparent, who has been campaigning against this type of spurious and dangerous argument for 16 years I find it sad that we still have to demand the most basic human rights. Members of the South Australian Transgender, Lesbian and Gay community need to remain vigilant against organisations such as the FVA, Family First, their supporters and dangerous messages of homophobic and transphobic hate.

Jenny Scott

Adelaide

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