My fellow Australians, isn't it great to be in the 21st century, along with other First World countries? Yesterday, it was announced the majority of the country had voted 'Yes'. I hadn't realised my youngest was so politically and socially aware until he came home from school and asked, 'Who won, Mum?' 'The 'yes' vote did,' I smiled. He fist pumped in the time-old triumphant gesture.
Not everyone likes this. I just roll my eyes, make a 'pfffffft' noise, and invite the naysayers to eat a dick. I know this has all been said, but if someone marries someone of the same gender, is it really going to affect your life? That's what annoys me. It's someone else's life - not yours - and what they do really is not going to affect you, unless they move next door and throw dead cats on your lawn. That option will have nothing to do with marital status, but a lot to do with mental status.
The legislation has not yet been finalised, to my knowledge. I think the anti-discrimination aspects are to be ironed out. Problem here is you can't please all of the people all of the time. There is an oft-trotted out argument that a baker shouldn't be expected to bake a cake for a same sex marriage if that baker objects on religious or moral grounds. I'm uncertain how the baker will know the cake is for a same sex couple, unless that couple has the cake decorated at that premises. But hey, if the baker is silly enough to turn away business and gain a reputation as an intolerant bigot (whether or not that reputation is warranted), then that's the baker's fault. If I was one half of a same sex couple and had a service refused on the grounds of my sexuality, I'd just say, 'Well, you know where to shove your cake-or-wedding-car-or-camera, mate', and take my business elsewhere.
Churches are a different kettle of fish, I suppose, given we have freedom of religion here. The Catholic Church will probably say no to solemnising the wedding of a same sex couple, because it's against the doctrine. Hey, I've known of people who've had to marry in another place because one of the party was a divorcee. Churches might have their own rules, kind of like a club might have rules about members and dress codes etc, but if the Church wants to influence our government, maybe pay a little tax? Oh fuck it, pay some tax anyway. It's absurd to have a bunch of superstitious men in dresses trying to influence people's lives and the legislation in this land - all in the name of an omniscient invisible sky wizard - without coughing up a little to help pay for some infrastructure and health care.
Oh, so tired. I've had some wine and I think it's affected me somewhat. I have a big day tomorrow, and a big weekend of lesson planning (got some students to tutor), some poems to look at (I'm judging a poetry competition), and taking one kid to dress rehearsal for his dance concert.
Just been goofing on You Tube. Watched a film clip of Ted Mulry Gang playing 'Heart of Stone'. Everyone will always associate 'Jump In My Car' with dear old TMG, but the one I'm playing I rather like. I don't know if it's musically marvellous per se, I just like it.
I have also discovered someone has decided to remake 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', and watched a clip of Adam Lambert as Eddie performing 'Hot Patootie'. Meatloaf pretty much made that song his own from the original movie (and Broadway production). It's not the easiest song to sing, from what I can tell, but Meatloaf of course could sing for the country in his heyday. I've seen the show live a few times. The first time I saw it on stage a very young Russell Crowe played the dual roles of Eddie/Dr Scott. He brought humour in the latter role of the wheelchair-bound science professor, but watching him trying to sing 'Hot Patootie' made my nostrils flare and set my teeth on edge. Some years later, in the early courtship of Mr Bingells and me, we saw a production wherein the doomed biker was played by Wilbur Wilde. Again, I thought he sounded a bit pants and was only cast because he could actually play the saxophone in the song's bridge. But watching Adam Lambert performing it in this remake kind of restored my faith in mankind. Lambert is a very talented man with a heaping helping of the X Factor.
That's all for now.
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