Appeal to a Biblical higher power: Ur doin it rong

*sigh*

Yes, I have a religious studies background. But surely one needs only a basic grounding in Christian mythology, much less than that one would presume is required to be an actual Christian, to understand that Yahweh is generally not so fond of his people worshipping shiny bovine idols? I mean, they made MOVIES out of that story.

Donate to the Indigenous Literacy Project

My friend Lillim is doing something amazing. She's supporting the Indigenous Literacy Project, and is going to match donations for every dollar you guys throw in.

It's a really worthwhile goal and, as Lillim points out, a great many of the people I interact with on the internet were bookish types as kids. I can't remember ever being unable to lose myself in a book, and helping impoverished Indigenous kiddies gain that ability and refuge is a worthy aim.

Head on over and throw in some cash, even if it's only $5.

More on Clean Feed: No fetish

Two articles about Family First Senator Steve Fielding's desires for the Clean Feed: no fetish material, no pornography, no gambling. I know a lot of people have varying reasons behind their anti-porn stance that have nothing to do with Christianity... I think we can all agree that allowing Christian conservatives to dictate what the rest of us do on the internet is a bad move, yes?

I've mentioned before that my ability to make a living, and that of many other Australian sex workers, will be hampered by this initiative. Fetish content, pornography, and advertisements for adult services are all legal in various parts of this country. If BDSM and pro-BDSM material is baninated, I know a lot of women who are going to end up working in areas of the sex industry they don't want to be in.

That's not even getting started on legal BDSM in a non-commercial context, or on material that could be blocked under the heading of "fetishes" and "pornographic" material... body piercing, anyone? Drug info? Sexual health?

Has big brother started parenting?... another great rant from the SSO.

Lauredhel on Hoyden About Town posts on Australian Internet Censorship in the Media: EFA Chair on the Morning Show.

Please speak out against the Clean Feed. As the Liberal Opposition have declared they will not support it, the Government will have to gain the support of independents and minor parties. Personally? I'm writing letters to my Greens representative, and encourage you to do the same. I've also contacted my broadband provider and informed them that if they participate in the clean feed trials, I will be taking my business elsewhere.

Links: Clean Feed, NT intervention, abortion in Victoria

On the technical side of the Clean Feed: Porn filters could cause 22% drop in speed and Filtering out the fury: how government tried to gag web censor critics.

On the continued racist intervention in the Northern Territory: Indigenous pay controls to stay in Northern Territory.

On the friggin' AWESOME speech given by Labor MP Evan Thornley on men's role in contraception. Seriously, I dig this guy: It's over to you, men.

No Clean Feed!

No Clean Feed.

There are so many reasons why the "clean feed" idea is a really, really shit one. The site above outlines them far more concisely than I could. But there are two groups I haven't seen emphasised too much who will suffer under this plan that are extremely close to my heart: Queer youth, and Australian sex workers.

The internet has completely revolutionised the experience of growing up queer. For many teenagers, it is no longer the lonely and confusing time many of us went through, due solely to the internet. GLBTQ youth can reach out to others like them, make connections with peers, and read stories that make them feel less isolated and freakish. They can access role models and find answers to the vital questions they may not feel safe addressing to parents, teachers or fellow teens.

If the clean feed is introduced, and Australian access to the internet limited to anything "not inappropriate or harmful" for teenagers, this option may be lost to them. With the input that religious right organisations have into our governing parties and the blatant anti-gay stance taken under the misleading label of "family", do we really trust the government to decide that resources for questioning and GLBTQ teens are "appropriate and harmless"? With suicide rates for queer teens still unacceptably high, should we take that risk?

The Clean Feed proposal also has extremely serious potential ramifications for sex workers across Australia. The internet has changed the way sex workers (independent OR brothel based) advertise and reach out to clients, and how clients find and contact us. Even the less-tech-savvy workers and establishments are usually listed in a few directories that are heavily perused by clients. All Australian sex workers will suffer if this system is introduced, with the majority of the impact falling on sole operators who utilise the largely free advertising methods offered by the internet as a way of making themselves available to clients whilst avoiding the brothel system. Removing this capacity for free and wide-reaching advertising also reduces the options available to sex workers and places pressure on them to work in arrangements and environments that they would rather avoid.

Contact details for the Minister for Broadbands and Intertubes are here. Please take the time to voice your objection. If the prospect of a slowed down, heavily censored Australian internet doesn't motivate you to do so, please object on behalf of those who stand to lose a lot by the clamping down on free online speech and information.

John, I'm over here.

I LOLd.

Celebrity Deathmatch! Renee vs Miranda Devine

Sometimes, things happen in the blogosphere that make me extremely happy.

Like when Renee from Womanist Musings takes on Miranda Devine.

Devine, for those not in the know, is a rather conservative opinion piece columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald. She's quite renowned for what she likes to call "polarising opinion pieces" and what many of the paper's flabbergasted female readers like to call "utterly sexist trash". In fact, some of my friends were inspired to create the When Devine Writes, She Wrongs community on LiveJournal, which has suffered somewhat due to lack of use. The general consensus is that this lack of use stems from a combination of over-abundant material to criticise (I think I've read one of her columns, ever, that didn't make me want to throw things) and the complete obviousness of her bigotry to most not-incredibly-conservative readers. It doesn't really need a special community to highlight it.

Anyway, Renee gives Devine the credit she deserves when it comes to feminist and political issues (minimal) and proceeds to rip her to shreds. I highly approve!

Devine, you fail enough when it comes to writing for an audience of vaguely politically aware Australians. Leave the international politics alone, ok?

Finally! A comprehensive anti-gay agenda!

In case anyone was feeling a little low on Things To Be Enraged At today, The Australian anti-gay associations have finally put together their full-colour glossy brochure of their anti-gay agenda plan. The 20 point policy reproduced on that page by the Perth Indy Media is bad enough, but the full PDF can be found here if you're really longing for that teeth-clenching head-pounding feeling of rage and incomprehension at the power of bigotry and privilege.

Marvel, what the hell??

As a devout X-Men fan, who has gobbled up every single piece of X-men related film and television ever produced regardless of how far they fall from canon continuity, I was absolutely stoked to find out that they'd made a new X-Men cartoon. Cashing in on the current even-greater-than-usual popularity of the character of Wolverine, it's titled Wolverine and the X-Men, and seems to be a mish-mash of a few recent story lines in the comics with the backstories of most characters edited or removed. This is fairly standard practice for non-mainstream continuity stories where characters are depicted as teens, and I thought it looked awesome.

Three episodes in, I'm not wrong. It's a good little cartoon. But I'm also pretty pissed off.



This dude, here? This is supposed to be Forge.



Forge is a Native American character. While he's gone through a massive evolution away from his original cringe-worthy depiction as a heavily accented, feather-covered shaman-stereotype who turned into bears and had mystical powers and into a technological genius who can build anything he conceives of, that past is still considered to be part of his storyline. And he's supposed to look Native.

In the very first episode of Wolverine and the X-Men, we see a mixed race family of non-mutants, with a Black American father, a white mother, and their mixed-race dark skinned child. What's the point in throwing in little nods to diversity like that when you then erase the racial identity of a strong and much loved Indigenous character and make him look like Tom Friggin Green?

Perhaps I'd be a little less pissed about this if this woman hadn't been cast in the upcoming Wolverine movie as Silver Fox, a Native Canadian character. Marvel Entertainment seems quite determined to ensure that no Indigenous characters make their way from the comics to the world of film and television without being thoroughly white washed in the process.

(My screen caps were taken from YouTube, and as such are actually a little darker than the better-resolution images I was originally getting the shits with. He looks like a white dude with black hair.)

About fucking time, Victoria!

Abortion to be legal after MPs back controversial bill.

Now let's hope the rest of Australia that still considers abortion a crime follows suit!

Musing on the vox pop

xposted from the Ell Jay

Interesting.

I'm finalising the sex worker magazine I've been working on for the Whoreganisation, and trying to fit a few more quotes from sex workers on the Vox Pop page. The question was "What is it about sex work that makes you feel powerful?"

The answers cover the spectrum from pithy and amusing to deep and introspective. What interests me, though, is this: The answers that mentioned validation, or enforcement of feelings of sexual value, attractiveness and appeal? All came from male workers.

Now, I put this down largely to male privilege and the lessened stigma around such sentiments when expressed by a man... but it's still interesting.

Thoughts?

Links

Catholic boycott: Abortion law will be defied

The line that really got me twitching? In his letter, Archbishop Hart called the bill [which aims to remove abortion from the Crimes Act] an "unprecedented attack" on freedom of religious beliefs.

And yet, if one were to call their position a sadly very much precedented attack on women's rights, one would be shouted down.

Two Indians in UK jailed for raping prostitute

It's never easy or pleasant to read about rape. It's still a bright spot in a horrible story that this woman, as a sex worker, was believed and managed to have her attackers charged. I can't convince myself that the race of the attackers was completely irrelevant in determining this... but I'm still focussing on the good. It's a start.

Unique experiment: The State Institute of Rural Development, Mysore, makes use of satellite TV technology to bring sex workers across the State and top-level bureaucrats face to face, as a part of its battle against HIV.

Fascinating stuff!