Trump's America - "Fuck you fagot" (video)

*click to enlarge :)

I'm disgusted. Appalled. Outraged. This is the country that we've followed in to war every stupid step of the way. Mind numbingly stupidly, but yet we've been there for them, dying along side them in every stupid war they've bloody created.

And now we get Trump's America. Beyond Trump's America the below video fuckwits chant "Fuck you fags".

I try to get my head around how they could say that about David and I, who are part of the closest and strongest alliance the US has ever had. I'm deeply insulted. Deeply hurt that such a "friend" could be so judgmental about David's and I relationship on the other side of the world. Many thousand of kilometres from their shores. It really hurts.... A lot......

But something hurts even more than that insult.

Our gutless prime minister has said today that we will follow the US into war with North Korea. Such is how our present spineless gov soooooo sucks up to a maniac Trump! A complete madman comparing missiles with Kim what's his face as dick sizes :s

Honestly, I just don't get this utter utter lunacy. It's an outrageous affront on all of humanity who simply want to live our lives without nuclear radiation going bananas to our detriment.Two countries who happen to be so powerful as to have nuclear weapons have the right to decide our fate right on the other side of the world? Down under in fact, across the international time zone in the pacific.

grrrrrrrr

You heard that right. They're chanting "Fuck you faggots." 2017. #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/pMwbSXZ3wW

— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 12, 2017

You heard that right. They're chanting "Fuck you faggots." 2017. #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/pMwbSXZ3wW

— Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) August 12, 2017

"I still call Australia Home-ophobic" - Time Minchin

Tim Minchin slaps the face of the Lieberals in this video, saying straight out that they're homophobes. Good on you brother :)

Tim Minchin has given our pollies a much-needed dressing down. "I still call Australia home-ophobic," reworks an Aussie classic. pic.twitter.com/08JQAyRV8b

— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) August 11, 2017

We are joining Michael Kirby in a postal plebiscite boycott

We've had enough and we're not going to take it anymore!

This gov doesn't give a fuck about David and I. The postal plebiscite is just another delay delay delay tactic when all they need to do is allow a free parliamentary vote. David and I are sick to death of this gov and we're not going to jump through any more of their hoops for our human rights to be recognised in law.

The Lieberals don't seem to realise that as Australians we can vote. I'd estimate that the great bulk of LGBT Australians will vote against them in the next election, along with family and friends of us, and along with a number of the general public who see them navel gazing over David and I instead of doing anything meaningful to address the very real other problems facing Australia generally.

David and I have given up on them. There won't be marriage equality unless they're gone. We refuse to take part in their hoop jumping. It's over them as far as we're concerned.

Kirby also told the station that the idea of a postal plebiscite made him feel as though he was “not being respected”.

 “It wasn’t done in the case of the advancement of the equal rights of Aboriginal people, it wasn’t done in the advancement of women’s legal right,” he said. “It’s just a complete political improvisation and it’s completely unacceptable and it should stop.”

 In a separate interview with Fairfax, Kirby said he liked Malcolm Turnbull, but that the PM needed to think “what the pages of the history books of Australia will show about him.”

 “A little bit of leadership on this issue – where he speaks from the heart and speaks in terms of ideas of equality and the dignity of all people – is what is required of him now.”

 Kirby also said that he and his partner would boycott the postal vote, even if it meant waiting longer for marriage equality to be delivered. Junkee

Panti Bliss TED talk (video)

Panti Bliss gives the most heart felt dissertation about her life and how it isn't at all the end of life on this planet for heterosexual people. She makes point after point how that is not so, in a very humorous LGBT way.

Two pictures that say it all about Lieberal opposition to marriage equality

I think that about sums it up 😁

Lounging cats (Pics)

*click to enlarge

Casper and Cloe share my lounge chair a lot. Casper has grown so fast, but Cloe remains the cute femme fatale. She's stayed quite little. Brother and sister love each other, have remained together since birth.

They've both had their trips to the vet up the road to get desexed. We waited longer for Cloe as she was so small and it's quite a big operation for her. Cloe is a smart cat, and even though Zac and Casper are smart as well, she still manages to outsmart them in play. They'll be playing chasies with each other running through the house at top speed, and when being pursued Cloe will dive in a slightly different direction behind the lounge or a chair, leaving Zac or Casper wondering where the fuck she went :)

Below Casper lounges on my lap while I watch TV, with Zac in the background in front of the beloved heater, being winter down under. Natasha takes time out in the cat bed. Natasha just loves Cloe. Must be a girl thing. Although she's 17 or so now she still like to play sometimes with the other cats, especially Cloe.

Natasha is still the boss of them all. She like a matriarch. She give the younger one a biff with her paw if they get out of line.

Before Reaganomics, there was Glen Campbell (sound video)

Fairwell Glen Campbell.

You will never know the influence you gave me as a child in New Zealand very far from your shores. Back when the US (at least) tried to stand for morality and kindness to others. Wherever you may be now, may the universe let you know the worth and influence you accomplished.

You were part of the old guard, the ones before the West became selfish and stopped caring about the less fortunate. There are many of us that still do and we will miss your voice in saying so. Thank you for that voice that is still active now even after your death.

Aust. Christian Lobby has only 11 full time employees - WTF?

That number again, 11. 

Yes folks, you'd think from the money it has and the influence it has over politicians that the Australian Christian Lobby would be a large organisation employing a few hundred people or so. They're always in the news commenting about how evil us LGBT are. 

Lyle Shelton is well known amongst us for being so anti-gay and completely against us. On top of that he seems to have easy access to the RWNJ's in Canberra and making media comments about the decisions that come out of Canberra about us, particularly with marriage equality. Is it because Shelton used to be a political adviser to Barnaby Joice?

Yet the ACL has only 11 full time employees, a few part timers, and a number of volunteers. That's it. Yet the whole of Australia is being held captive at times to these complete lunatics.

The article is from early last year but I doubt much has changed since then. Why oh why have these people got such an unrepresentative voice? These are the ones mobilising against us if the postal plebiscite gets up. Eleven fuckin people FFS!

It's not democracy to have a few well paid up lobbyists with such an enormous reach.

According to the ACL’s most recent financial statements, the ACL has 11 full-time employees, five part-time employees, two casual employees and 20 unpaid volunteers. The lobby’s donations have increased over the past few years, from $2 million in 2013 to $2.7 million in 2015. Most funding goes to paying staffing costs. The amount of money spent on polling and election campaigns sits at an average of around $100,000 a year. Crikey

In honour of Glen Cambell's death, perhaps the ACL could take some of his advice. I remember listening to on a sort of suitcase record player in the 1970's that dad let us use now and then in the loungeroom (just one speaker). Long long ago as a kid, fascinated that you could actually buy one song on a little record. I dunno how we ended up with it but we must have begged dad for the cents to get it. I listened to it a few hundred times I think, and the song never left me after that. It was before Reaganomics and the cruelty it would bring for the next 30 years to all western nations. It was a time when "trying a little kindness" made all the sense in the world.

In the light of what's going on now, Campbell is almost prophetic.

This is the sort of lies a plebiscite would bring (graphic)

It's come up in the news today but I'm tired of putting asshole quotes in from the media. The image is enough. That alone is the best argument against any sort of plebiscite at all. You can find the story here.

How many young Australians would suicide in the face of such bile?

Senate kills plebiscite blocking the gov motion to debate it again (video)

Postal plebiscite was Dopey Dutton's brain fart

The senate has immediately killed off the gov's nutty idea of reintroducing the failed plebiscite to try and get it passed this time. The senate rejected the gov's motion to introduce the enabling laws for the plebiscite, even for debate. I guess the senate has basically said to the gov, "get fucked".

Now of course is the ridiculous back up plan. No it's not to let the parliament do it's job and have a free conscience vote on the issue (even though the Howard gov had five of them). It's to go postal and have a postal plebiscite, which will be immediately challenged in the High Court by LGBT advocates and stopped dead in it's tracks. Until the High Court makes it's likely decision that to have a postal plebiscite without enabling legislation is unconstitutional. 

The whole plebiscite thing is nothing more than a delay tactic, as the below video from Janet Rice of the Greens gives voice to. The postal plebiscite will be an illegitimate waste of money if it ever gets up, and there's already strong feeling amongst us LGBT to boycott the whole thing and have public ballot burnings. What an insult upon insult to have our human rights reduced to Australia Post snail mail, open to all sorts of fraud.

The Lieberals now look completely stupid.

The Turnbull government has been forced to adopt its Plan B on same-sex marriage - a postal vote - after the Senate rejected a second bid for a compulsory plebiscite.

 Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers blocked the government's motion to bring on the plebiscite laws for a fresh debate on Wednesday, with the vote negatived at 31-all.

 The ruling means the government will now pursue a postal vote, expected to cost $122 million, with ballot papers to be sent out on September 12 and due back by November 7. Nine News

The story of two LGBT together since 1990's in Lieberal Australia (video)

This illustrates the tragedy that LGBT couple can go through in Australia when one of them is dying and they're not able to marry. This is the Australia that we live in today under this heartless and dogmatic indoctrinated gov. It cares more for it's world view than for the people in the world.

We LGBT will continue to tell our personal stories in spite of our heartless gov. It's our stories that matter, not the gov's blinkered view.

LGBT are furious! - "most bigoted, homophobic, anti-gay government in the history of Australia" (video)

We LGBT are furious folks. Rope-able. And as the days pass after Monday's Lieberal debacle the anger is only growing. When you see the likes of Lyle Shelton and Tony Abbott congratulating the gov for sticking to the plebiscite-or-nothing doctrine I can feel the blood boil in my veins. 

The family and friends of the LGBT are angry.

The general public is angry that the gov is tying itself up in knots over something that could be solved immediately when there are so many other issues to deal with as well.

Already the utter and complete bullshit is coming out of Abbott's mouth in the media. He has likened marriage equality to "political correctness" and to vote no if you're against political correctness. 

"Well done to Malcolm Turnbull and the government for making sure this is going to happen," the former prime minister told reporters in Canberra before outlining his argument for a 'no' vote.

 "If you don't like same-sex marriage vote 'no', if you're worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech vote 'no', if you don't like political correctness vote 'no'."

 Voting 'no' would "stop political correctness in its tracks". Nine News

What a fuckin insult, to say that equality and the recognition of our love before the law is nothing more than "political correctness"! What a slap in the face for every LGBT person in the country, to boil our lives down to nothing more than a political faction. 

This is one of the very reasons why the LGBT are so opposed to a plebiscite (yes, it actually is about us, not RWNJ's and their views on us). People like Abbott and Shelton can pedal their lies and associate marriage equality to all manner of things, in this case "political correctness". Or "religious freedom" which was addressed in the most comprehensive marriage equality bill ever put before the parliament. 

And what is this thing "If you don't like same sex marriage"? People don't like convicted murderers being able to get married in jail, but they can. If somebody who doesn't like David and I being married, what right have they got to have any say in it at all? That's their problem, not ours. Abbott is saying that it's OK to be a bigot, simple as that, and that bigotry can stop love.

I have no doubt that the Lieberals haven't the faintest idea of the depth and breadth of anger and pure rage that they ignited across Australia with their pitiful actions on Monday. Indeed it's clear they're incapable of any sort of empathy to anyone outside their political world view.

This from a fellow LGBT on the subject, Dr Stuart Edser Principal Psychologist at Newcastle Psychology & Health:

Dr Stuart Edser

As for the LIberal Nationals, I am too angry tonight to write what I really think of them. Let me just say that I think the way they have treated me and my family, and the LGBTQ individuals I know and love, and the many others around the country too plus all their families, is nothing short of treacherous. It is clear the LNP does not give a flying f–k about LGBTQ people.

 Their hollow useless leader is a spineless jelly whose tilt at the Prime Ministership deserves to be over sooner rather than later. His is a failed Prime Ministership by any standard. He has squandered his time as Australia’s leader and will regret it for the rest of his life. His much touted gay credentials lie tonight tattered and in ruins after he has allowed his predecessor’s model to continue to reign supreme in the party.

 And the moderates all around him, who could have stood beside him in solidarity for progressive values, are also a bunch of cowed beaten pathetic doormats too. They have let the likes of Abetz, Abbott, Bernardi, Andrews, Christensen walk all over them, men who believe that gay people are inferior and that our relationships are not worthy.

 I am angry tonight. The LNP has done everything it possibly could short of a coup to stop marriage equality.

 We gay people know where we stand. We matter not to these conservative troglodytes. We do not figure.

 This LNP Government will go down in history as THE most bigoted, homophobic, anti-gay government in the history of Australia. To night, I can only say that I look forward, with every fibre of my being, to the night, hopefully not too distant hence, when they will be turfed out on their conservative arses and not let back in again for decades. And to that end, I am happy to pledge myself in doing what I can to hasten that longed-for evening. The Stirrer

I therefore maintain that the only way to get marriage equality in Australia is to get rid of this gov.

Full press conference Equality Campaign on gov plebiscite decision (video)

Here we have the full press conference from The Equality Campaign after the Lieberals yesterday dodged a conscience vote on marriage equality and decided instead to reintroduce the failed plebiscite legislation from last year again. 

I must say I've never seen Alex Greenwich so fired up (the first speaker). Usually he's very much for working together with people and negotiating a positive outcome despite differences. Here however he gives it to the gov with both barrels. 

Such is the historic significance of what the gov did yesterday. It won't be forgotten. To the LGBT now the gov is permanently labeled as the gov that is against them, in much the same way as workers know the gov is for big business and not them. This won't be just a passing feeling, but a permanent alienation into the future.

Gov blocks marriage equality again - keeps plebiscite delay tactic (video)

Sydney Morning Herald

In Turnbull's latest show of complete spinelessness and lack of leadership, the Lieberals have again caved to the far right of the party. After a party room meeting this afternoon in which they could have decided on simply a free parliamentary vote that would have passed marriage equality, they have again reiterated their plebiscite-or-nothing doctrine to Australians.

The original plebiscite that failed in the senate and will fail again.

After which they will try a postal plebiscite which looks highly likely to fail in the High Court when challenged. Even if it didn't it will fail in practice. We LGBT will boycott such an insult to our rights and commentators are already saying the participation rate will likely be well less that 50%, making the poll meaningless.

It's delay, delay, delay, delay, delay..... Our human rights stay and stay in the Lieberal too hard box. Pun intended. These unrepresentative swill wouldn't know love if it bit them on the ass. Bitter, hard right, white, privileged, Catholic middled aged men, clinging to their mutation of christianity like their miserable lives depended on it. Holding the entire country back even in the face of a tsunami of public support for marriage equality as there has been of late. 

All their opposition to the push for our human rights over the years by them to us won't be forgotten. But today especially. An historical moment was reached and they blocked it yet again. They have labeled themselves a party of homophobes to Australia and a party stuck in the last century.

.@AlexGreenwich: This is a failed policy and the postal plebiscite is a flawed policy. #auspol MORE https://t.co/KIC1Cb3sPI pic.twitter.com/tPffTOYKsb

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) August 7, 2017

Another change in my HIV meds

I've been having problems for months and months now with feeling really dizzy and even passing out for a minute, along with shortness of breath. When I was hospitalised recently at the ambulance my blood pressure had fallen to 60 over 40. Along with severe migraines like I've not had in decades and terrible muscle aches.

As a result of that hospitalisation I was referred to see a neurologist professor at the hospital. I saw him a week or so ago for a 45 minute consultation where he examined me and went through everything about what I was taking and what was happening over the last months. He was pretty stumped I must say but he had a feeling that it was the Maraviroc HIV pills I was taking that was a cause of a lot of the problems I'd been having.

He emailed my HIV GP and now I've started on a new one called Tivicay. It's only one small tablet a day whereas the Maraviroc was two big tablets a day. The pharmacist said there may be the odd side effect to start off with but it would settle down. Just the usual like a bit of nausea or indigestion. 

I hope that it has been the Maraviroc all this time as if it hasn't it means more tests and more tests to find what's going on.