Gay Australian Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham, who came out last month, doesn’t appreciate Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s exclusive marital politics: [Mitcham] certainly bears the markings of a good gay role model: he’s successful, attractive and he’s not shy about speaking up on queer issues. When asked for his view on same-sex marriage, for instance, he has no compunction slamming Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. “I’m not happy with Kevin Rudd,” he says, bluntly. “Kevin Rudd’s opinion of marriage as something that’s only between a man and a woman is quite narrow-minded. During the election campaign he was all about appearing young and ...

Australia's only openly gay Olympic athlete has dismissed the Prime Minister as "narrow-minded" and "old-fashioned" for his opposition to gay marriage. Matthew Mitcham, 20, is competing in two diving events in Beijing but is also making a splash for his comments criticising Kevin Rudd.  "Kevin Rudd's opinion of marriage as something that's only between a man and a woman is quite narrow-minded," Mitcham has told SX magazine.  "During the election campaign he was all about appearing young and cool, but his views on gay marriage make him look quite old-fashioned." While the Federal Government has moved to change some laws ...

Serendipitously, Australia and New Zealand both have news items related to different sides of the faith/state separation barrier. Let’s begin with the good news. Graham Capill isn’t going to be paroled. According to the Fairfax Stuff website portal, the Parole Board is unconvinced that he’s not still a risk to children. The article recounted the story of his conviction and nine year prison sentence for rape of three female children during his time as Christian Heritage Party leader. Those victims understandably thought that he might still present such a risk, and it is good to see that their input was treated ...