Loopholes let homophobic Australians discriminate against gays
SYDNEY, Australia — Religious groups in Australia are allowed to discriminate against people who are gay or transgender, prompting criticism from gay rights activists who find it galling that religious social service programs receive millions of dollars in government funding.  Such exemptions to anti-discrimination laws exist elsewhere, but other countries including Britain and the United States have narrowed their scope in recent years, limiting them to issues such as the appointment of church leaders.In Australia, gays can be denied social services and employment from religious groups, including teaching jobs in their schools. Anglicare, a branch of the Anglican church, won’t allow gay parents to use its adoption services. Anglicare Sydney received more than 55 million Australian dollars (US$50 million) in government funding in 2010, and the Catholic Education Commission of New South Wales received AU$1.8 billion in 2009. "States are providing large amounts of funding to services along with essentially a licence to discriminate with the provision of those services, and it just seems very out of date and inappropriate," said Alan Brotherton, a policy director for ACON, an organization promoting health issues for the gay community. Some religious groups say they would scale back their social service programs if they were subject to the same rules as others operating in the public sphere. "One of the freedoms we need to have is the freedom not to be forced to act against your conscience," Robert Forsyth, the Anglican Bishop in Sydney, said. The exemptions vary from state to state in Australia and are not uniformly applied by religious bodies, creating confusion and fear among gay and transgender people, activists said. Anthony Venn-Brown, a former Pentecostal preacher who left the church after coming out as gay, said gay teachers often hide their homosexuality, but fear of being found out eventually forces many to leave. http://thechronicleherald.ca |
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