Dear Ms Gillard,
Like most Australians, I take a general interest in politics, but wouldn’t say I have educated myself in it enough to ever make judgements for or against any one party. I am educated enough to know of the media’s tendencies to sensationalise most things… And a lot of the time these things are in relation to your background, choices, comments you have made… Anything they can get their hands on really.
I was reading an article this morning, suggesting you had advised religious leaders that they are free to discriminate when it comes to the hiring and firing of staff etc, if they are deemed as “sinners.” I didn’t pay too much attention to this but it was the little push I needed, that lead me to voice my opinion to you after a couple of years of sitting back and watching.
I am a normal, mid-twenties girl with a full time job. I work hard, love my country, love my family and friends, love animals and love my girlfriend.(Yes, I am gay)
My life is pretty great, but it wasnt always this way. I battled depression and being suicidal throughout my teenage years. I was bullied and told by a church when I was 15, that I was going to hell because I had demons. (gay demons apparently!) That is a pretty big cross to bear for a child. It followed me through my whole teenage life. I went to a Christian school, and was told the same. I was outcasted, i went through periods of having no friends. I would eat lunch in the change rooms just to avoid being alone in the playground. All this finally lead to hospitalisation for three months for severe depression which was treated with copious amounts of anti depressants and sedatives.
I am now glad to say that through my own determination, I got through it. And now you will find a functional, happy and healthy individual, always willing to contribute positively to society.
I came off all the medication 6 years ago, because I realised that medication wasnt what I needed. It was acceptance. I made new friends, I feel accepted within my own circle. I have an amazing family and friends… I just want my government to support me in the same way. I want to be able to work where I want. I love charity work, but a lot of these places are religious… I don’t want to be told I can’t be involved in bettering the life of someone else (for example) because I’m gay.
I want to get married one day. And the biggest factor isn’t even for love, it’s so that I have rights, if god forbid, anything ever happened to my girlfriend. The way the law is now, I would have no rights to request information etc because I would not be considered “family.”
I’ve earned myself a tough skin, but please, save the next 15 year old girl the same trauma. I lost my childhood because I wasn’t an equal or accepted… Make the change.
Yours sincerely,
LB
Well said
and congrats for getting through it, hope you and your girlfriend have a wonderful life and one day you can make her your wife 
Posted by Ali Morris | January 16, 2013, 9:28 amI totally understand what you went through in high school I came out at 14, I was not accepted by most of my fathers side of the family and I would get picked on and bullied at school but luckily I had some friends who accepted me for me because being gay didn’t change who I am it just changed who I was in love with. I believe that my family values are the same as a heterosexual couple I want to get married to my fiancée and have kids in wedlock. I want them to grow up in a society that accepts the fact that there parents are able to make decisions about medical needs for them both of there parents not just there biological mother but there paternal mother as well. All the best and I hope it happens for the both us soon. And for everyone else as well
Posted by Lisa baker | January 16, 2013, 9:34 amOn behalf of all hetro families who support the ideals of a fair and equal society without discrimination I sincerely and actively support your cause and urge you to ‘hang in there’, we are close, you are not alone.
Posted by Captain Benno | January 16, 2013, 10:04 amThanks for this. I just cracked up when I read it. The pressure of years and years of advocacy in the face of hatred, violence, disrespect, and discrimination is great. And then, to hear that the Govt will explicitly allow that discrimination to continue – in its ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LEGISLATION! – is almost too much. To hear someone, who is not ‘us’, say ‘we are close, you are not alone’ just broke today’s dam walls.
Posted by Barbary Clarke | January 17, 2013, 1:46 amI’m sorry, but I don’t understand what this letter is about. Is it protesting Ms Gillard’s comments that church leaders are free to employ people who only align with the same values/morals they do? Is it protesting against our country’s current ban on gay marriage? Protesting the way gay teens often get bullied? All of the above?
Because nobody has a ‘right’ to any specific job. And it would be inconsistent, nearly hypocritical, for a church (or any group, company or organisation) to espouse one set of values but support another set (ie. employ those who follow a different set of values, especially a set directly opposed to their employers’). No company or group should be required to employ somebody that contradicts what that group promotes/stands for.
It saddens and bothers me that people bully others to the point of depression, suicide and hospitalisation, even if they do think the other person’s lifestyle or decisions are wrong, because that’s their lifestyle/decision to make. But when you are working for a group it’s not just your lifestyle/decisions anymore, it reflects on your employer. This is not so difficult or complicated in normal workplaces where your actions outside the workplace don’t reflect much back on your employer. For example I work at a university so as long as I don’t go trashing them in public and telling people to enrol at different universities I’m pretty ok. There aren’t many areas of my life where I can do something that will contradict something my employer stands for. The two can be pretty separate most of the time. But in instances where the employer deals with lifestyles and life decisions then your lifestyle and life decisions will reflect on your employer too. You wouldn’t very well expect Alcoholics Anonymous to employ a current alcoholic (ie. somebody who isn’t recovered/hasn’t even attempted to recover). Nobody would try to call that unfair discrimination – it’s discrimination, yes, but it’s fair and logical and makes sense. Similarly, why should a church that believes homosexuality is wrong be obliged to employ somebody who contradicts that belief? Why would you even want to work there? There are lots of other charities you can work for, whose values you probably align with more.
Posted by Leah | January 16, 2013, 11:33 am” No company or group should be required to employ somebody that contradicts what that group promotes/stands for.” Yet it’s illegal to discriminate against the religious. Why should they have the right to discriminate AND the right to equal opportunity elsewhere. If sexuality ‘contradicts what that group promotes/ stands for’ maybe its time to go beyond preventing employment discrimination and criminalise the hatred and intolerance. It’s insane that a religious organisation can have more right to choose not to employ me because I love a man, than I have the right to choose not to employ someone because they’re an anti-gay bible nut.
Posted by Andrew | January 16, 2013, 8:01 pmNo, Leah, this is about discrimination in the work place. Despite whatever faeries or goblins are the basic underpinnings of an organisation, it’s the skill sets the individuals bring to the organisation that are key, not their sexuality. Many not for profit organisations which deliver much of today’s social justice are under the Church yoke – that’s due to historical reasons and taxation regulation. This brings us to the first issue – if an organisation relies on Government funds, it needs to act like the secular government providing those funds.
What the employer stands for and delivers are two different things and society via education has surpassed the Church’s Bronze Age view of the world. The teachings from the Roman cult derived from the Hebrew superstition teaches that rapists simply need to marry their victims for justice, slavery is encouraged and women have no voice, indeed according to the Bible women are chattels owned by men and never have the right to speak unto a man. The Bible also tells us seafood and working on the Sabbath are equally as abominable as homosexuality.
Does an Australian Government funded organisation have the right to own women and slaves? Does it have the Biblical right to smite prawn eaters? No? Then it doesn’t have the right to discriminate against an employee.
Posted by Mark Adams | January 16, 2013, 9:20 pmLeah, thank you for voicing your opinion – and that’s is exactly what it is – your opinion – well here is mine: how dare you you make the analogy of gays working for charitable institutions being the same as alcoholics working for AA?? How close-minded you are. LIsten up noddy: being gay is the same as being blonde, green eyed and working in the public service – means JACK. Its doesn’t change who you are or how you feel about helping the community or which charitable organisation you work for – you are still a normal human being WITH equal rights. Remove your head from your nether-regions – its not very attractive.
Posted by Jenni | January 16, 2013, 10:25 pmThank you for speaking out.
Posted by Michael Barnett | January 16, 2013, 11:47 amIt is a bad sign to see government empower sponsored discrimination against minorities with no redress. One should remember Europe and other countries were religious bodies sponsored discrimination which ended in genocides. Here ordinary minority citizens are subjected to discrimination without qualm and no protection by a so called democratic government. What will be the next dictates by religious bodies?????
Posted by Fred | January 16, 2013, 12:54 pmWell said. It is about time not only the government but society in general stopped putting everyone in the same little box to fit neatly, we are all different, different skin colour, different hair colour, and eyes, religious beliefs etc so why is it expected that we all have to be of the same sexual orientation. Someone being gay does not change them in any way as far as I am concerned. Why is it, we are told to be more accepting of others’ religious beliefs, but it seems not to extend to others’ sexuality. No one chooses to be “GAY” they just are, the same as i am just hetro.
I wish everyone all the best and hopefully things will change sooner rather than later.
Posted by Deb Morgan | January 16, 2013, 1:24 pmWhat a great letter! I’ve been fighting the equality battle for equal love for 25 years. I’m weary and tired and so glad to see a young person stepping up and continuing the fight with a very personal story. We will get there, one day soon. Vote for The Greens and we will get there quicker!
Posted by Gilda Davies | January 16, 2013, 2:05 pmHi ..I was married to a lovely woman who came out after 15 yrs of married life… we have 2 lovely girls one of whom is gay and has just been proposed to by her partner… her mother and i,after many years in business and life, are still great friends and love each other dearly (we have both re-partnered and share mutual love and respect for each others partners)… that people cant just let people be who they are , let them have a full and caring life wiyhout putting some weird discriminationupon them is so bloody bizzare.Let he who is Without sin cast the first stone..love thy neighbor as ye would be loved…. sure…what a load … in the end we will all die and if all you,ve left behind is bigotry then your life is for nought … instead Make It Count… Cheers to all x
Posted by Graham | January 16, 2013, 7:00 pm