Monthly Archives: August 2013
Unlock Your Vote ‘Tweet-Up’
We’re excited to announce that The Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne is joining the #unlockyourvote campaign, giving you an hour of her time to respond to your Twitter questions.
Join us live on Twitter between 4-5pm on Tuesday 27August using @SenatorMilne and #unlockyourvote, or if you can’t make it then, submit your question at http://bit.ly/16ly0WU
Stay tuned for more #unlockyourvote Twitter debates, as we continue to push for Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd and Labor to answer your questions about what matters to you.
Chelsea Manning is a Hero
Today’s big news story is that Wikileaks leaker Pfc. Manning would like to live out the rest of her life as Chelsea, and is no longer Bradley, he or him.
Cue barrage of ignorant comments.
Jezebel has kindly put together a guide for How Not to React to News That Bradley Manning is Transgender, which catalogues the most common mistakes made by those in the news media today.
http://jezebel.com/how-not-to-react-to-the-news-that-bradley-manning-is-tr-1182604480
It ends with, “Don’t read any comments on anything today. Trust me on this.” Well actually, go ahead and read. Those idiots can’t put a dint in what Chelsea’s courageous actions have proven today –
1. Yes, trans people exist
2. They’re gonna live their lives how they want
3. They can be as rad as Chelsea fucking Manning.
“I look forward to receiving messages from supporters and having the opportunity to write back.”
Post yours letters to:
Bradley E. Manning
89289
1300 Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth
Kansas 66027-2304
United States of America
Presumably so that letters reach her, she has requested that post be mailed to her male name, but you should respect her new name and pronoun elsewhere. It is still not allowed to be transgender in the US military. Manning will be held in an all-male jail, and will be denied access to the transitioning medical technology that she wants.
Manning is the truest kind of hero, a person of conscience who saw what was around her and having her illusions in the US army’s mission shattered resolved to do what she knew was right, so that the world could know what was happening. She released perhaps the biggest leak in history, an enormous trove of data from the US military, most memorably the video footage known as “Collateral Murder”.
She is the hero of all those who aspire to live in a free society.
Trans* awareness campaign
Here is a campaign to be launched by the National Union of Students Queer Department to take up a serious aspect of trans* people’s lives – finding safe and harassment-free access to public bathrooms.
We are about to roll out these stickers to university campuses across Australia, and we are asking for your help in getting them up. The first is intended to go next to the Male / Female signs on bathroom-entrance doors, the second to be put up on bathroom mirrors and next to washbasins for people to read (and think). If we could make this a seriously visible campaign on campuses and get university students talking positively about the issue it would be a rad way to get people thinking about their assumptions on sex and gender, and to reducing harassment of trans* people. Once we have distributed stickers around the country we will be launching a media campaign to highlight the issue and the efforts at creating positive spaces on university campuses as a model for others to adopt.
Please contact catherinerose87@gmail.com if you are able to help, and answer these questions:
1) What university do you go to?
2) How many stickers would you like? We have 4,000 of each printed to give you an idea. You can leave this open if you don’t know.
3) Would you like to be a contact point for other people at your university who would like stickers? Postage costs make this the most viable way of running the campaign, so if you are a Queer Officer or otherwise want to stick up your hand for the job, give me your phone number for people to contact if they want stickers at your campus. We will also be sending out information packs on trans* and intersex inclusion for queer officers and queer collectives, so let me know if this is something you can make use of.
4) Would you like to provide a quotable quote for a press release? This is really for trans* students to have their voice heard. The stickers however can be put up by anyone and we definitely want to enlist supporters of trans* people’s rights.
Protests for Marriage Equality before the election
The first election debate saw Kevin Rudd announce that he will bring on marriage equality legislation within 100 days of a new parliament. He also had this to say:
“I’ve been thinking about the meaning of marriage for a long time – and I won’t hide the fact that this has been a journey for me. It is a difficult discussion, and I won’t force this on anyone. It will be a free vote for members of the Labor Party.”
Interesting words for someone who forced this legislation on us to begin with!
But this is something real to fight around. A renewed vote with a key figure having changed sides since the last vote will put significant pressure on people in parliament to take the chance to join the switch and end the debate once and for all.
Get to (and share) these protests before the election to get the legislation passed.
Melbourne: 1pm, Sat 17 Aug, State Library
www.facebook.com/events/132966940183586
www.facebook.com/events/479692975437391
Newcastle: 1pm, Sat 24 Aug, Civil Plaza
www.facebook.com/events/610967415594740
Sydney primer event: Sunday 25 August, 2pm Hyde Park North for a drag wedding
http://www.facebook.com/events/431058517010443
Perth: 1pm, Sat 31 Aug, Stirling Gardens
www.facebook.com/events/647186011963319/
www.facebook.com/events/417335171718343
www.facebook.com/events/456061231155384
Illawarra train ride to Sydney protest
www.facebook.com/events/625587094140729
National Day of Action 20 August – No Cuts, More Funding, Education for All!
August 20 will see students demonstrating around the country in protest against cuts to higher education funding. In an election period totally devoid of any conversation about human rights, we want to put the issue of education funding and equal access to higher education back on the agenda. The National Union of Students along with local education campaign groups is asking everyone to get the word out about the protest near you. Banners are being dropped, sidewalks are being chalked, poster boards are being covered, info tables are being staffed, uni clubs are being contacted and much much more to make this day big. Please think about how you can help to get people there, whether they are in your class, club, friendship group or whatever. And set the day aside to show Labor and Liberal that students are determined to stop their $2.3 billion of cuts from coming through, and fighting for it.
See our previous post for why queer students (and any disadvantaged students) lose out from these cuts. https://nusqueer.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/why-queer-students-lose-out-from-tertiary-education-cuts/
Queers are organising for this! There will be a Pink Bloc in Sydney, and Perth is getting theirs organised at a working bee on Saturday 17 August, see here http://www.facebook.com/events/208835439240465
There will be central demonstrations in capital cities that are the major cities, along with feeder events at several universities. This list will be updated as events pop up.
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION 20 AUGUST
National Day of Action: Fight for Our Education
National Facebook event
http://www.facebook.com/events/222932901188222
MELBOURNE
Semester 2 NDA Melbourne: Fight for Our Education
2:00pm State Library of Victoria, Melbourne
http://www.facebook.com/events/140477939493674
La Trobe University Rally Against Funding Cuts!
12:00pm La Trobe University Student Union
http://www.facebook.com/events/183491385162656
Monash NDA Rally Contingent 20 August
1:00pm Robert Blackwood Hall, Monash Clayton
http://www.facebook.com/events/545177302186515
SYDNEY
Rally: National Day of Action (NSW) – Fight for Our Education!
1:00pm University of Technology, Sydney
http://www.facebook.com/events/1403323099880793
– with a Queer Bloc! http://www.facebook.com/events/503091936434165
Sydney Uni Strike and Pickets!
7:00am onwards, City Road entrance, Sydney University
http://www.facebook.com/events/410456795741138
Sydney Uni Feeder March for NUS National Day of Action
12:00pm, City Road entrance, Sydney University
http://www.facebook.com/events/341872852611005
PERTH
National Student Protest – Stop Cutting our Education!
1:00pm Forrest Place, Perth
http://www.facebook.com/events/561499497245688
BRISBANE
National Day of Action Brisbane: Fight for Our Education
2:00pm Brisbane Square, George St, Brisbane
http://www.facebook.com/events/1403132566567527
ADELAIDE
3:00pm Ligertwood Court, North Terrace, Adelaide
CANBERRA
National Day of Action Pollie Crawl
12:30pm Union Court, Australian National University
My Future, Our Voice: Unlock Your Vote
The Australian federal election is coming up fast and its result will shape the future of the country.
Right now, politicians are talking about policies that will affect our future. We must not be locked out of the conversation.
No one is asking what matters to us.
Should we legislate equal marriage? How should we treat asylum seekers coming to Australia? Do we keep a price on carbon? What is the alternative to the national broadband network? Which is the best party to deliver the best funding schemes for our education system?
Will we be a smart, compassionate country?
You have answers to these questions. It’s time to unlock your vote. We’re challenging you to help us set the agenda. We’re going to do it on our terms, for our future. And you can do that with your vote.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Enrol to vote
It is too easy to be cynical about politics, but voting gives you a voice on the issues that matter to you. It’s vital that as many students and young people as possible vote. You can now conveniently do so online: http://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/ The rolls close on Monday 12th August at 8pm!
2. Tell us your top issues
NUS is challenging you to help set the election agenda in 2013. Log onto www.myfutureourvoice.com.au and tell us what top five issues matter to you this election.
3. Join the campaign
Keep up to date on the campaign and what the pollies are saying about the policies that matter to you.
4. Take action
As the election date nears, stay tuned for the release of the youth agenda (as voted by you) and your chance to send a message to Canberra with our Instagram action.
NUS Queer Department 