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Australian marriage advocates defend referendum push

Polls indicate more than 70 percent support for gay nuptials

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Australia, gay news, Washington Blade, same-sex marriage, gay marriage, marriage equality, Campbelltown, Sydney

Australia, gay news, Washington Blade, same-sex marriage, gay marriage, marriage equality, Campbelltown, Sydney

Campaigners for marriage rights for same-sex couples in Australia are defending their support for a referendum on the issue. (Photo courtesy of Australian Marriage Equality)

Editor’s note: This article originally ran on the website of the Star Observer, a Sydney-based LGBT newspaper. The publication has allowed the Washington Blade to repost its coverage of the Australian same-sex marriage debate.

Marriage equality advocates have backed a push for a plebiscite on the matter despite saying as little as two days ago that a public vote could delay reform and be socially divisive.

Meanwhile, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison, who is against marriage equality, has flagged the possibility of a legally binding referendum rather than a plebiscite.

On Tuesday, the Coalition party room voted to maintain its position that frontbench MPs and senators must vote against marriage equality.

Following the decision, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said any future decision on marriage equality “should happen through a people’s vote rather than simply through a Parliament’s vote.”

Just hours earlier, Australian Marriage Equality (AME) National Director Rodney Croome warned that even if a plebiscite showed the public was in favor of marriage equality, Parliament would not be bound by the result.

“We urge Coalition members not to opt for a plebiscite because it will delay the reform, be socially divisive and leave taxpayers with a hefty bill,” he said.

Campaigners have now said they back a plebiscite as the next best option following the party room defeat.

Talking to the Star Observer last night at an AME fundraiser at the NSW (New South Wales) Parliament, Deputy Campaign Director Ivan Hinton-Teoh said: “We’re not supportive of a plebiscite in general, we don’t believe it’s necessary.”

“It’s an elaborate pub quiz, a way of asking every single member of Australia what they think when you only have to pay for a scientific poll to determine a similar result,” he added.

However, Hinton-Teoh said a vote could neutralize arguments that marriage equality is not widely supported: “We’re not afraid of a plebiscite and we know the community is behind [marriage equality.]”

The timing of a public poll was critical, though.

“A plebiscite the way in which the government is proposing could be a delaying tactic,” he said. “Our support for a plebiscite is on the basis it is at the next election which doesn’t delay it.”

So far three Liberal backbenchers, WA (Western Australia) Sen. Dean Smith and Queensland MPs Wyatt Roy and Teresa Gambaro, have declared would cross the floor in defiance of party orders.

Other senior Liberal figures, such as Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy, have publicly criticized the notion of a plebiscite.

Hinton-Teoh said a groundswell within the Coalition was forming but the likelihood of marriage equality passing in this term was low.

Sydney state independent MP Alex Greenwich told the Star Observer that a swathe of Coalition MPs, including Turnbull and Kelly O’Dwyer whose seats cover several LGBTI-centric areas of Sydney and Melbourne, were now in a “very difficult position” with their constituents.

Meanwhile, the Greens have joined forces with cross bench senators Ricky Muir, David Leyonhjelm, Nick Xenophon, Jacqie Lambie and Glenn Lazurus to announce a bill that ensures “a fair question” on marriage equality is put at the 2016 Federal Election.

“Tony Abbott is not proposing a plebiscite to give people a choice — he’s doing it to delay and ultimately attempt to defeat marriage equality,” Greens leader Sen. Richard Di Natale said. “We cannot trust Tony Abbott not to delay further, propose an unfair question, or turn it into an unnecessary referendum with little chance of passing.”

“But if a plebiscite is the only option on the table, it must happen at this election and the parliament must choose the question.”

Yesterday, Scott Morrison told ABC’s 7.30 a referendum was an option: “I would prefer the Australian people decide this: not me, not [the High Court], but the Australian people.”

Shadow Attorney General Mark Dreyfus dismissed Morrison’s view and, according to ABC News, said the minister was “talking nonsense.”

Meanwhile, Associate Professor Paula Gerber, of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law at Monash University, said a referendum was unnecessary.

“A referendum is only required when we want to amend the constitution, and unlike Ireland, we can change the law to permit same-sex couples to marry without touching our constitution,” she said. “Even a successful referendum or plebiscite on this issue would give license to bigots to step up vitriol against LGBTI persons, likely damaging the mental health of youth in the process.”

At NSW Parliament yesterday, an emotional Croome said the last few days had been “disappointing and frustrating.”

“It’s very hard to understand now members of our Parliament can be so thoughtless or so callous,” he said.

Croome added that “we must always hope and believe in change.”

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce, who was at the same event said: “We’re all proud Australians, we all love this country and we will change this law — it’s only a matter of time.”

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Celebrity News

Anne Heche dies after removal from life support

Actress dated Ellen DeGeneres in late 1990s

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(Screenshot/YouTube Inside Edition)

Actress Anne Heche died after she was removed from life support on Sunday, nearly two weeks after her Mini-Cooper crashed through a two-story house in Los Angeles’ Mar Vista neighborhood. Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department believe she was intoxicated at the time.

She sustained a severe anoxic brain injury along with severe burns and was being treated at the Grossman Burn Center at West Hills Hospital, near Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley.

The 53-year-old actress who was a star of films like “Donnie Brasco,” the political satire “Wag the Dog” and the 1998 remake of “Psycho,” had been declared legally dead under California law on Friday, however, her family kept her alive long enough to be an organ donor.

In a statement Friday, the LAPD announced that: “As of today, there will be no further investigative efforts made in this case. Any information or records that have been requested prior to this turn of events will still be collected as they arrive as a matter of formalities and included in the overall case. When a person suspected of a crime expires, we do not present for filing consideration.” LAPD detectives had previously made public that investigators into the crash found narcotics in a blood sample taken from Heche.

The actress’s family released a statement on Friday:

“Today we lost a bright light, a kind and most joyful soul, a loving mother, and a loyal friend. Anne will be deeply missed but she lives on through her beautiful sons, her iconic body of work, and her passionate advocacy. Her bravery for always standing in her truth, spreading her message of love and acceptance, will continue to have a lasting impact,” the statement added.

Heche was married to camera operator Coleman Laffoon from 2001 to 2009. The two had a son, Homer, together. She had another son, named Atlas, during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series “Men In Trees.”

Laffoon left a moving tribute on an Instagram reel in which he also gave an update on how their 20-year-old son Homer Laffoon is coping with the loss of his mother.

“I loved her and I miss her, and I’m always going to,” he said adding: “Homer is okay. He’s grieving, of course, and it’s rough. It’s really rough, as probably anybody can imagine. But he’s surrounded by family and he’s strong, and he’s gonna be okay.”

“Rest In Peace, Mom, I love you, Homer,” the actor’s 20-year-old son, Homer, said in a statement after Heche was declared legally dead on Friday.“ My brother Atlas and I lost our Mom,” read the statement. “After six days of almost unbelievable emotional swings, I am left with a deep, wordless sadness. Hopefully, my mom is free from pain and beginning to explore what I like to imagine as her eternal freedom. Over those six days, thousands of friends, family, and fans made their hearts known to me. I am grateful for their love, as I am for the support of my Dad, Coley, and my stepmom Alexi who continue to be my rock during this time. Rest In Peace Mom, I love you, Homer.”

Tupper, a Canadian actor who starred alongside Heche in “Men in Trees,” had a 13-year-old son, Atlas, with her. “Love you forever,” Tupper, 57, wrote on his Instagram post’s caption with a broken heart emoji, which shared an image of the actress from Men in Trees.

Between 1997 and 2000, Heche was also in a relationship with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

“This is a sad day,” DeGeneres posted on Twitter. “I’m sending Anne’s children, family and friends all of my love.” The year after her break-up with the comedian, in September 2001, Heche recounted in her memoir “Call Me Crazy,” about her lifelong struggles with mental health and a childhood of abuse.

KTLA’s entertainment reporter Sam Rubin noted that over the past two decades, Heche’s career pivoted several times. In 2017, she hosted a weekly radio show on SiriusXM with Jason Ellis called “Love and Heche.”

In 2020, Heche made her way into the podcast world. She launched “Better Together” which she cohosted alongside Heather Duffy Boylston. The show was described as a way to celebrate friendship. 

She also worked in smaller films, on Broadway, and on TV shows. She recently had recurring roles on the network series “Chicago P.D.,” and “All Rise” and was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.”

People magazine reported that several of Heche’s acting projects are expected to be released posthumously.

These include “Girl in Room 13,” expected to be released on Lifetime in September, “What Remains,” scheduled to be released in 2023, and HBO Max TV series “The Idol,” created by Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson.

In her Instagram post from earlier this year Heche stands between her sons Atlas, 13 and Homer, 20.

From KTLA:

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‘Star Trek’ actress Nichelle Nichols dies at 89

George Takei tweets ‘we lived long and prospered together’

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(Screenshot/YouTube The Smithsonian Channel)

She was a groundbreaking cultural icon who broke barriers in a time of societal upheaval and battling for the civil rights of Black Americans. An actress, a mother and thoroughly devoted to the legions of fans of “Star Trek,” Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek’s Lt. Nyota Uhura, has died at 89.

The announcement on her Facebook page by her son read:

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Friends, Fans, Colleagues, World

I regret to inform you that a great light in the firmament no longer shines for us as it has for so many years.

Last night, my mother, Nichelle Nichols, succumbed to natural causes and passed away. Her light however, like the ancient galaxies now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy, learn from, and draw inspiration.

Hers was a life well lived and as such a model for us all.

I, and the rest of our family, would appreciate your patience and forbearance as we grieve her loss until we can recover sufficiently to speak further. Her services will be for family members and the closest of her friends and we request that her and our privacy be respected.

Live Long and Prosper,

Kyle Johnson

Nichols was born in Robbins, Ill., in 1932, according to her IMDb page. Legendary composer Duke Ellington “discovered” Nichols and helped her become a singer and dancer. She later turned to acting, and joined Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek,” where she played Uhura from 1966 to 1969.

Out actor George Takei who played ‘Sulu’ on Star Trek the original series with Nichelle Nichols who played Lt. Nyota Uhura, at a Star Trek convention in this undated photo. (George Takei/Twitter)

It was in that role of Uhura that Nichols not only broke barriers between races, most famously her onscreen kiss, the first between a Black person and a white person, with castmate William Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk, but she also became a role model for young Black women and men inspiring them to seek out their own places in science, technology, and other human endeavors.

In numerous interviews over the years Nichols often recalled how the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a fan of the show and praised her role and personally encouraged her to stay with the series.

When the first series ended Nichols went on to become a spokesperson for NASA, where she “helped recruit and inspire a new generation of fearless astronauts.” She later reprised her role in several successful “Star Trek” films and continued to advocate for the advancement of Black Americans especially in the areas of science and technology.

Formerly a NASA deputy administrator, Frederick Gregory, now 81, told the Associated Press he once saw an advertisement in which Nichols said “I want you to apply for the NASA program.”

“She was talking to me,” he recounted. The U.S. Air Force pilot would apply and later become the first African American shuttle pilot.

President Joe Biden weighed in Sunday afternoon on her passing in a statement issued by the White House:

In Nichelle Nichols, our nation has lost a trailblazer of stage and screen who redefined what is possible for Black Americans and women.
 
A daughter of a working-class family from Illinois, she first honed her craft as an actor and singer in Chicago before touring the country and the world performing with the likes of Duke Ellington and giving life to the words of James Baldwin.
 
During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she shattered stereotypes to become the first Black woman to act in a major role on a primetime television show with her groundbreaking portrayal of Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek. With a defining dignity and authority, she helped tell a central story that reimagined scientific pursuits and discoveries. And she continued this legacy by going on to work with NASA to empower generations of Americans from every background to reach for the stars and beyond.
 
Our nation is forever indebted to inspiring artists like Nichelle Nichols, who show us a future where unity, dignity, and respect are cornerstones of every society.

Nichols son said that services will be private for family members and her closest friends.

In 2008 the actress at a news conference, coordinated by the filmmakers of the motion picture “TRU LOVED,” in honor of the more than 900 students at Los Angeles’ Miguel Contreras Learning Complex’s School of Social Justice who participated in the GLSEN Day of Silence.

Nichelle Nichols speaks on LGBTQ rights:

Her fellow castmate and life long friend, openly Out actor George Takei shared his sadness on hearing of Nichols’ passing on Twitter:

From the September 2016 edition of the Smithsonian Channel: “Star Trek’s decision to cast Nichelle Nichols, an African American woman, as major character on the show was an almost unheard-of move in 1966. But for black women all over the country, it redefined the notions of what was possible.”

Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols on Uhura’s Radical Impact:

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Miscellaneous

Emma Corin becomes first nonbinary person featured on cover of American Vogue

The star of The Crown opened up about their identity.

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Emma Corrin Jamie Hawkesworth/Vogue

Emma Corin was announced as the cover star of the August edition of Vogue. It’s the first time a nonbinary person is featured on the cover of American Vogue.

Corin posted the cover photo and wrote, “My grin really says it all! A huge honour to be your August cover.”

In early 2021, Corin quietly came out as a queer and nonbinary, changing pronouns to “she/they” in their instagram bio. Currently Corin sticks to pronouns “they/them.”

“I feel much more seen when I’m referred to as ‘they,’ but my closest friends, they will call me ‘she,’ and I don’t mind, because I know they know me,” Corin explained during the interview with Vogue.

Corin stated that they’ve still gone on dates with various kinds of people and set no limit on who they date. “I like people,” they simply said and shrugged.

Corin also shared some of their dating experiences. “My first date with a girl, they were like, Oh! You’re a baby queer!” Corin said, “It was amazing. We actually didn’t end up seeing each other again, but she really gave me the lowdown.”

Besides, Corin was frank about their conflicting feelings towards gender and sexuality issues. “I’m working out all this complex gender and sexuality stuff. And yet, I’m seeing a guy? That feels very juxtaposed, even if I’m very happy.”

Corin is known for playing Diana on the Netflix series The Crown.

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