Community Action Against Homophobia
Encyclopedia
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
organisation based in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Since its establishment in 1999, CAAH has aimed to eliminate homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
and achieve full equality for queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
people -- defined as "lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual, same sex attracted, transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
, intersex or non-heterosexually identifying" in the CAAH constitution.
History
CAAH began in 1999 with a group of students already active within the Sydney queer student movement. At a time when student dissent against aggressive government policies was reaching a fruition across the country, the queer movement was no exception, and groups like the Cross Campus Sexuality Network (CCSN) were already active in New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. However it was felt that these groups were not properly engaging with the broader community and so an offshoot was created which combined a more radical political message with an intent to galvanise the broader community around issues of liberation and representation.
In 1999 Collective Action Against Homophobia was formed to protest against a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
anti-gay organisation known as Courage
Courage International
Courage International is an apostolate and Christian ministry of the Roman Catholic Church, which "ministers to those with same-sex attractions,"...
, which preached a message that homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
was a disease that needed to be cured. Activists managed to have that meeting shut down and the organisation removed from university campus. The collective was then disbanded.
In 2000 a new group taking inspiration from the defunct Collective Action Against Homophobia formed Community Action Against Homophbia, taking the democratic principles and practices of the previous group and broadening the scope to include general community members as well as students.
Politics
CAAH's politics are mostly left-wingLeft-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
. CAAH's origins in the student movement in Sydney are reflected in an underlying commitment to social justice issues and solidarity with other struggles. In its early days CAAH was active in generating queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
blocks for anti-globalisation protests, union rallies, student protests, anti-war demonstrations and other diverse left-wing causes. CAAH members' political views range across the spectrum of politics in Australia. Some members are also members of political parties, including the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
, Socialist Alliance
Socialist Alliance (Australia)
The Socialist Alliance was founded in 2001 as an alliance of socialist organisations and individuals in Australia, initiated by the Democratic Socialist Perspective and the International Socialist Organisation along with 6 other founding socialist organisations, to create greater left unity in the...
and Socialist Alternative
Socialist Alternative (Australia)
Socialist Alternative is a Trotskyist political organisation in Australia formed by an expulsion from the former International Socialist Organisation in 1995. It is one of the largest groups of the Australian far Left, claiming to have the largest active membership. With branches across...
. As the organisation changes various means are employed to effect change and these have altered the focus of the organising from a predominantly student based body to a community organisation that uses lobbying and persuasion as well as protest and civil disobedience to achieve its objectives.
Equal relationship recognition
CAAH's campaign for equal relationship recognition is an all-inclusive campaign for equality. While some organisations concentrate on a single model of relationship recognition, CAAH demands that all choices be available to all people regardless of their sexuality or gender. This includes de-facto relationships, civil unions, and marriage. Together with Australian Marriage EqualityAustralian Marriage Equality
Australian Marriage Equality is a group of Australians from various states and territories who have come together to campaign for law reform and attitudinal change necessary to allow same sex couples to marry...
, CAAH organises the annual Same Sex Marriage
Same-sex marriage in Australia
Same-sex marriages are currently not permitted under Australian federal law. In 2004 the Marriage Act 1961 was amended in federal parliament to expressly state that marriage is considered a union between a man and a woman only and that any existing same-sex marriage from a foreign country is not to...
National Day of Action on the weekend closest to the anniversary of the same sex ban passed on Black Friday, 13 August 2005.
Queer refugees
CAAH supports people who faced homophobia and persecution in their home countries because of their sexuality and/or gender, and as a result seek asylum in Australia. These asylum seekers are imprisoned by the Australian government in detention centres such as Villawood Immigration Detention CentreVillawood Immigration Detention Centre
Villawood Immigration Detention Centre is an Australian immigration detention facility located in the suburb of Villawood in Sydney, Australia...
.
Greens anti-discrimination amendment
CAAH also supports Lee RhiannonLee Rhiannon
Lee Rhiannon , an Australian politician, is a Senator for New South Wales, elected at the 2010 federal election, representing the Australian Greens...
's private members' bill http://www.lee.greens.org.au/campaigns/LGBTI/LGBTI_bill.html that would amend New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
anti-discrimination legislation. Currently, private schools and businesses with less than 6 employees are permitted to discriminate on sexuality, disability, gender or age. Lee Rhiannon's bill would remove the special exemptions for private schools and businesses employing fewer than 6 people.
External links
- Community Action Against Homophobia — official website
- CAAH constitution
- Anti-discrimination amendment