QAHC Questions Politicians on LGBT Issues

28th August 2006

The Queensland Association for Healthy Communities has questioned the main political parties on their policy positions in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Queenslanders, in the lead up to the state election on the 9^th September.

Questions have been sent to the president or secretary of the following parties: Democrats, Greens, Labor, Liberal and National. The parties have been asked to provide a response to our questions and/or release a policy statement on LGBT issues.

A full list of the questions have been posted on our website www.qahc.org.au and answers from the parties will be put up as soon as they come in.

The questions asked of the parties are:

· Queensland has experienced an increase of over 50% in HIV diagnoses since 2000. 2005 saw the highest number of new HIV infections in 10 years: most of these among gay men. What will your government do to tackle ongoing HIV infections?

· Lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people suffer higher rates of mental health problems, drug & alcohol use, cigarette use, sexual health problems and a range of other health issues. What will your government do to address the poor health status of LGBT Queenslanders?

· Families with same sex parents often suffer discrimination because the non-biological parent may not be recognised as having parenting rights in areas such as child care, education and health. This can negatively impact the welfare of the children in these families. Will your government reform laws to enable the recognition of parents' rights and obligations in these circumstances?

· Queensland has an unequal age of consent, with 16 for all sex other than anal sex which is 18. This unequal age of consent especially marginalises young gay men and makes it more difficult to deliver effective HIV prevention for this group. Will your Government equalise the age of consent in Queensland?

· Physical attacks against LGBT Queenslanders are on the increase. Queensland has been found to be the second most homophobic state in Australia and regional Queensland the most homophobic. What will your government do to address homophobia and homophobic violence in Queensland?

As an incorporated association QAHC does not support any particular political party. Our role is to advocate for the needs of LGBT Queenslanders and to disseminate information on the policy position of the various parties in relation to LGBT issues, to enable LGBT Queenslanders to make informed voting decisions.

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