Queers

Following the previous episode on Safe Schools and queer role-models there have been significant developments. In a quick update Benjamin and Simon talk about what's happened in the Safe Schools debate, discussing the suspension of academic Roz Ward and a new article from Catherine McGregor.

News on Roz Ward: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/03/la-trobe-lifts-suspension-on-safe-schools-academic-roz-ward

Catherine McGregor's "The Ugly Face of the Revolution": http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/the-ugly-face-of-the-revolution/news-story/223af67eaaaa1f0d41f729110908c3f6#load-story-comments

In the first episode of a two-part discussion about distinctions between queer politics and queer identities, Benjamin and Simon look at an opinion piece by high-profile transgender Australian woman Catherine McGregor and ask the question: what does it mean to have visible queer role-models if their politics stand in opposition to our own? 

Catherine McGregor's Opinion Piece: 'I am transgender, and I oppose Safe Schools': http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/i-am-transgender-and-i-oppose-safe-schools/news-story/7e194d1cc3037b6966b9fdab59871bf9

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of a two-part discussion about distinctions between queer politics and queer identities, Benjamin and Simon look at an opinion piece by high-profile transgender Australian woman Catherine McGregor and ask the question: what does it mean to have visible queer role-models if their politics stand in opposition to our own?

Catherine McGregor's Opinion Piece: 'I am transgender, and I oppose Safe Schools': http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/i-am-transgender-and-i-oppose-safe-schools/news-story/7e194d1cc3037b6966b9fdab59871bf9

Eurovision is "the biggest gay holiday of the year" according to one host of Queers, though controversy surrounding Russia in this year's competition gets both Simon and Benjamin thinking about how queers in Western countries engage with the treatment of queer communities around the world, for better and for worse.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eurovision is "the biggest gay holiday of the year" according to one host of Queers, though controversy surrounding Russia in this year's competition gets both Simon and Benjamin thinking about how queers in Western countries engage with the treatment of queer communities around the world, for better and for worse.

Two recent non-queer critiques of mainstream left-wing politics prominently feature queer issues, which leads Benjamin and Simon to go looking for a connection between the centrality of queer issues to progressive political movements on the one hand, and "political correctness" on the other.

The Vox article discussed can be found here: http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberalism

The Guardian article discussed can be found here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/26/conservatives-love-to-hate-political-correctness-but-the-left-should-rail-against-it-too

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two recent non-queer critiques of mainstream left-wing politics prominently feature queer issues, which leads Benjamin and Simon to go looking for a connection between the centrality of queer issues to progressive political movements on the one hand, and "political correctness" on the other.

The Vox article discussed can be found here: http://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11451378/smug-american-liberalism

The Guardian article discussed can be found here: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/26/conservatives-love-to-hate-political-correctness-but-the-left-should-rail-against-it-too

This week queers reacted with shock and disappointment when Australian telecommunications company Telstra appeared to backflip on its support for marriage equality. Simon and Benjamin examine the decision and its aftermath, questioning the goodwill queer communities have for apparently pro-queer companies.

Update: since we recorded this podcast Telstra has issued a statement saying they will "renew their active role in the marriage equality debate". You can see Telstra's statement here: http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2016/04/18/marriage-equality/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week queers reacted with shock and disappointment when Australian telecommunications company Telstra appeared to backflip on its support for marriage equality. Simon and Benjamin examine the decision and its aftermath, questioning the goodwill queer communities have for apparently pro-queer companies.

Update: since we recorded this podcast Telstra has issued a statement saying they will "renew their active role in the marriage equality debate". You can see Telstra's statement here: http://exchange.telstra.com.au/2016/04/18/marriage-equality/

An article framing so-called "reparative therapy" for queer people as an expression of self-determination finds Benjamin and Simon confronting some deeply held beliefs, and asking what options there really are when being queer is an impossible choice.

The article discussed in the episode can be found here: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2016/04/16625/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.