Abortion in Australia
Sometimes, when reading about the horrors befalling people who can bear children who attempt to obtain abortions in countries where abortion is restricted, an Australian observer may be lulled into a false sense of security. “Gee,” they may think. “I’m so glad that abortion is freely available and legal in Australia.” Unless they live in [...]
...read moreOn the Swedish Model
Anyone who’s read anything I’ve written on sex worker rights and legislation over the past however long I’ve been posting about it knows that I’m in favour of decriminalisation of the sex industry. This means that specific laws regulating the sex industry are removed and sex work is governed by the same laws that govern [...]
...read moreDUDE Now Available for Free Download
If you’re looking for a little bit of light reading and you find the thought of a zine written about trans men by trans men, you should check out DUDE. It’s a zine on transmasculinity and sex, produced by the awesome Jez Pez, who spoke at the Feminist Futures conference that I wrote about a [...]
...read moreMental illness, Disclosure, and Emergency Services
Disclosure is an issue that most people with mental illnesses struggle with. Stigma against mental illness is widespread, and can range from ideas that we are unreliable through to beliefs that we are downright dangerous. Mentally ill people can be characterised as liars, as unbelievable, or as unreliable witnesses, which is something that becomes an [...]
...read moreYou Can’t Get Rid Of Me! A Second Introduction.
I’ve still got until Monday on my guest blogging stint, but it looks like I’ll be sticking around a little longer. Jill and the rest of the Feministe crew have liked my posts so much that they’ve asked me to stay on as a full-time contributor! I’m a pretty busy critter, what with working three [...]
...read moreDecriminalisation in NSW Under Threat
I mentioned in my entry on the proposed WA sex industry legislation that the system of sex industry decriminalisation in New South Wales, the Australian state I live and work in, is currently under threat. Sex work was decriminalised in NSW primarily in response to massive police corruption. The Wood Royal Commission found that police [...]
...read moreDomestic Violence, “Choosing Sides” and Community Response
Please note: this entry has been written with the consent of the woman involved. I should probably give a trigger warning for discussion of domestic violence. I have two friends, who were until recently in a relationship together. One is a man I’ve known since we were in our early teens, with whom I’ve been [...]
...read moreThe A-Word and Aboriginal Australians.
Please note: there’s a lot of racist language at this link, especially in the comments. I encounter this particular racist term a lot. The defence “it’s just an abbreviation” is common, with those who use it refusing to acknowledge that they don’t get to decide whether or not a term is racist towards Indigenous Australians: [...]
...read moreDisabled Children: Now Free Game For Pedophiles!
Trigger warning for discussion of child sexual abuse. I just don’t know what to say about this. It’s devastating. To summarise: Mothers of two children with disabilities have been told by police that the man who sexually assaulted their kids will probably escape prosecution, as their children are not seen as reliable witnesses because of [...]
...read moreTrue Blood Season Four and Female-on-Male Rape
I’m serial posting like a demon! And when I should be doing uni work, too. But hey, I’ve only got this platform for another week, so I might as well use it, right? I’ve been watching the current season of True Blood, and generally enjoying it, despite the more or less ridiculous nature of the [...]
...read more“Drug Seeking Behaviour” and Refusal of Treatment
Next generation of doctors vote on right to refuse treatment. A survey of more than 700 British medical students found nearly half felt they should be entitled to make conscientious objections to carrying out procedures, including abortions and treating drunk patients. Most of their objections were linked to non-religious reasons, but about one fifth of [...]
...read moreJust a Few Reasons Why the Proposed WA Sex Industry Legislation Is Shit
As some of you may be aware, I live and do sex work in a state of Australia where sex work is currently decriminalised. That decriminalisation is currently under threat, and I’ll cover that in a later post. What I want to talk about in this post, however, is the legal state of affairs in [...]
...read more
Recent Comments