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21 May 2010

Aussie minister resigns after gay sauna visit airs on television; 'outing' sparks debate

While this might sound like another story of a closeted gay politician whose double life is exposed, David Campbell was outed not because he is known to have caused harm to the gay community – the most commonly agreed on circumstance in which 'outing' is justifiable.

The New South Wales Minister for Transport and Roads, David Campbell, has resigned from his ministerial portfolio but not from parliament on Thursday night after been filmed leaving a gay sauna, Kens of Kensington. Campbell, 51, is married with adult sons. His wife, who he married when he was 19, is reportedly battling cancer.

Channel 7 aired footage of David Campbell as he was leaving the sauna on Tuesday night. 

Channel 7 aired footage of Campbell as he was leaving the sauna in Sydney's eastern suburbs where he reportedly spent two hours on Tuesday night. The report focussed on Campbell’s use of his state-funded government car to drive himself to and from the club despite the fact that ministers are allowed to use their ministerial cars for personal use.

According to the Sydney Daily Telegraph, the Australian Labor Party member handed his resignation to Premier Kristina Keneally and told her he had been living a secret life for 20 years.

Keneally was quoted by ABC News as saying that while she uses her government car to go grocery shopping and to church, she believes it was not appropriate for Campbell to use his car on the night in question. "I do not believe it was acceptable to have used the resources of his office, particularly his car in the fashion that he did," she said.

“I have resigned as Minister for Transport and Roads for personal reasons, not for any reasons relating to my Ministerial duties,” Campbell said in a statement. “I apologise to my wife, family, colleagues, staff and the community for letting them down. This will be a very difficult time for my family and friends and I ask for their privacy to be respected.”

Although Channel 7’s Adam Walters reported that Campbell has “campaigned strongly and successfully as a family man” since 1999, he is not known to have openly espoused anti-gay views or voted against gay-friendly measures in parliament.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew West noted on May 21: “Campbell had never set himself up as a ''family values'' campaigner. A photograph of himself with his wife and sons is merely that – a family photograph – not a morals crusade.”

West, the paper’s transport reporter and political observer, further censured Channel 7 news chief, Peter Meakin, for signing off on the story. He wrote that unlike Campbell, who has committed no offence that we know about, Meakin recently faced jail after his third conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol. He was originally sentenced to weekend detention but got off with 250 hours of community service after being found guilty of dangerous driving – having blown 0.1, double the legal limit – and of attempting to evade the police after they tried to pull him over.

“His offence, of driving while boozed up in a way that could have endangered the lives of innocent people, far outstrips any personal lapse by Campbell.

“There was no public benefit in outing Campbell as a gay man…”

David Penberthy, former editor of Sydney-based tabloid The Daily Telegraph and now editor of The Punch, an opinion-driven news and current affairs site, argued otherwise: “If people have a right to know that the man who wanted to become prime minister had enjoyed a drunken night at a New York strip club, then the people of NSW have the right to know that their Transport Minister, a man who depicts himself as a solid citizen who is wholly focussed on service delivery, is in reality massively distracted by living a highly complicated double life.”

Imre Salusinszky of The Australian asked: “What was the public interest in putting to air last night the story of Campbell's visit to a gay sex club?

“It did not involve his ministerial responsibilities and no misbehaviour is alleged to have occurred in parliament or in any government office.”

Former leaders from both sides of NSW politics have given their support to Campbell while some condemned the media's treatment of Campbell. Former Liberal premier of NSW Nick Greiner said of Campbell's actions, “The event itself is clearly not a sacking offence and clearly not a resignation offence.”

The Channel 7 report had showed the same reporter Adam Walters being brushed off as he asked Campbell his whereabouts during a notorious traffic jam on the busy F3 freeway on April 12 that left thousands of motorists trapped for up to 12 hours after an incident involving a truck and a fully laden B-double petrol tanker. The reported had seemed to have implicitly suggested that Campbell could have been at the same sauna during that time.

For weeks, the Opposition had been accusing Campbell of going missing.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, phone records released by Campbell today showed he was in contact with his staff, traffic authorities and media during the jam. The records showed that he was at his ministerial office in central Sydney between 5.51pm and 6.33pm and calls were then made between 6.41 and 10.14 from his Potts Point apartment in Sydney's east.

Campbell says he would remain in his Wollongong-based seat of Keira although media reports say it appears highly unlikely he will contest the seat at the election due next March.

Update (May 22, 2010): The Sydney Morning Herald reports that David Campbell has a long history of support for gay issues and for those in same-sex relationships when speaking in Parliament. Debating superannuation entitlements for same-sex partners in 2000, not long after he had joined Parliament, Campbell made it clear he thought society was changing, moving away from the era of the ''white picket fence with a nuclear family of a husband, a wife and two kids''.

读者回应

1. 2010-05-21 16:34  
The good news is so many politician still not out yet! :D
2. 2010-05-21 16:51  
It's disappointing that it is still News worthy to OUT people who are minding there own business and getting on with there life. You have to remember, when this guy got into politics there was more Homophobia around.

I feel sorry for his family and dieing wife :(
3. 2010-05-21 16:53  
It is not really news worthy to out people, but it is news worthy reporting something scandalous and it just so happens that outing people is just that. Who really cares what he does or if he lies to his family, but as a representative for the public, lying to the public is a whole different matter.
4. 2010-05-21 16:56  
I was a disgraceful thing to do to out him like that. His private life is his private life not someone else's. Wait for the payback! NSW is full of secrets that can be revealed at any moment. My bet is that secret related to Channel 7, the media outlet involved in the spying, will be revealed soon. As they say people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
5. 2010-05-21 17:06  
very distasteful indeed ... what he does in his private life is his own private matters ... some people just can or wont learn to mind their silly little business ... or they have none ... and no respect for other people's privacy or decisions ...

i make a point to stay away from unethical publications like such ... and of course nosy self righteous busy bodies too!

xoxoxo
6. 2010-05-21 17:22  
Channel 7 has never been known for good journalism anyway. They were the ones who dragged down the quality of news, current affairs, morning programs, and TV in general. Now Channel 9 is following suit. It's obvious that Channel 7 did not do this in the interest of voters, but for the ratings. They don't understand that their "breaking news" wrecks lives and homes.
7. 2010-05-21 17:56  
yawn, I once went to a gay sauna but was shocked when they didn't provide any footwear, no slippers, I was told I had to walk around in my bare feet, being naked doesn't bother me, but no shower slippers????

yikes, I came home with an awful toe nail disease that four months of lamisol couldn't cure, egads the awful and dreaded toe nail fungus! I will never go back again plus the place had bad ventilation and horrible air and smelled like farts

sauna owners often put pics of hot muscles guys in their advertisements and on the door , but when you go in there is nothing but twinks and out of shape people, I think there should be a penalty for false advertising

but to be frank, its not at all embarassing to be gay anymore, its only mortifying to be caught going to a sauna these days, its really tacky if people at work find out you were there-- even my gay friends would be horrified and think ill of me

anyway, just watched Glee, I keep wondering when Ryan Murphy is gonna get that hot Asian kid Mike a speaking and singing part, I am going to get my gay married brother's husband to ask him soon, OMG, speaking of my brother and his hubbie-- those snooty Upper East side gays would be mortified to be caught in a sauna in the wrong neighbor in Chelsea-- a real scandal of incredible intrigue in my very gay family
8. 2010-05-21 17:59  
noutti noutti Campbell...
9. 2010-05-21 18:21  
Walters (the journalist) has a child by Reba Meagher, a former NSW Government minister, he was also a media advisor for the former Premier of NSW Morris Iemma.
One has to wonder about his motivations for outing David Campbell - knowing how the Labor Party in NSW works I would hazard a guess that his motivation was payback for a slight, real or imagined, from David Campbell against one of those other two politicians.
Reba Meagher was an appallingly bad Health Minister, so maybe David Campbell voted in caucus for her to be removed. Who knows, I don't, but it shows how karma might work.
I feel extremely sorry that David Campbell didn't feel confident enough, and comfortable enough with his sexuality to have come out earlier, and I condemn the gutter press methods, false reasoning and utter bastardry of the act of outing him in such an unforgiving and sensationalist manner by a journalist who ought to have had some understanding of his situation and at least have shown some compassion.
10. 2010-05-21 19:06  
let's hope that at least he got sex at KKK.
11. 2010-05-21 19:10  
It's got nothing to do with his job as a minister. It's just nasty. The Reba Meagher connection is more than weird. Adam Walters was involved in an incident where when he was 'with' Reba Meagher - they made a government driver wait all night for them out side a night club while they 'forgot' about him and caught a taxi home. This story is about media cruelty and not a closeted gay man.
12. 2010-05-21 19:23  
damn... we don't want him...back to your closet and some one board the door up. (;-)) jeje... it's pretty presumtuous of the media to assume he had it off while there, lets face it he's not pretty and probably walked around and went home unsatisfied unless he encountered another desperate, I had been there on some occasions just for a good steam.. yes really!...(;-))..the steam room there was gr8 when your fluey...just sweat it all out ...and it was pretty clean too.. surprise surprise for a gay sop venue as well as being a legit sauna .. any way his alleged deceit is over I wonder if his wife knew his presumed leanings.. may be they had an arrangement it's not so unusual
13. 2010-05-21 19:47  
I think this is messed up, they should not accept his resignation for this. If every other politician takes their car to places, then so can he. No, he should not take it to a whore house, but how many straight politicians do? How many straight politicians take it to the airport to get a bj in the bathroom?
14. 2010-05-21 19:58  
i don't really like "married to a female" gay, perhaps i dun like bi-concept
修改於2010-05-22 01:28:57
15. 2010-05-21 20:11  
It has got nothing to do with media cruelty or being gay. Journalists have a duty of reporting to the society.
We are not living in 19th century and being gay and public figure in the same time is not that unusual.
Fact remains he was deceiving electorate posing as a family man as well as using taxpayer's funded car for his private purposes. I am 100% sure if he was using taxi he would still be in government. I woudn't be suprised if he claims entry fee to KKK as entertainment expenses.
He was a bad transport minister and now the allegations go deeper -he was a Police Minister for number of years and there are speculations some of his decisions could be influenced by extortion or blackmail.
Obviously Channel 7 has acted on the tip from the public, can't imagine journalists were stalking or watching him. The bottom line is - he played with fire and he got burned, looks like he stepped on someone's toe harder than he should.
16. 2010-05-21 21:24  
I hope David got a good root at the sauna after all the crap hes had to put up with.
The journalists are simply trash.
And why isnt he a good family man? Im sure he loves his kids and his wife but his bisexuality wont fit into the straight jacket that so many in the straight and gay world want to fit him up for.

Bi guys just dont fit in and cop crap from both sides I assure you.

Why should he have to come out as a gay man when he likes being married and likes being a father. Hes not gay hes bisexual.

The only real thing he has to answer for is lying to his partner... and there are few men either gay or straight who have the right to stand up on the pulpit and hound him on that score.
17. 2010-05-21 23:40  
So it's okay to use your government-provided car to drive to church (to worship a made-up god), but not to go to a sauna, gay or otherwise?

I can't imagine why I detest organized religion.
18. 2010-05-22 00:11  
Comparing church with fuck bar is like comparing apples and oranges .. bit over the top ..
By the way .. I am atheist !
19. 2010-05-22 02:20  
Post 15, you're off the mark

- "Fact remains he was deceiving electorate posing as a family man as well as using taxpayer's funded car for his private purposes. I am 100% sure if he was using taxi he would still be in government."

There's no problem with ministers using their state-funded cars for personal business.

- "Obviously Channel 7 has acted on the tip from the public, can't imagine journalists were stalking or watching him."

It has emerged that he was followed by Channel 7 reporters who were trying to prove a point as they were convinced that he was "somewhere" else when he should have been dealing with the freeway incident.

Post 18 - "Comparing church with fuck bar is like comparing apples and oranges..."

In the context of this incident, there's too much value-judgment in the Premier's comments. So going to a supermarket is ok, church is ok and sauna not? What about a gay bar, a female strip club or the cinema?
20. 2010-05-22 02:34  
Putrid journalism at its worse. If he had been visiting a female prostitute, the item would never have got to air. His sex life is his own businesses. It shows Channel 7 has learned nothing from the John Marsden court case which they lost and cost them millions. Rubbish television station.
21. 2010-05-22 03:17  
And here I was under a faulty impression that Australia had grown further apart from its founding status as a penal colony for demi-monde.

Pathetic. The whole affair: the man who is afraid to admit he is gay, the yellow press that lurks in the shadows to take pics on the sly, the pressure to resign, the fact that he did resign, the silly prime ministaer who says her grocery shopping is superior to someone's sexual urges...

Ah well... wiping off Australia from my list of destinations for good and concentrating on South America.
22. 2010-05-22 05:43  
If people didn't have to hide, were accepted, this would not have been needed. And people could go on doing their job. This goes to show that abilities are separate from sexual preferences, just as it is that the state should be separate from religion.
23. 2010-05-22 06:57  
lol @ news reporter's accent...
24. 2010-05-22 07:03  
As noted in the article, there was no public interest in outing Campbell. Hypocrisy and double lives are part of politics. If a politician's personal life has a detrimental effect on how the job was getting done, then it IS within the public interest to know what's going on. Otherwise it's a waste of time. In a way, I have pity for politicians, are held up to a almost impossibly high standard that most of us would never want to be compared to. This sort of malicious "news" story would also make it hard for any closeted politician to consider coming out.
25. 2010-05-22 08:15  
Some assumptions seem to have been made about this guy's sexuality.
We need to remember that sexuality is not a simple dichotomy. It is multidemensional across individuals and society. Some people may develop a different type of sexuality over time. Some people may have a utilitarian notion of sexuality e.g. using it to procreate or for pleasure or both.
Also we have to remember that sexuality is a construct. There isn't a compartment in our brain marked "sexuality".
I am saying this because people are jumping to conclusions about this politician. He has I feel been with his partner long enough like many of us to have gone through the passion (sex) and progressed to the commitment phase. Surprise, surprise there is more to a relationship than sex.
He hasn't run off with a fling from the sauna. He has shown his commitment to his family.
If his situation were a little different he would have fought the media but when one's wife has cancer one would not want to cause her any stress. Sadly the media thought this stress was not an issue.
26. 2010-05-22 08:22  
Remembering that it was still illegal in Australia to be LGBTQI back at the time David Campbell was married and entered politics.(he certainly isnt the first nor sadly be the last public figure still in the closet) Also it appears that just what a politican can use a self driven company car in their personal lives for is very unclear.
Sadly while discriminating against members of the LGBTQI community is supposed to be against the law, (both in personal lives and in workplaces) Obviously homophobia is alive and well in Australia still.
27. 2010-05-22 08:31  
I can not believe in this age and time, that someone has to quit their job because they are gay. Come on world!! who cares what people do i their private life or in the bedroom, as long as they are a good person and does the job that they are employed or in this instance elected to do! It is a sad sad sad state of affairs if he is judged by his personal life, when he was doing a damned good job before being outted by the gutter press! Shame on them, shame on Australia. There is more gay tolerence in Indonesia than in Australia.

I vote.. give him back his job and leave the poor guy alone!!
28. 2010-05-22 08:53  
Why can't we leave peoples private lives Private?

29. 2010-05-22 09:04  
I think he's CUTE!!! just love to see his white hair with his mustache! ohh... and his belly looks so adorable to hold and hugs.

I wish i could find someone like him!

all the best anyway and my deepest sorry for what happened to him.
30. 2010-05-22 09:29  
if he was straight and caught entering a strip club, would it have been reported ... yes.

if he was straight and caught having sex with another woman, would he have been expected to resign ... yes.

i dont see how anyone can defend him.

the only defense is if it is not related to your job, then why should you be expected to resign - but the reality is that in public service you are expected (rightly or wrongly) to confirm to certain social conventions (eg. being faithful to your partner), if he didn't have to resign then he would have an advantage over a straight politician.
31. 2010-05-22 10:50  
#18, I wasn't comparing church with a "fuck bar" -- I was saying that using a government car for personal business should be wrong irrespective of what that business is. It's typically hypocritical to say, "Well, it's okay to use your taxpayer-supplied car to go to church or do your grocery shopping, but it's not okay to use it to go to bars or saunas."
32. 2010-05-22 10:52  
Welcome to Australia. The pettiest country in the world! (-:
33. 2010-05-22 11:10  
Hmm, Outing vs. Lying to yourself. - Now that’s a conundrum!
‘Outing’ only exists because people want to hide, and when one is not truthful to oneself, how can one be truthful to anyone else? When one lies to oneself, does one not lie to everyone else as well?
It’s all about truth, honesty and integrity, isn’t it? Unfortunately these three aspects are sorely lacking, even today in the 3rd millennium. It’s sad that people still have to live lives of pretence. So many pretend to be something or someone they are not.
And since when do one’s sexual proclivities have anything to do with one’s work? Barring any sexual liaisons with one’s boss, what one does in the privacy of the bedroom, is just nobody’s business!
But then again, history has taught us that truth, honesty and integrity have no connection to politics anyway. Show me a politician with integrity, and I’ll show you a philosophical monkey……
34. 2010-05-22 12:26  
re LAGUNABRO's comments
The point here is not about toenails but about peoples lives being wrecked unnecessarily by the media. He was married at 19, an age when people dont always know their sexual orientation. His family will suffer because of news ratings and witchhunts. Many of us have been confused. The fact that he stuck by his family is honorable. The fact that he couldn"t resist the gay life was natural. Its is not our right to know the sex of politicians. He did not campaign against gay people. He didnt deserve this.
回应#35於於2010-05-23 15:43被作者删除。
36. 2010-05-22 14:34  
Just putting out there that I am ashamed of Channel 7 and their attitude of "let's feed on such things to get more audience". In my opinion Channel 7 & 9 are not worthy of any attention, and the NSW did nothing wrong as compared to the other minister who was drink-driving.
Anyway, using the excuse of " using his car in such a manner" is just stupid and vapid.
37. 2010-05-22 15:44  
poor guy.
38. 2010-05-22 17:02  
I feel bad for the guy. Can you imagine living a secret life for those many years? Nonetheless, that's a lot of self sacrifice. Part of it may be to protect his wife and children. He's gay, don't blame it on him, blame it on society.
修改於2010-05-22 17:08:48
39. 2010-05-22 18:05  
Post 27 - @Bule1, Your comment regarding how could a company or for that matter a Government fire someone because he or she is Gay or Lesbian is right on the mark. They shouldn't! They should look at the mans job performance vice his personal life. Also agree with several other postings regarding the Premier - so the Premier of NSW used her vehicle for private use - whose calling the kettle black now? Regarding lifestyle and being fired - I felt that sting after 22+ years of faithful service to my Country and my Service (U.S. Navy) just recently only because of my lifestyle or being gay. I was fired from my job by the Chief of Staff of the Defense Intelligence Agency because they felt; I am putting myself at undue risk because of the access I had to classified information could slip into the hands of Foreign Intelligence Officers and because of my young partner - oh wait - we have been together for the last 6 years. Where's the justice? So I agree with you, leave the man alone and let him continue to do his job and live the life he has chosen!
40. 2010-05-22 18:48  
free advert for KKK lolz XD
41. 2010-05-22 20:05  
@Post#29: bearslover, Yes, I think he's very huggable papa-bear type, too! He's adorable and cute and he'd be perfect to snuggle up too in the chill of Winter in Sydney.. LOL! ;-)
42. 2010-05-22 20:12  
He was elected because voters in his electorate thought he would do a good job of representing them. He was re-elected because he did a good job, and he was promoted to Minister because he did an excellent job.

So where does his sexuality affect his work performance

Hypocrisy strikes another blow
43. 2010-05-22 21:03  
Someone said they will cross australia off the list of places to visit...well fair enough too after this performance.

Its a perfect illustration of the prejudices and narrow mindedness that exist in this country against minorities both religious, racial and sexual.
44. 2010-05-22 22:35  
Disgusted with this episode. Whatever one does in private is private; it's no others' business.

But I do make exceptions to closeted gay hypocrites who go out of their way to make it difficult for gays. In such cases, there is a social good to out such people.
45. 2010-05-22 23:59  
did he have sex with young boys. What on earth did they see in him!
46. 2010-05-23 00:07  
Actually he don't have to resign if he's good in his work. I don't think we need to care if he's going to gay sauna or anywhere else. The only think we should care is how good is he in his work.....
47. 2010-05-23 00:14  
What on earth would...............
Correct grammar please!
48. 2010-05-23 00:23  
47 are you talking to me? I did not realize that they was the Bisap
49. 2010-05-23 02:30  
Not newsworthy? Of course it is. Just look at the number of responses here. And news is not news unless people tune in. If no one cared, it wouldn't be news. Unfortunately, such is the world today. We get the news we crave. Thoughtful discussion of issues is no longer what most people want although they will never admit it.
50. 2010-05-23 09:34  
Interesting to see the prejudices coming out in this discussion. Perhaps we should all take a good look at ourselves.
51. 2010-05-23 09:47  
Why can't they just leave someone's PRIVATE Lives PRIVATE!!! They just ruined someones life, who's despite of having double sexuality, keeps his best foot forward in serving the community and his country.

Does being a GAY made you different from all the people around you? Does it dictates what kind of Moral, Values and Heart a person has?

Serving doesn't mean you have to be straight or gay right? at least for me... not sure with those narrow minded individuals...

Can't we put it in the hands of Gays to out themselves in the right place and time? I am sure being Gay's never been an issue with him, coz he manage to live with it since the day he married his WIFE.... it just concerns me knowing about his family, especially his wife,,, Channel 7 could have revealed this later in time... WRONG MOVE.... and i hope you are happy for what you've done....
52. 2010-05-23 11:17  
Shanghaicoupl: It’s not about people’s live being wrecked, but rather about people leading lives of pretence. Eventually the truth will come out, and then one blames everyone else, when in actual fact one can only blame oneself. If one wants to keep a secret, don’t tell that one has a secret! And definitely don’t do anything that may expose the secret! People have to stop blaming others, when in actual fact we are all in control of our own lives…..Just imagine, if all gays and bisexuals would come out. We would outnumber the straights. Trust me on that one :D
53. 2010-05-23 12:47  
Everyone tells lies.
Often we lie to protect others.
Sometimes we lie to protect ourselves.
It is not always wrong to lie. (I don't know if this politician was lying)

It is interesting that few politicians have condemned the guy. It is only the media people that are doing this, mainly shockjocks.
The way some of them are frothing at the mouth you just guess they have boring, boring sex lives and that helps fuel their homophobia.
It's politics the guy will bounce back. And it's Sydney.
It makes an interesting contrast/comparison to the political situation in Malaysia
54. 2010-05-23 13:03  
Doesn't Chanel 7 nor The Sydney Morning Herald has better thing to report? all these so called news really bored me to stiff
55. 2010-05-23 13:04  
I have a problem with this strident expectation of "coming out" from the gay community: that it's all their fault, and that they should have come out in order to avoid this situation.

Is it okay for the media to stand outside sauna bars taking photos of everyone going in and out and publishing them? Is that what our society is about?

Should there be a column in every newspaper, dedicated to this topic of brothel visits, just like the comic strips? Maybe call it the Brothel bulletin or something. "Guess who's in the brothel tonight", like "guess who's in town tonight". The kid gets the comics page, dad gets this brothel page, and mom gets the rest, every day. How about it?

And, while we're at it, who not competitions? Just publish photos, and have a competition for the readers to identify them and win prizes. That should increase newspaper sales, shouldn't it?

Hey: female prostitutes are making tons of money. That means someone's visiting them, right? How about publishing the names and photos of all those men? How many of those are married men? Should their wives all divorce them? Should they all quit their jobs? Should they all have "come out" earlier? Should they be announcing to everyone around them as they set off to the brothels: : "guys, I'm off to visit a prostitute, okay? So, if you see my photos in tomorrow's brothel bulletins, remember I already told you, okay? Bye honey, back soon. See you at dinner. Make something nice."

How come these men don't have to "come out" about their prostitute visits? How come we don't expect a daily confession from any of them? How come only the vilified and abused gay man has to "come out" about every little hanky panky?

Every time you jerk off in your bedroom, should you rush out into the street and announce it to all and sundry -- "hey, I confess, I just jerked off" -- just to beat the newspaper who is allowed to photograph you through a hole he has secretly drilled in your window? Is that how it works? The media can invade our privacy as they like, and our solution is to "come out" before THEY do?

Why do we feel this man had a duty to "confess" his visits to the male sauna before the media invaded his privacy with such pictures? Do we expect the same "coming out" from married men who visit female prostitutes? Would you even call him gay? Maybe he was bisexual; maybe he just needed male company, for a change from his wife. Do we forget that gay and straight are not necessarily discrete qualities, but a rainbow of intermediate natures?

At the same time I would agree with zactooh above: if all gay people simply came out and acted and spoke with one voice, life would be much easier for the gay community. Really, how many people can the bigots persecute when that happens? And how long can they keep up their lies that being gay is a deliberate choice, when half their own relatives admit to being gay?
Dreams, dreams. Sigh.
56. 2010-05-23 13:10  
what a Shock such will News happend in "Freedom" OZ land... ..Politics sometime can be DARKNESS...
57. 2010-05-23 13:19  
I think a lot of times we tend to hold people who are in positions of power up on some sort of pedestal. Thus we appear shocked when they commit some form of action that says that they are actually as ordinary as you and I.
58. 2010-05-23 15:56  
To add to my earlier post: I missed out on the point that he was apparently using a "taxpayer funded car".

Damn. By now people should realize that if and when they do get caught in such hanky panky, about the only thing that can be held against them is their use (misuse) of taxpayer money.

Why couldn't this guy take a taxi or the local train, or even just walk and get a bit of badly-needed exercise? Why do people always have to be caught misusing public property and public funds? Don't they have any reputation to consider?
59. 2010-05-23 23:42  
The car was his to use as he pleased just as company cars are to be used freely by employees. He had dismissed the driver and was driving himself. He was not doing anything illegal. It is legal to go to saunas in Australia.The line channel 7 is taking is that he was dishonest with the electorate because he used his family photo in eletoral campaigning. They are implying that he was pretending to be one of the conservative family types. In many ways he probably is doing something better because he is sticking by his very ill wife and his children. His family arrangements are his business alone. The only dirt in this whole affair is in the minds of the homophobic media.
Compared with the journalist in question and his "family" the politician is a much more honorable person.
60. 2010-05-23 23:43  
The car was his to use as he pleased just as company cars are to be used freely by employees. He had dismissed the driver and was driving himself. He was not doing anything illegal. It is legal to go to saunas in Australia.The line channel 7 is taking is that he was dishonest with the electorate because he used his family photo in eletoral campaigning. They are implying that he was pretending to be one of the conservative family types. In many ways he probably is doing something better because he is sticking by his very ill wife and his children. His family arrangements are his business alone. The only dirt in this whole affair is in the minds of the homophobic media.
Compared with the journalist in question and his "family" the politician is a much more honorable person.
61. 2010-05-24 10:11  
the real issue is that the staff and other customers of KKK were put at risk by this trash. If someone was bashed over the weekend would chanel7 take responsibility? Lucky that it has been cold and raining over the last 4 days.By publishing the address and photo of KKK there was a real possibility of volience not only to gay men but any men who lived in the area. Its always the same old excuse by straights in situations like this " BUT WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD YOU WERE GAY" , as if it was any of their bussiness anyway!
62. 2010-05-24 10:38  
444sean: Yes, it's always wrong to lie!!! ALWAYS !!!
63. 2010-05-24 19:59  
To Dominant Serb,
I suppose gay MPs down in Sth America get treated a helluva lot better than here hey? Its a pretty stupid reason to cut Australia off your list of destinations because of an isolated incident. We have a few ministers who are openly gay (such as Penny Wong and Bob Brown) and nobody seems to have a problem with that. Also I wonder how an outed Serbian MP would be treated.....
64. 2010-05-26 05:13  
It seems so wrong though... Why would he lead a secondary gay life when he's already married with wife and 2 sons? It isn't exactly fair for them. This is something that he needs to account for, in spite of his contribution towards the LGBT community in his own way.

Nevertheless, it's inappropriate for the media to expose his sexuality. It's enough to ruin a person's career and family. It's probably politically driven. When the opposition parties had to resort to such trickery to win votes, you know they can't be trusted.
65. 2010-05-26 12:35  
444sean, my point regarding the car is about perceptions, not about facts. Somehow this vital fact of life regarding perceptions vs facts seems lost on most people.

Here's a little-known secret: when perceptions collide with facts, the perceptions usually win.

You and I may agree that he was free to use the car provided to him as he liked. But we have to consider how the public perceives this issue. "Dirty fag indulges in animal sex at our expense" just about sums it up. And, for the public, the "at our expense" is the most unkindest cut of all.

I do believe there was a mention of "state funded car" in the headlines. That's what catches the public's attention. All your explanations after the event will not make the slightest difference to how the public wishes to perceive this.

Hence, be one step ahead. Avoid using anything that belongs to your office when you set out on a gay tryst. Don't just set off from your office after work in your office clothes and in your office car because it is convenient. Be like Superman or Batman on a mission: change your clothes, change your car, change everything about yourself, and then do what you want to do. Ideally, go home and do all this before heading off to be "gay for the day". This simple rule will save you a lot of grief later.

And meanwhile, keep fighting for your rights; for the day until all this subterfuge is no longer needed.

I am of course aware that saunas are legal in Australia, being from Sydney myself.
66. 2010-05-27 09:26  
The main problem with his sauna visit is it amounts to extramarital sexual affairs. It's hard not to accept that someone who's know to be a 'family man' is that dirty, whether to the anti-gay or to the gay-friendly.
67. 2010-05-30 21:03  
#64, egoist: Many straight "family men", happily married to women, still seek extramarital affairs with other women. Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods readily come to mind. At least, in this man's case he had a genuine reason for an extramarital affair. He needed a man, and his affair wasn't just for kicks.
68. 2010-05-30 21:03  
#64, egoist: Many straight "family men", happily married to women, still seek extramarital affairs with other women. Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods readily come to mind. At least, in this man's case he had a genuine reason for an extramarital affair. He needed a man, and his affair wasn't just for kicks.

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