Month: February 2022

Categories
Opinion/Commentary

Kanye West’s meltdown shouldn’t be a surprise

Image of human face and a heart in the brain Image: iStock

Kanye West made headlines. Again. West has been accused of harassing Kim Kardashian’s current partner, Saturday Night Lives’ Pete Davidson after Davidson listened to West’s new album Donda 2. 

According to court documents, West:

“…disseminated on social media the parties’ private communications and misinformation about personal family matters and co – parenting which has caused emotional distress”.

Kim Kardashian told People magazine that she asked West to keep the divorce private. West didn’t respect her request.

Davidson quite social media

Pete Davidson has deleted his Instagram account since the incident with West. He denies that West was the reason he deleted the account.

Kanye West embraced by conservatives while his mental health was failing

Kanye West was embraced by conservatives when Donald Trump was the US President. 

YouTuber and podcaster, Kyle Kulinski saw West’s over the top behaviour as a red flag. Kulinski speculated that West had bipolar disorder. Turns out he was right.

While he originally denied it, West admitted to David Letterman that he’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and experienced paranoia.

Not long after this, West became a critic of the ‘Blexit’ movement – African – Americans who rejected the Democrats and their policies. Conservatives’ love affair with West had waned.

Last year, he professed that he became a Christian. He made the Christian – themed album, Jesus Is King.

Troubling behaviour that was ignored

Just a quick note: I’m not a mental health professional. What I’m about to write is based on my non – expert understanding of bipolar disorder.

Red flags of West’s behaviour have gone back years:

  • In 2009, when Taylor Swift was accepting her MTV Video Music .Award. West jumped up on stage declaring that Beyoncé should have won the award
  • When Forbes magazine interviewed him, West reportedly ranted for hours, not allowing the journalist to speak
  • His visit with Donald Trump at the White House. Again, no impulse control. This is where West actually denied he had bipolar, saying his behaviour was due to sleep deprivatiob (side note: people with bipolar often experience sleep deprivation, which in turn exacerbates their symptoms).
  • His bizarre tweets, talking about Donald Trump and “dragon energy”. This nonsensical tweet was praised by commentator, Daisy Cousens. Kulinski sawxit as the red flag it was.

Apart from these signs, Kim Kardashian has shared on Twitter that West goes to a “sunken place”, hinting at West’s episodes of depression.

These are just a few incidents. They should have raised alarms, not praise.

Kanye West took aim at family

West’s behaviour went even more bizarre. In 2020, he went on a Twitter rant against Kardashian and his ex – mother – in – law Kris Jenner.

In the tweets, West accused Jenner of “White surpremacy at its highest”. He also wrote:

This Ye. You wanna talk. Or go to war?

He expressed paranoia and accused Kardashian of wanting to “lock me [West] up”.

Final note. I’m not saying that people who suffer from bipolar are inherently abusive. And there is no excuse for abusive behaviour. My point is that Kanye West has had a history of problematic and possibly pathological behaviour. Much of it was largely ignored or praised in the media. That’s not OK.

If you’re in Australia and are struggling mentally, you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

If you want help or information, you can also go to Beyond Blue or call them on 1300 2264 636.

One more thing: Australia will have a Federal Election in a few months. I’ll encourage anyone to wrote to their MP and demand that mental healthvbe properly covered under Medicare.

Categories
Opinion/Commentary

The ‘Religious Discrimination Bill was always an attack on the LGBTQ+ community

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The Religious Freedom Bill has been suspended indefinitely. Let’s hope it never sees the light of day.

This has been a big blow to Scott Morrison. It has disappointed conservatives and torn the Liberal National Party (LNP) apart.

The Religious Discrimination Bill has collapsed because it’s true intent has been exposed.

The ‘Folau clause’

This was the first victim of the Religious Discrimination Bill’s collapse.

Israel Folau was a Rugby Union champion who was sacked in 2019 after he repeatedly defied Rugby AustralIa by posting anti – LGBTQ posts on social media.

The last offending post was a paraphrase of modern translations of 1 Corinthians 6:9.

Folau threatened to sue Rugby Australia for religious discrimination. The case was settled outside court and Rugby Australia paid an undisclosed settlement to Folau.

The ‘Folau clause’ would have prevented employees being sacked under similar circumstances.

Citipointe Christian College contract controversy

Image: iStock

About a month ago, Citipointe Christian College in Brisbane came under fire after their enrolment contract that was leaked.

The contract denied the identities of trans and non – binary people. They also listed homosexuality as a sin among bestiality and paedophilia.

This caused fear for LGBTQ+ students. School principal, Brian Melhuran denied that students have been expelled for being LGBTQ+.

A former Citipointe Christian College student also alleged that students were shown a video of a person being beheaded in class as a deterrent to being LGBTQ+. Staff allegedly told students that’s what will happen in Hell.

The backlash against the school has been fierce. A change.org petition calling for a revocation of the contract gained over 150,000 signatures. In contrast, an Australian Christian Lobby petition defending the school has around 41,000 signatures.

As a result, Mulheran finally buckled and the contract was withdrawn.

Citipointe Christian students and Mulheran reported being harassed and receiving sdeath threats. This is NOT OK and shame on those who participate in that behaviour.

Citipointe fiasco causes panic and backflips

Scott Morrison has vowed to close existing loopholes in the Sex Discrimination Acts in numerous States. Currently, religious schools and institutions are exempt from discrimination laws against LGBTQ+ people.

Scott Morrison vowed to protect lesbian and gay students from expulsion from schools.

However, trans, non – binary people and their advocates were left disappointed. Trans and non – binary students were not granted the same protection.

Religious Discrimination Bill was always an anti – LGBTQ Bill

If something positive came out of Citipointe Christian College fiasco, it’s that the cat is out of the bag.

If the Religious Discrimination Bill, people like Brian Mulheran would have been emboldened.

Luckily, enough people saw through the spin. People were willing to stand up against bigotry. And as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, I myself, I want to thank all those who stood up and protected vulnerable people.

Let’s never allow legislation that gives bigotry a foothold. We need to keep up the fight.

Do you agree disagree? Was the Religious Discrimination Act just an excuse to discriminate? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. below.

Categories
Opinion/Commentary

Christian school backtracks on contract and PM vows change to Religious Freedom bill. A win for the LGBTQ+ community?

Image: iStock

Did Australia see ‘religious freedom’ in action?

Brisbane’s Citipointe Christian College came under fire when they demanded parents of would – be students sign a contract that called homosexual and bisexual ‘acts’ a sin. They also refused to acknowledge the gender identity of a student who was trans or non – binary.

The contract listed homosexuality and bisexuality as ‘sins’, along with bestiality, fornication and incest. Unlike what other reports I’ve seen, no, the contract didn’t liken bestiality, etc with homosexuality and bisexuality.

The backlash

The condemnation was swift and fierce. A petition calling to recall the contract gained over 150,000 signatures. This is in contrast with an Australian Christian Lobby petition defending the school, which got around 30,000 signatures.

Pastor and Principal, Brian Mulheran dug his heels in, but denied that LGBTQ+ students get expelled for their orientation or gender identity:

While I have been principal at the college, we have not expelled or refused to enrol any student on the basis that they are gay or transgender.

Former students spoke out against the school. One student even alleged a disturbing incident when students saw a video of authorities beheading LGBTQ+ people to act as a deterrent. 

Last Friday, advocates organised a protest at King George Square in Brisbane.

Parents refused to sign contract

Parents told the ABC in an article that they refused to sign the contract. They condemned the college of discriminating against students on the basis of religion, as well as gender and sexuality. 

They argued that the contract violated Christian values. That depends on how you define ‘Christian values”. Do you define “Christian values” based on the Golden Rule? Or a modern loose interpretation on a handful of passages in the Bible? Pastor Mulheran apparently defines it by the latter.

The problem with ‘just go to another school’

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has condemned discrimination against LGBTQ+ students. He even vowed that the pending Religious Discrimination Bill will actually protect LGBTQ+ students.

He has also promised that he’ll try and reverse anti – discrimination exemptions that are in place in a number of Australian States and Territories. 

These ‘promises’ have faced opposition among the Liberal/ National Party members.

One common argument against protections is that parents should ‘just look for another school’.

There are a few problems with this. Citipointe Christian College is K – 12. Children may not realise their LGBTQ+ by the time they are four or five. 

Some don’t know exactly what their sexuality or gender identity is until years later. So, if a student, who has been at Citipointe Christian College from Kindergarten, realise they may be gay at sixteen, what, should they just leave? It doesn’t make sense. Put the onus on schools, not parents or students.

 

Schools need to be inclusive

I’ve written before about my struggle with my sexuality when I was at school. It was hard to admit I was struggling with my sexuality in school. And I was offered nothing but support.

I’d hate to think how it would’ve been if the school wasn’t supportive. This is why I strongly believe that all schools should be welcoming and accepting of all students. They need to be a safe place for students, especially if they are not supported by parents or caregivers. Discrimination against students can’t be tolerated.

Latest updates

Pastor Mulheran released an ‘apology’ of sorts. There have been calls for him to resign. He is currently taking leave. It’s not known when/ if he’ll return. 

In Parliament, the Religious Discrimination Act and discrimination act exemptions are being debated.

My take? Scrap the exemptions and forget the Religious Discrimination Act. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people was always the aim of the Religious Discrimination Act.

What do you think of Citipointe Christian College or the Religious Discrimination Act debate? Feel free to put your thoughts (respectfully) in the comments below.