FUSE39 : Rainbow Spiritualism. Gay Lifestyle (Boy Cover)

FUSE

MADE IN AUSTRALIA FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU MAR / APR 2014

LIFE LOVE 39 24 EQUALITY

THE FUTURE OF

RAINBOW SPIRITUALISM

THE BEST OF SPRINGOUT THE CANBERRA LGBTI COMMUNITY CAME OUT TO PLAY, LAUGH & LOVE

BIBLICAL AFFIRMATION OF GAY UNIONS SPIRITUALITY & THE POWER OF LOVE

+

WORLDWIDE PANSY PROJECT

MARRIAGE EQUALITY ON THE RISE

THE LGBTI AGEING AGENDA

TRANSGENDER MISS UNIVERSE

–> RECOGNISE YOUR COMPASSIONATE NATURE

GIVING IT TO YOU STRAIGHT

FUSE MAGAZINE MADE IN AUSTRALIA MAR / APR 2014

LIFE LOVE 39 EQUALITY EDITOR Alexander Thatcher

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ASSOCIATE EDITORS Linda Djumlija Yasmin Element

FUSE FEATURES

POLITICAL EDITOR Simon Copland CREATIVE DIRECTOR Christopher Powell CONTRIBUTORS Scott Malcolm Bebe Backhouse Dwayne Lennox Melisa Paz Philippa Moss Paul Sobczak Shokti Lovestar Rev. Jim Lucas Rose Pappalardo Robert Henderson Paul Harfleet

32 THE BEST OF CANBERRA SPRINGOUT P40

PHOTOGRAPHERS Doug Robinson Rose Pappalardo

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CONTACT FUSE 0412 309 992 hello@fusemagazine.com.au fusemagazine.com.au PO Box 3577 Manuka ACT 2603 Published + designed by: Lithium Innovation Pty Ltd lithium.net.au ISSN 1836-8387

Most people are unaware that throughout human existence, gay, lesbian and trans* people have been honoured for the combinations of masculine and feminine energy they carry. Radical Faerie, Shokti Lovestar leads us on a journey to discover the future of rainbow spiritualism.

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Sadly homophobia still exists happens, causing a great deal of suffering. Paul Harfleet’s ‘The Pansy Project’ shines a light on acts of homophobia that are happening all around the world.

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Reverend Jim Lucas believes that the Church has misinterpreted many parts of the Bible. He wants all LGBTI people to know that God blesses them and same-sex unions with love.

FUSE OP.ED 20

It’s been a few months since New Years Eve. Paul Sobczak gives us some advice on how to make those resolutions actually stick and how setting new goals can change your life.

FUSE REGULARS 29

WWW.FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU All rights reserved. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. The appearance, mention or likeness of any person or organisation in editorial or advertising in no way suggests sexual or political orientation. Photographs used to illustrate editorial do not depict the real lives, behaviour or sexuality of the models. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the FUSE publisher, editor or staff. Any health, fitness or dietary advice contained in this magazine is for informational purposes only. Consult your physician and a fitness/health professional before changing your diet, doing any exercise program, or taking any supplements or remedies of any kind. Submissions of text, photographs or any other material will be taken as consent to publish said material.

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Editor’s Rant What’s On : Movie Reviews What’s On : Events & Shows Round Up : News & Politics Community : Relationships & You Footlights : Thomas Bradley Couch Potato : Film & TV Out & About : Cube Nightclub Money Shot : Straight Talking Ear Candy : Music Reviews & News Out & About : Best of Canberra SpringOUT Health : The Ageing Agenda Stargazer : Your Horoscope FUSE Community Directory Dear Rose FUSE39CONTENTS

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❂ IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE

Alexander Thatcher Editor

DO TO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. (LUKE 6:31) It’s encouraging to see many Christians, including scholars and pastors, now believing that homosexuality is not a sin and that a benevolent god would certainty love all his/her children without exception.

As hearts open, it’s a tide that I believe is slowing turning. Sadly however, the world still has many people that are not so enlightened — people that cause a great deal of suffering for LGBTI people. This is not helped by the fact that at least 76 countries still have anti-homosexuality laws, some including the death penalty or life in jail.

We have seen the terrible things that have been happening in places like Uganda, Nigeria and more recently in Russia where LGBTI people are savagely brutalised in the name of God. How anyone can think for even a second that this type of behaviour is in any way acceptable, begs disbelief. The sad fact is it’s misguided politicians and church leaders that cause most of this suffering, spreading fear and falsehoods throughout their communities like a virus. The result is that misguided people who are full of fear, tend to do bad things. This is why it’s so important to expose these wrong teachings and have open-hearted leaders that want to bring the best out in people and not the worst.

Reverend Jim Lucas is one of those men. Jim, who runs a ministry for LGBTI people, believes that God loves and welcomes us all, whatever our sexual orientation. And when you ask him about what other Christians say about homosexuality being a sin, he goes straight to his Bible.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU Check out the FUSE Magazine website for daily news, videos, special online features, what’s on listings, the latest community up-dates on our popular message board, the FUSE business directory and more!

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EDITOR’SRANT

“How can we discern false teaching from true teaching?

Jesus taught a very simple method. Jesus said, ‘By their fruit you shall know them. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.” It has become unequivocally clear to Jim that the traditional approach of condemning LGBTI people has borne rotten, stinking fruit. An approach that has driven many LGBTI people to lives of shame, depression, anxiety, self-hatred, fear, and alienation from family.

Reverend Jim believes that the Church has misinterpreted many parts of the Bible and is one of many Christians that now believe a new message needs to be delivered at the pulpit. In our feature article ‘Affirmation of Gay Unions’ Jim looks at the Bible passages that appear to condemn homosexual relationships and puts a few things straight. p32.

We are of course, not all Christians and in our second spirituality feature we discover a community of gay men that gather to connect, open and heal. The Radical Faeries look to find the spirit of joy and love inside all of us. They join together in spaces of queer spirit, which they believe creates high vibrational energies capable of profound healings and awesome transformations. p12.

I hope everyone enjoys this our fifth birthday issue and I’d like to say thank you to everyone that has contributed to making FUSE what it is.

Enjoy, Alex

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IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT FACTORY FARMING...

Few people realise that factory farming is the single greatest cause of animal cruelty on the planet today. Visit MakeItPossible.com and join thousands of other caring Australians who are making a world without factory farming possible.

Watch the film.

Sign the pledge.

Inspire others.

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MOVIES

Tracks : “Achingly Beautiful” The Telegraph. “A one of a kind cinematic venture that comes around every decade or so” The Huffington Post.

THE WIND RISES : OPENS 27 FEBRUARY There’s still some conjecture as to whether or not Hayao Miyazaki has officially retired from filmmaking, but the veteran Japanese director and animation maestro (co-founder of the infamous Studio Ghibli) couldn’t have picked a more ambitious and beautiful swan song. The Wind Rises is a uniquely Miyazaki take on the life of Jiro Hirokoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during WWII. As such, the film has drawn complaints from some quarters but has also been critically acclaimed (including an Oscar nomination) in others. What is not in doubt is the animation: it’s superb.

TRACKS : OPENS 6 MARCH

FUSE MOVIE PICK OF THE MONTH!

Canberra girl made good, Mia Wasikowska, continues her upward trajectory — and her reputation for choosing less conventional, more challenging roles — by returning from Hollywood to Australia to appear as Robyn Davidson in the screen adaptation of the author’s famous book.

John Curran directs and Mandy Walker’s camera beautifully captures the desert landscapes as Robyn makes her solo journey across the West Australian interior with just four camels, a dog and herself for company.

THE ARMSTRONG LIE : OPENS 14 MARCH For prolific documentary filmmaker, Alex Gibson (this is his third doco to release in Australia in the last 12 months), it was a case of ‘right place, right time’ for his latest effort. Gibson had already been filming a doco about Tour De France cycling legend, Lance Armstrong for some time when the American cyclist decided to come clean about his not-so clean methods for winning. With one-on-one access to Armstrong, Gibson captures the world of the seven-time Tour winner before and after the revelation of one of the greatest lies in sporting history.

NOAH : OPENS 27 MARCH After the cray-cray of Black Swan, Oscar-nominated director Darren Aronofsky turns his attention to the Bible, more specifically the tale of Noah (Russell Crowe) who, after visions of an impending aqua apocalypse, sets about building a giant ark to house two of every creature. Resembling more a modern day disaster film blockbuster than a 1950’s Biblical epic, Noah is a distinct change of pace (and budget) for Aronofsky. Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Anthony Hopkins are amongst the human creatures preparing for the flood alongside Rusty.

By Dwayne Lennox

FREE DENDY MOVIE TICKETS : Email us and tell us what you think of FUSE, comment on an article or sign up to the FUSE eNews and you could win free tickets to these fantastic movies. hello@fusemagazine.com.au

FREE MOVIE PASSES KINDLY SUPPLIED BY DENDY CINEMAS CANBERRA LEVEL 2, NORTH QUARTER CANBERRA CENTRE, BUNDA STREET, CANBERRA CITY 261-263 KING STREET, NEWTOWN • SHOP 9, 2 EAST CIRCULAR QUAY, SYDNEY PORTSIDE WHARF, REMORA ROAD, HAMILTON WWW.DENDY.COM.AU

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WHAT’S ON CANBERRA GAY & BI MEN’S HEALTH & WELLBEING FORUM 9.30AM - 4.00PM SATURDAY 22 MARCH WESTLUND HOUSE 16 GORDON STREET ACTON • 10 things men need to know to live longer and happier lives.

• Community consultation on your health & wellbeing needs.

• Gay and bi men’s Prostate Cancer Support Program Update.

All gay and bi men over 40 are welcome to attend this special forum facilitated by Men’s Health Consultant Greg Millan who has developed and run many programs for gay men over the past 25 years. The Forum is free and includes an information pack, all refreshments and lunch.

FREE

MENS HEALTH & WELLBEING FORUM

COMEDY FESTIVAL ROADSHOW FRIDAY 23 & SATURDAY 24 MAY CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

LOOK OUT FOR HANNAH GADSBY & RILEY BELL

The ultimate comedy road trip returns to Canberra! The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow is a comedy odyssey, bringing a raft of the world’s best comedy to one fabulous show.

Be prepared for these comic travellers to have you bellylaughing until you’re in stitches. Every year audiences are wowed by incredible line-ups, and this year is no exception. With a mix of local heroes and international stars, as well as the hottest newcomer discoveries of the Festival, it has all your comedy bases covered.

More details and tickets at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Gay and bi men’s Prostate Cancer Support Program is a new program that delivers improved support and educational resources to the gay community. Funded by Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and supported by ACON, Cancer Council NSW, Cancer Council Victoria, Victorian Aids Council, La Trobe University, Monash University, Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand and Male Care USA. Registration for the Forum is required for catering.

Please contact Greg Millan to register by email at: greg@menshealthservices.com.au or call 0417 772 390.

DYKE DINNER AND MOVIE GROUP A casual and friendly group for like-minded women in Canberra that meet every Tuesday evening for coffee, a movie and dinner. For more information check out the ‘what’s on’ section at fusemagazine.com.au — If you are interested in receiving weekly reminders of what’s happening email Robyn at: robyn.soxsmith@ yahoo.com

INTERPLAY 10 - 12 APRIL CANBERRA THEATRE Sydney Dance Company will be bringing Interplay to Canberra. The piece features new works by artistic director Rafael SEE OUR INTERVIEW Bonachela and ex WITH TOM Chunky Move director BRADLEY P18 Gideon Obarzanek, and a re-mount of Jacopo Godani’s popular 2011 work Raw Models (pictured), which was commissioned and premiered by Sydney Dance Company .

Drawing together three distinct visions for dance, Interplay presents a triple bill of breathtaking ambition — a glorious salute to the state of contemporary dance, and an exhilarating reminder: sometimes the things that set us apart are the things that bind us closest together.

More details and tickets at: canberratheatrecentre.com.au

Want to know what else is happening, visit our ‘What’s on’ section at fusemagazine.com.au WHAT’SON

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ROUND UP NEW LGBTI POLITICAL PARTY The Australian Equality Party will be a new voice in Australian politics and will offer a policy platform that includes marriage equality and the end of all discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex people and their families in all sectors of Australian society.

The party has set it’s sights to win its first senate seat for Victoria in the next Federal election, before going on to contest senate and lower house seats at local, state and federal elections.

AEP Convenor and potential Senate candidate Jason TuazonMcCheyne officially launched the party along with members of the AEP Committee and the community at the 2014 Melbourne Pride.

MARRIAGE EQUALITY ON THE RISE A new analysis undertaken by Melbourne-based LGBT rights activist, Tony Pitman, has revealed that there are now 700 million people worldwide living in jurisdictions with full marriage equality.

Tony first undertook this analysis in July 2013.

At that time the figure was 607 million people.

Now, six months later, the number has risen to 700 million.

Jason Tuazon-McCheyne said, “The GLBTIQ community needs its own political voice inside the Australian Federal Parliament and the AEP aims to provide that. We must step up to the political stage and end discrimination against GLBTIQ people and their families. We are deeply committed to creating a society where GLBTIQ Australians are afforded the same rights and protections as all other Australians”.

“That’s an increase of 93 million in just six months. It’s quite extraordinary! It also means that marriage equality is now a reality for almost ten per cent of the entire world’s population; another extraordinary figure!” said Tony.

“It makes you wonder how many more people will achieve marriage equality before Australians also attain this basic human right. 100 million? 300 million? It’s embarrassing that Australia is so far behind the rest of the world on this issue.”

Over the last six months the jurisdictions that achieved marriage equality were England and Wales, as well as five states of the USA; New Jersey, Hawaii, Illinois, New Mexico and Utah.

40,000 The amount Sydney gay teenager Jamie Jackson Reed was awarded after his overly forceful arrest at last year’s Mardi Gras parade sparked community outrage.

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The aims of The Australian Equality Party are to: • Achieve marriage equality for all Australians regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity; • Work towards an Australia free from discrimination against GLBTIQ people and their families; • Act as a voice for GLBTIQ people in local, state and federal politics in Australia; and • Provide a human rights approach to political discourse for the benefit of all Australians.

“We call on all members of the GLBTIQ community, their friends and families and those who support equality, to join our party. You don’t have to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender - we welcome support from all Australians who see equality as an ideal they subscribe to.”

Jason Tuazon-McCheyne You can show support for equality by joining the AEP at: australianequality.org.

There is no ban on non-traditional forms of sexual interaction between people. We have a ban on propaganda of homosexuality.... People can feel free and at ease but please leave the children in peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin commenting on gay athletes and fans attending the Winter Olympics.

NEWS&POLITICS

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

700 million : Number of people living with marriage equality worldwide.

37 : The number of African nations where being gay is a punishable offence.

15 : The jail sentence in Nigeria for being gay or giving any form of gay support, including HIV treatment.

WHO IS KEVIN DONNELLY AND WHY SHOULD WE CARE? Appointed by the Education Minister Christopher Pyne, Dr Donnelly is the co-head of the review into the Australian national school curriculum.

His views on religion, homosexuality and gender in education have caused widespread criticism. He is a critic of Labor’s education reforms, including the Gonski review and believes that the education system should have a commitment to Christian beliefs and values.

In an online opinion article, he states: “In recent years several education groups have sought to introduce gay, lesbian and transgender studies in the classroom and to convince schoolchildren that such practices, along with being heterosexual, are simply lifestyle choices open to all.” He goes on to ask why teachers are normalising practices that many parents would consider unnatural.

In a book commissioned by the Liberal Party-aligned Menzies Research Centre, Mr Donnelly, suggests that only heterosexual teachers have a right to teach students about sex and is highly critical of the Australian Education Union for arguing that school students ought to be taught about nonheterosexual relationships and safe-sex practices ‘in a positive way.’

He wrote, ‘’The union argues that gays, lesbians and transgender individuals have a right to teach sex education … and that any treatment of sexual matters should be ‘positive in its approach’ and that school curricula should ‘enhance understanding and acceptance of LGBT people’.’’

TRANSGENDER MISS UNIVERSE CONTESTANT HITS THE PAGES OF ELLE MAGAZINE The twenty five year old trans* beauty Jenna Talackova was famously kicked out of the 2012 Miss Universe pageant because she wasn’t a ‘naturally born’ woman, until Trump and the Miss Universe organisers finally caved and let the Canadian model compete. She didn’t win, but her recent spread in ELLE Canada, a major fashion magazine, is certainly a wonderful victory.

“I can’t believe I’m posing for them,” Talackova gushed in a behind-the-scenes video posted on the magazine’s website.

“It’s been a dream — I put them on my vision board and it happened!

Sharing some of her personal feelings about being a trans* woman Jenna said, “I believe I am a woman who went through transgender procedures,” she says. “As soon as I started taking hormones, I felt more and more complete.”

‘‘

‘’Forgotten is that many parents would consider the sexual practices of gays, lesbians and transgender individuals decidedly unnatural and that such groups have a greater risk in terms of transmitting STDs and AIDS.’’ Shelley Argent, from PFLAG, called Mr Donnelly’s views ‘’ridiculous’’, saying ‘’Children are not created or made or encouraged or recruited to be gay by learning about homosexuality in the classroom,’’ she said. NSW Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron said: ‘’You cringe at some of those statements.” Indeed.

BOYCOTT ON GIRL SCOUT COOKIES The American Family Association, Family Research Council, and other right-wing and Christian organisations will not be enjoying the bounty cookies offered by the Girl Scouts of America this year. The reason? They apparently use lesbian role models and partake in ‘Very Liberal’ Activities.

Weeks after the Boy Scouts USA stoked controversy by changing their rules to allow openly gay members, Girl Scouts made history in their own way after some 90+ of their members and their families marched in San Francisco’s Gay Pride Parade — the first time they have ever done so.

According to American Family Association president Tim Wildmon, “buying Girl Scout cookies serves only to further facilitate a very liberal pro-abortion agenda.”

The scriptures make it abundantly clear that a Christian nation that abandons its faith and acts contrary to the Gospel will be beset by natural disasters such as storms, disease, pestilence and war.

Defecting from the Tories, UK Councillor David Silvester blames storms and floods on gay marriage.

NEWS&POLITICS

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Vladimir Putin : “It’s not about imposing some sort of sanctions on homosexuality… It’s about protecting children...”

ROUND UP

1 IN 4

RUSSIAN VOICES An anti-gay law that stigmatises Russia’s LGBTI community and bans the distribution of information about homosexuality was overwhelmingly approved by their parliament last year.

One in every four LGBTI teens in Russia that have attempted suicide.

The law is part of an effort to promote traditional Russian values as opposed to Western liberalism, which the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church see as corrupting Russian youth and contributing to the protests against Putin’s rule.

PLANET ROMEO ASKED RUSSIAN GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ‘ARE YOU OUT?’

The widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by much of Russia’s political and religious elite and as such, life is becoming increasingly difficult for LGBTI people in Russia.

6%

24% 60% 27%

4%

Gay dating platform PlanetRomeo recently surveyed 1,526 Russian users on how this law and the current political and social environment is affecting their daily life.

COMPLETELY

NOT AT ALL

TO FRIENDS

TO FAMILY

AT WORK

Been a victim of anti-gay violence.

Been discriminated against at work.

Respondents could choose multiple answers.

Russia’s controversial homosexual propaganda legislation, banning the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations” among minors, is broad. It means that, among other things, teachers cannot tell their students that gay and straight relationships are equal; parents cannot tell their children being LGBT is normal, and people cannot distribute pamphlets promoting gay rights or LGBTI safe sex.

The laws also mean that samesex families have been made effectively illegal and children could potentially be taken by Russia’s welfare system and rehomed with heterosexual families.

The ‘anti-gay’ laws have led to a massive increase in homophobic violence, arrests, suicides and the proliferation of vigilante groups in Russia, who actively hunt LGBT people on the streets and online.

20% Been a victim of homophobic verbal abuse.

54%

Been a victim of homophobic abuse in private life.

21% 24%

28%

PLANET ROMEO ASKED GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA IN RUSSIA

34%

Been discriminated against in a public space.

Never been a victim of any form of antigay violence.

Respondents could choose multiple answers.

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NEWS&POLITICS

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Spirituality and the power of love

Coming out of the closet is a spiritual act of selfactualisation. It requires deep soul searching and the summoning of an immense amount of courage.

Even today, in the second decade of the 21st century, despite the spread of liberal attitudes and legal reforms there are still vehement homophobic voices spreading hatred. In Russia, India, Uganda, Nigeria and elsewhere, legal persecution of LGBTI people sets up an atmosphere where people live in constant fear of attack, death or imprisonment and are totally unable to explore and express themselves.

Attitudes are shifting so fast in the west that a polarity seems to have been created. Walls have fallen in parts of the world, and in a short period of time. Not so long ago same-sex attraction was categorised as a mental illness. The idea that man’s love for man and woman’s love for woman can be a pure and sacred impulse from the soul, is still finding its way into the consciousness — even amongst gay people.

But it is this vision of the purity of love that can change attitudes across the planet. Gay spirituality opens the door to queers realising the true source of love within themselves, and the power that lies in that love. It enables us to heal from the effects that the label ‘homosexual’ has had on us as we find bigger, better ways to define ourselves. This will enable us to show the doubting, sex-obsessed homophobes that love is our true nature, and is the core truth of all human beings.

In the west liberalisation has not yet led to our liberation, which is an internal, spiritual goal and not simply a political or social one.

We are children of a religious culture that has labelled our love an ‘abomination’, and so quite understandably many of us have rejected religion and spirituality all together.

The gay ‘scene’ is big on hedonism, looks and fitness, but it seems to me lacking in understanding of the mind and the power of the heart. The prevalence of disease, physical and mental, of drug dependency and sexual neediness demonstrates how our internal worlds have not yet reached anything like emotional and spiritual maturity.

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FUSEFEATURE

By Shokti Lovestar

Most gay people do not know that the judaeo-christian-islamic condemnation of our love is a historical anomaly — ­ and that, in fact, throughout human existence on earth there have been cultures that honoured us for the energy we carry, which combines masculinity and femininity in different ways to the heterosexual norm and makes us prime candidates to be conduits of spirit, healing and wisdom.

Prominent examples such as the berdache shamans of the native americans, the gatekeepers of the dagara tribe in western Africa or the takatapui of the Maori in New Zealand, reveal that gay men were honoured as spiritual healers and leaders since way before the hegemony of the patriarchal monotheistic faiths. Even in Christianity it is clear that the monastic tradition and the priesthood has always depended on ‘soft’ gentle, compassionate souls, and been a haven for many LGBTI people with a spiritual calling.

While we make great secularists and perfect consumers in the capitalist age, the spiritual impulses that would in previous times have sent us into a life of service within mainstream religion are still with us.

For many, these impulses get repressed or distorted by drugs and sexual excess, but on the fringes of commercial gay life there exist groups of queers exploring the spiritual dimensions of life, whether within established religious routes or in ways of our own creation.

Many LGBTI people explore spirituality within mainstream religious settings, but our own particularly queer forms of spiritual retreat have been emerging too: Radical Faerie gatherings are queer zones of high vibrational energy where like minded people get to explore the many aspects of their gay souls through play, dressing up, ritual, sharing stories and living in heart-centred community.

Gatherings are happening all over the world and usually take place away from cities in beautiful locations and close to nature so as to co-create deep, ecstatic and loving journeys into magical states of consciousness.

In these spaces, we find healing and empowerment to help us bring strength, balance and purpose into our lives.

These events have no gurus, no dogma or rules and are a melting pot of queer spiritual energies.

The Australian Radical Faeries have been emerging over the last twenty-five years and have a beautiful sanctuary on the edge of the Wollumbin Volcanic Caldera in the northeast corner of NSW. Known as ‘Faerieland Sanctuary’, they host many visitors throughout the year from overseas and Australia.

Meditation retreats, sweat lodges, spring gatherings, planting days, swimming picnics, working bees, dance and other impromptu performances happen regularly, as well as the all important heart circles.

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Recognise your compassionate nature and find happiness within your true authentic self.

Spirituality

and the power of love FUSEFEATURE

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Buddhism has proven very popular with many queer folk — it teaches a non-judgemental approach to life.

Thirdly, emotions have to move. Through dance, ritual and heart circle we are able to release stuck energies, cleansing and strengthening our emotional bodies, which grow, get damaged and need healing as we go through life, just as our physical bodies do. We are born with an immense capacity for love, but this gets squashed by life’s disappointments — choosing to heal, grow and open emotionally produces well being in our lives.

Radical Faeries gather to connect, open and heal — and so find the spirit of joy, love and ecstasy inside us — discovering that connection and bliss come from the heart and are not dependent on the drugs and alcohol that are causing a lot of health problems for so many LGBTI people. In spaces of queer spirit profound healings and awesome transformations happen, and this magic is so good it can only expand to reach more people who need it.

I believe those of us involved in these spiritual explorations are discovering things that the rest of the queer community might like to know about.

The first of these is that there is a sacred dimension to life, accessible to us if we open ourselves to it, and that it does not judge or condemn us, as we have usually been indoctrinated to believe. In fact, as the shamanic history of same sex love, of gender bending healers across the world reveals, maybe we even have a special relationship with that sacredness.

The second is that our thoughts matter. They are creative, we attract into our lives what we give our attention to. To be negative in our outlook produces disease and depression in our lives — those of us living with HIV in the 1990s, before there were any drugs available which had any hope of helping us, found this out.

Being positive in our minds was our best chance of survival, that became very clear to us. Buddhism has proven very popular with many queer folk – it teaches a non-judgemental approach to life, removes the central male-fathergod figure from spiritual awareness, teaches us how to understand the mind and use it to create well being, plus guides us on how to cultivate compassion and a healthy emotional life.

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FUSEFEATURE

Fourth, our spirits are born to shine. It is as simple as letting the real self that we each are, express, expand and love. Spaces of queer spirit support us to be who we really are, they allow us to let the magical child heal its wounds and unite with the adult we are becoming, to let our natural joy bubble up and our ancient, inherited ability to walk between the worlds emerge. Our hedonistic urges may be seen as the drive of spirit within us to expand into its natural blissful states of being. Pleasure and ecstatic states can be understood as sacred acts, bringing us into communion with our higher selves. Spiritual paths that celebrate the Goddess celebrate sexuality, pleasure, dance, play and even intoxication, as Her rituals allow the energy of these life delights to uplift and nourish us.

Five, SEX is a spiritual force. It is utterly holy – if we let it be, which we can do by opening our hearts, opening our minds and letting the energy of sex take us into divine communion. Sex takes us to bliss — and that is the feeling and presence of the divine source within us. This was a natural understanding in most ancient cultures, and is something the world desperately needs to remember now, both in order to halt the abuse of sexual power and to bring us to greater understanding of who we are as incarnations of conscious spirit, ending the historical division between the spirit and the flesh that monotheism has spread round the world.

AS GLBTI SPIRITUALITY GROWS IN CONFIDENCE AND EXPOSURE, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO: • Celebrate that there is more to being gay than sex, parties (and marriage), revealing that coming out is a powerful step on a path to spiritual as well as sexual liberation.

• Bring out awareness around the world of our historical roles as healers and conduits of spirit, so counteracting the ignorance and fear of us that leads to our persecution, and opening the way for us to find our role as healers in the emerging aquarian age.

• Emphasise our nature as compassionate, tolerant, joy seeking beings and reveal ECSTASY and BLISS as spiritual manifestations of divine human nature, which we are naturally ‘programmed’, by evolution, to pursue.

• Reveal humanity’s ability to go beyond differences based on race and religion to a new story of unity, love, awareness and spiritual connection.

Find out more about Radical Faeries at their international website radfae.org and the ‘Faerieland Sanctuary’ in Australia at ozfaeries.com — Other queer spiritual websites worth a visit are myoutspirit.com and gayspirituality.com

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Relationships

&

life

This year, Relationships Australia Canberra & Region (RACR) threw its support behind the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney for the first time to highlight the services available for members of GLBTI communities and the importance of healthy relationships for everyone.

Last year in November they also attended SpringOut Fairday in Canberra and were surprised at the number of people who did not know about their services. Clearly, it was time to make the organisation more visible and to make it clear that Relationships Australia can provide safe and respectful services for people in same sex relationships.

you

Relationships Australia is committed ‘heart and soul‘ to social justice and inclusion, and respects the rights of all people, in all their diversity, to live with dignity and safety and to enjoy healthy relationships.

For the past 49 years Relationships Australia have helped many people who are living in same sex relationships, or who are living in relationships and dealing with transgender and intersex issues. Over this time they have carefully built the skills and experience to support people in GLBTI relationships.

Aware that in Canberra, organisations such as A Gender Agenda, the AIDS Action Council and newer organisations - such as Diversity ACT - are working hard to support the GLBTI community, Relationships Australia is looking forward to developing networks where they can work closely with these vital community groups.

RACR understands that people choose many ways to live in a relationship — it is a human right. People choose defacto relationships, marriage, serial monogamy and open relationships. Many people choose to live alone. RACR supports Marriage Equality because it is a human right.

As a provider of professional relationship support services, RACR is here to support anybody who has been affected by the recent decisions denying Marriage Equality, and anybody who wants support with GLBTI relationship issues. They provide services such as individual, couple and family counselling, mediation, information and referral, group work and outreach.

As a mainstream service provider RACR are conscious of their obligation to ensure counselling and mediation services are safe and respectful to all members of our communities. They openly welcome people from the GLBTI communities.

For information or to make an appointment contact Relationships Australia on 6122 7100 or visit our website at relationships.org.au

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‘‘

We believe that all people should have the same legal rights surrounding marriage, regardless of their sexual orientation. We therefore recognise that recent Commonwealth government moves against Marriage Equality may have adversely affected same sex couples and other community members.

Mary Pekin : CEO Relationships Australia

HOW CAN RELATIONSHIPS AUSTRALIA HELP YOU? • Counselling • Mediation • Information and referrals • Relationship education groups, parenting support groups, anger management groups, supporting new family groups • Outreach service • Dhunlung Yarra Aboriginal Service

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YOURCOMMUNITY

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DANCE WITH ME Growing up in a small Aussie town, being gay and wanting to be a dancer makes for a challenging start to life.

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FOOTLIGHTS

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By Robert Henderson

COOTAMUNDRA BOY, THOMAS BRADLEY REMEMBERS HIS VERY FIRST TIME ON STAGE — LEAPING INTO THE AIR. “It was in primary school. I choreographed a jazz routine to a JLo track for five friends. We entered our school’s talent quest and came second. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy, so I started classes. Definitely in my dancing and creative career I’m incredibly ambitious — it’s a part of who I am.”

Tom explains that life in Cootamundra was often very challenging for him.

“Bullying from school bullies, having objects and furniture thrown at me, but it all built up a certain agility for the dance. I stayed clear of things.”

Tom had to be careful not to put himself in situations where he was vulnerable to attack which meant he had to keep to himself. He says he was lucky however, to have had a solid upbringing, loving parents and some really good friends.

Even now this engaging, self-effacing young man is humble about how difficult it was at times. Although tough going, growing up in Cootamundra is something Thomas is incredibly proud of. Now he feels doing well has made the Cootamundra locals proud of what he’s achieved. It’s given him a great grounding and foundation.

Thomas moved from his home town and started studies at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School for Year 12. He found it so overwhelmingly welcoming that he felt no qualms in pursuing his dreams. He had a real blossoming.

“Within weeks I broke up with my girlfriend, cut my hideous hair and started dating my first boyfriend.” Tom was excited and happy to be among other like-minded and creative people.

In 2009 he decided to go and study at the New Zealand School of Dance where he was exposed to so many wonderful international techniques and fantastic tutors.

Thomas joined the Sydney Dance Company immediately after finishing his studies in 2012 and has been involved in countless shows, tours and workshops since then.

Last year he was part of the acclaimed 2 One Another international tour to North and South America and Russia.

Thomas will be part of the triple bill Interplay, featuring choreography by Rafael Bonachela, Jacopo Godani and Gideon Obarzanek. Interplay’s world premier is in Sydney in March then heads straight to the Canberra Theatre Centre for 10-12 April. This will be Thomas’ third performance in Canberra, he previously performed in Project Rameau and the Australian Dance Award.

“Working with Sydney Dance Company requires dancers to be very creative, to take initiative and do their own thing. That’s certainly the way that Rafael Bonachela, SDC Artistic Director, works.

He likes to task the dancers, see what we’re interested in, see how we move, and then blend it with his kind of aesthetics. In the creative process you have a lot of time by yourself and then a lot of time with Rafael as he moulds and merges the two together. He is certainly someone who really appreciates the dancer’s input and ideas about a particular phase or how we think we could make it better. There’s a lot of dialogue between us.”

Thomas’ advice to someone feeling nervous about going to contemporary dance is to go with your gut instincts. “You can only go to the theatre with as much experience as you have.

Don’t feel intimidated. For Interplay there’s three different works, one is a huge crowd-pleaser. It’s really sexual and sensual. So you are sure to find it great to look at. With Rafaelo’s work, it’s always thematically abstract, there’s no story. But he can’t help himself with a love duet, whether it be a man and a woman, a man and a man or a girl and a girl. Challenge yourself to ask what sort of relationship is it? His work is always very passionate, very dramatic.”

Future work for Thomas includes doing lots of different interesting dance projects, including composing his own music, singing, dancing in clubs, fashion shows and getting away from the main stage. There seems to be almost no limit to the variety of creative areas he wants to explore, as Thomas puts it, he is a “creative monster”. He certainly seems to be a fresh talent worth watching.

Canberra bookings for Interplay can be made on 6275 2700 or at canberratheatrecentre.com.au Sydney and Melboune dates and booking details can be found at: sydneydancecompany.com

FOOTLIGHTS

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By Paul Sobczak

About Those Resolutions...

SO WE ARE ALREADY WELL INTO THE NEW YEAR. TALK OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS TYPICALLY ENDS NOT TOO LONG AFTER WE WAKE UP FROM THE CHAMPAGNE INDUCED HANGOVER THAT GREETS MOST OF US ON THE 1ST OF JANUARY. WELL, NOT THIS YEAR! This year, I’ve decided to not only make resolutions (something I haven’t done in years) but actually keep them too. It’s been a good few months since New Years Eve, and I’m happy to report that I’m actually sticking to my resolutions. No one is more surprised by this than me.

There’s a few things I’m doing differently this year though which may explain my initial good start. It’s not necessarily advice that will work for everyone. We’re all different. This is just what I’ve found to work for me.

The first change I made was to approach my resolutions as a challenge, as opposed to seeing them as something I’m missing out on. It’s funny how we’re attracted to forbidden fruit. The moment we’re told we can’t have something, we want it. Even if we didn’t want it before.

One of my resolutions is to not drink alcohol. I’m not a heavy drinker by any means. This resolution is more about a curiosity to see how long I can go without booze. Therein lies the difference. I’m framing not drinking as a personal challenge (which I respond well to), as opposed to seeing it as a deprivation and something that I’m missing out on (which I don’t respond well to).

Another change I made was to try and build on things that I’m already doing. For instance, it’s taken me three long years, but I am finally at a point where I am going to the gym regularly. For someone who was a yo-yo gym goer during my 20s, this is a major achievement, and one that I’m proud of.

What I learnt from sticking to a regular gym routine was the benefits of going slow and pacing yourself.

I used to buy into the idea that I could work out hard for 3 months, wake up looking like Hugh Jackman and live happily ever after. I’d burn all my energy and enthusiasm up front. Three months into it, I was just burnt out, and no closer to looking like Hugh.

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By taking it slow, I’ve managed to integrate the gym into my life.

It now feels natural. This year, I’m taking the same approach to yoga, something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I’m starting off with just one session a week. I’ll stick to this for a few months. When I’m ready, I’ll increase it to two sessions a week. My ultimate goal is about three sessions a week.

92%

According to University of Scranton in the US, 92% of New Year’s resolutions fail and the key to success is to make sure you are constantly re-assessing your situation and setting new goals every single day.

The final change I made is to not make rigid time-based resolutions. This flies in the face of conventional wisdom that suggests you have to make your goals time-bound. But why?

That approach may work in business, but these are my personal goals which I’m doing because I want to, not because I have to.

For me, my goals are ultimately about becoming a happier and healthier person. I’m not going to achieve that if I’m stressed and feeling pressured. That doesn’t work as a motivator for me.

New year resolutions don’t have to be an end point. They can represent a direction you’d like to go in. If you’ve made resolutions this year, or have personal goals for 2014, you’re already heading in the direction that’s right for you. By framing things differently, building on things we’re already doing, taking it slow and being kind to ourselves, New Year resolutions can actually be quite beneficial.

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Did you know? : In 1930, Hollywood studios enacted the Motion Picture Production Code, prohibiting all references to homosexuality or any “sexual perversion” in the movies. It remained in effect until the 1960s.

I’M SO EXCITED!

STRANGER BY THE LAKE

Pedro Almodovar, one of cinema’s most queer and female friendly directors, takes a 180-degree turn from his previous film, the intense The Skin I Live In (2011), and tries his hand at a comedy.

I’m So Excited! sees a group of passengers and three very camp flight stewards getting a little silly (and loose) when they’re faced with the prospect of crashing on their way to South America. Drugs, alcohol, sex and The Pointer Sisters all feature on the in-flight menu of this giddy little detour of one of Spain’s, and the world’s, great auteurs.

A queer hit at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival was Stranger by the Lake, in which French director Alain Guiraudie tips his hat to the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Despite this erotic thriller’s outdoor setting - the titular lake is a popular spot for local gay men for swimming, sunbathing and cruising — the film becomes increasingly claustrophobic when Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) is drawn to the mysterious Michel (Christophe Paou); an attraction which intensifies despite the event which Franck witnesses in the water late one afternoon. In the words of Chris Isaak, strange what desire will make foolish people do.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD Everyone’s favourite galaxy-hopping Norse god is back! After the events in New York in The Avengers (2012), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is again called to Earth when his human love interest, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), discovers an ancient evil power source, re-awakening the Dark Elves and hostilities between them and Thor’s home, Asgard. Game of Thrones director, Alan Taylor, takes the reigns in this satisfying sequel which sees most of the action taking place on Asgard, and forces Thor to turn to his evil half-brother, Loki (the scene-stealing Tom Hiddleston), if he is to have any chance of victory.

By Dwayne Lennox

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COUCHPOTATO

CONCUSSION

FUSE DVD PICK

Movies about mid-life crisis aren’t rare but OF THE MONTH! from the perspective of a woman? And a lesbian?

After suffering a concussion, Abby (Robyn Weigert, of TV’s Deadwood) begins to question her entire existence: her life in the suburbs, her wife and her kids, leading to some radical action beginning with a name change to Eleanor. Screening at the recent Mardi Gras Film Festival, Concussion may not be as high profile as last year’s other lesbian-themed drama, Blue Is The Warmest Colour, but it’s worth a look for Weigert’s performance.

You’ll find all these titles at JB HIFI, online or at all good DVD outlets. Check out fusemagazine.com.au for DVD giveaway details. Reviewed for FUSE by Dwayne Lennox — thelennoxfiles.blogspot.com.au FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

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The “Putin - Put a Pansy in it” poster was the first campaign poster made by Paul Harfleet and was seen on social media sites by over 100,000 people.

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By Paul Harfleet

The Pansy Project Over the past decade a lot has changed as the LGBTI community has become accepted by the vast majority of open-hearted people in the western world. But sadly homophobia still happens and it causes a great deal of pain and suffering. The way we, as a community, react to these events also tells of our hearts. After becoming a victim of homophobia, artist and photographer Paul Harfleet decided that it was time for him to speak out the best way he could — through his art. This is his story.

A string of homophobic abuse on a warm summer’s day was the catalyst for ‘The Pansy Project’. The day began with two blokes shouting; “It’s about time we went gay-bashing again, isn’t it?” and continued with a gang of yobs throwing abuse and stones at my then boyfriend and me, and ended with a bizarre and unsettling confrontation with a man who called us ‘ladies’ under his breath.

Over the years I have become accustomed to this kind of behaviour, but I came to realise it was a shocking concept to most of my friends and colleagues. It was in this context that I began to ponder the nature of these verbal attacks and their influence on my life. I realised that I felt differently about these experiences depending on my mental state so I decided to explore the way I felt at the location where these incidents occurred.

What interested me was the way that the locations later acted as a prompt for me to explore the memories associated with that place. I wanted in some way to manipulate these associations in order to feel differently about the location and the memories it summoned.

I became interested in the public nature of the incidents and the way I was forced into reacting publicly to a crime that often occurred during the day and in full view of passers-by. The tendency to place flowers at the scene of a crime, or accident, has become an accepted ritual and I considered a similar response.

Floral tributes subtly augment the reading of a space that encourages a passer-by to ponder past events at a marked location, generally understood as a crime or accident; my particular intervention could encourage a passer-by to query the reason for my own ritualistic action.

However, I did not feel it would be appropriate to equate my personal experience of verbal homophobic abuse with a death or fatal accident. I felt that planting a small unmarked living plant at the site would correspond with the nature of the abuse: a plant continues to grow, as I do, through my experience. Placing a live plant felt like a positive action, it was a comment on the abuse; a potential ‘remedy’.

Paul plants, photographs and shares his work. He’s also delighted when other people do their own plantings, which is happening across the globe.

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The Pansy Project The species of plant was of course vitally important and the pansy instantly seemed perfect. Not only does the word refer to an effeminate or gay man: The name of the flower originates from the French verb; pensar (to think), as the bowing head of the flower was seen to visually echo a person in deep thought. The subtlety and elegiac quality of the flower was ideal for my requirements. The action of planting reinforced these qualities, as kneeling in the street and digging in the often neglected hedgerows felt like a sorrowful act.

The bowing heads of the flowers became mournful symbols of indignant acceptance.

So my eventual strategy would be to plant unmarked pansies as close as possible to where I received verbal homophobic abuse. I would then entitle the location after the abuse and post a photograph of the pansy alongside the quoted abuse online. What was originally an autobiographical work has become a project that has been embraced by the gay community who seemed to see the project as way to deal with a shared experience as many members of the LGBTI community have experienced bullying or abuse at some point.

Events where I have handed out pansies for people to memorialise their own locations have been well attended as have sessions I have hosted which have been designed to introduce the project to a wider audience. My research has revealed that the process of planting a pansy at the scene of these incidents alters the participant’s experience of the city. The memorialised locations primarily become a place where the participant has planted a pansy, not where an attack has occurred.

Paul Harfleet planting daisies to mark sites of homophobia.

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This action adjusts the memory of each location in the mind of the participants with a more positive association. The website enables the images of the ephemeral acts to be collated and presented to a wide audience who can then vicariously explore the nature of the incidents. The juxtaposition of the images of the delicate flowers placed in derelict urban settings with frequently offensive and hurtful abuse creates a complex anthology of homophobic verbal abuse as experienced by gay people in towns and cities today.

The humble planted pansy becomes a record; a trace of this public occurrence which is deeply personal and concurrently available to the public on the city streets and on-line. When verbal homophobic abuse is experienced, the assailant forces the unwilling participant to assimilate and respond to this public verbal attack; ignore or retaliate. The Pansy Project acts as a formula which prevents the ‘victim’ from internalising the incident, the strategy becomes a conceptual shield; a behaviour that enables the experience to be processed via the public domain, in this case the location where the incident occurred and latterly the website which collates and presents the incidents operating as a virtual location of quiet resistance.

GET INVOLVED The ‘The Pansy Project’ has spread throughout the world from London to Istabul. You can do individual plantings for you’re own experience of homophobia or plant pansies for others. To assist those of you interested in planting your own pansy, Paul Harfleet has created a ‘Guidelines’ PDF. Visit thepansyproject.com for more information.

Hong Kong — A site of homophobia.

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

DID KN YO 1 INOW U PEO 14 CHLHAVPELE AM YDI A

GET TES TING TE IS Q AN UICD DE K ASY

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CHLAMYDIA Getting tested is very simple. All you need to know about symptoms and where to get a test is at socproject.net

CANB E R RA HO S P I TAL A division of ACT Health

DID YOU KNOW? Chlamydia is the most common Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI) in Australia, and affects 1 in 14 sexually active young people.

Chlamydia affects both men and women and is easy to catch, but usually doesn’t have any symptoms, so many people don’t think to get tested for it. Find out more at socproject.net

socproject.net 27

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OUT&ABOUT

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FREE ENTRY & HAPPY HOUR There is nowhere else you should be in Canberra! Come and play at Cube nightclub.

Free entry and happy hour every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night until 11pm.

CUBE HEATS UP IN 2014 Cube welcomed the New Year with a fabulous bang and after a massive 2013 they are ready to do it all over again! With events happening all year round, this year you can expect some favourites and some new ones on the horizon. Cube kicked off with their awesome ‘Mardi Gras Pride Party’ and next up will be the explosive ‘Glitter Bomb’ on 28 March. The excitement continues on with their famous ‘Camo Party’ on 2 May, then the super popular ‘Homo High’ on 13 June! To keep up to date on Cubes events, specials and all weekend partying, join the Cube nightclub page on Facebook or check out their website at cubecanberra.com.au

CUBE OPENING HOURS • THURSDAY 9PM - 5AM • FRIDAY 9PM - 5AM • SATURDAY 10PM - 5AM • SUNDAY 10PM - LATE 33 PETRIE PLAZA CIVIC, CANBERRA CITY • CUBENIGHTCLUB.COM.AU

OUT&ABOUT

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Relationships Australia

Services include:

has experienced counsellors, mediators and educators who provide services in a friendly, open and respectful way for all members of our communities. We openly welcome people from the GLBTI communities.

• Enhancing relationships

Our focus is relationships and any issues impacting on you or your relationships in all domains of our lives, including partners, parents, siblings, friends, colleagues or children.

• Family violence

• Parenting • Relationship difficulties, including separation • Re-partnering and family relationships • Communication issues • Managing conflict • Trust issues • Sexual difficulties • Grief and loss • Self-esteem & identity issues

Relationships Australia also delivers support services for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants, and survivors of child sexual abuse who take part in or are affected by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

To find out more contact us on

1300 364 277 or visit racr.relationships.org.au

moneymechanics. bringing together technical expertise and the human touch to create a solution tailored towards your overall goals.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Estate planning CALL Cash flow management TODAY! Wealth creation strategies FIND OUT HOW Salary sacrificing strategies WE CAN HELP Direct share portfolio creation GET YOU ON Budgeting tools & accountability THE RIGHT TRACK Self managed (DIY) super strategies Ethical investment portfolio creation Property investment advice & analysis Public sector super maximisation strategies Debt management & reduction strategies Risk management planning & insurances Structuring assets for best tax outcomes

Money Mechanics is licensed to provide Financial Services Advice through PATRON Financial Advice. ABN 32 307 788 137 AFSL No 307379

creating wealth through understanding 30

Call 02 6257 5557

money-mechanics.com.au • advice@money-mechanics.com.au

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Research found that people who seek the advice of a financial planner are better off by an average of $2,457 each year!

By Scott Malcolm Director of Money Mechanics

GIVING IT TO YOU STRAIGHT STEP 2 : WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE? This can sometimes be the hardest part of the process as this is the goal setting phase and involves putting your dreams, hopes and thoughts for the future into tangible outcomes.

This stage can be quite variable and depends on the financial planning firm and their approach. We use a values based approach, which is linked to the most important person in the process. YOU! How do you want to be and feel? What do you want to do with your life? What are the things that are important to you and why? Who are the important people in your life?

STEP 3 : YOUR STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

Did you know that currently less than 15% of all Australian’s receive professional financial advice.

Now this wouldn’t be as concerning for me if most people didn’t have a relationship with money on a daily basis and if superannuation wasn’t so important and often so very confusing.

The reason I love what I do professionally is that clients leave my office with a greater understanding of their situation and feeling a little more empowered about what they are doing — plus they have a context around why they do the things they do with their money. But don’t just take my word for it, research found that people who seek the advice of a financial planner are better off by an average of $2,457 each year, compared to a similar individual who does not have a financial planner or adviser.

So what does a financial planner do to add value to your situation?

STEP 1 : WHERE ARE YOU AT? This is the information gathering stage, which is important for both parties to get an understanding of where you currently are with regards to the financial resources. This can include your income, assets and also has a lot to do with your current habits and attitudes.

This is where the training and knowledge of the financial planner comes into play and should also include collaboration with your other professional advisers. This collaboration will ensure that other strategies and structures you already have in place will work together to achieve your outcomes. This area could include your cash flow, superannuation, wealth creation and back-up plans. Each of these areas has different strategy solutions, which may be suitable for you depending on your comfort and level of willingness to be involved in the day-to-day process.

STEP 4 : REVIEW OF YOUR STRATEGY AND SITUATION For each area of strategy development there will be a financial product solution which will help to achieve your goals. This could be a managed investment or direct investment product which is focused on debt based investments such as, cash, government or corporate debt, term deposits or equity based investments such as, property and shares which could be local or internationally based.

As with all planning and strategy development it is important to regularly review your strategy to ensure it is continuing to meet your needs and to check in to see if any of your goals or plans have changed.

If you have a money or financial question and you want to talk to someone or get a second opinion about something we are only an email or phone call away, talk to a professional but most importantly start your journey to being free around your money and creating wealth with understanding.

SCOTTY’S LOOSE CHANGE Stick to a Budget : Budgeting, it’s not a four-letter word. How can you know where your money is going if you don’t budget?

How can you set spending and saving goals if you don’t know where your money is going? Having a budget and sticking to it will really help you get ahead no matter what you earn.

If would like to ask Scott any questions, you can email him at scott@money-mechanics.com.au or call 02 6257 5557. (http://money-mechanics.com.au) Scott Malcolm is Director of Money Mechanics who are authorised to provide financial advice through PATRON Financial Advice AFSL 307379.

The information provided in this article is of a general nature only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs.

Before acting on this information you should consider its appropriateness having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.

MONEYSHOT

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Affirmation of Gay Unions Good news for gay and lesbian people of faith!

Yes, you can be gay, lesbian, bi or trans* and a Christian.

God loves all human beings regardless of sexual orientation.

God blesses our life partnerships with love.

Rev. Jim Lucas, MDiv, BCC

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By Rev. Jim Lucas, MDiv, BCC

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BIBLE? It’s a question many 21st Century Christians are asking as they face growing acceptance in Western society for gay partnerships, whether in the form of marriage or civil unions. All Christians should certainly be understanding and compassionate toward our friends and family members who are gay, but most importantly as a Christians we want to follow God’s will as revealed in Scripture.

So what about the Bible? At least since the 14th Century, the Christian Church has almost universally condemned gay relationships based on its understanding of the Bible.

Now many devout Christians, including scholars and pastors, are coming to the conclusion that the Church has misinterpreted the Bible on this ethical, pastoral, and very personal matter. A careful reading of Scripture leads these believers to the conclusion that the Christian community must affirm and bless faithful, loving partnerships for gay couples.

How could fellow Christians possibly arrive at such a conclusion? It would be easy to dismiss them as not taking the Bible seriously or as caving into popular trends in the world. However, this would not be a fair assessment. The new voices deserve to be heard.

After all, the Church has been wrong before on major social issues, take slavery, for example. We have to admit that the church could be wrong again.

INTERPRETING THE BIBLE Bible teachers point out that we must interpret minor themes of the Bible in the context of major themes.

So what are some major themes of the Bible that are important for this discussion?

One of the basic themes of the Bible is that God created us all in God’s image, just as children are created in the likeness of their parents (Genesis 1).

God loves us as God’s own children. This applies to everyone, which of course includes LGBTI people.

Because God loves us, God wants us to live and thrive. As Genesis 2:18 tells us, God said, “It is not good that the human should be alone.” God created us for companionship. To thrive we need such companionship. While we can find such companionship in various relationships, almost all of us long for one special person to whom we can be committed for life. For those who are gay, this is a partner of the same sex. Why would God prohibit us from a relationship that helps us to thrive?

The Bible teaches us specific ways we can thrive as human beings in relationships. Primarily, we thrive by living in love. Jesus said that the whole law could be summarised in the command to love (Matthew 22). Can gay and lesbian partnerships be characterised by love?

Of course! We have countless examples to prove it. How could such loving unions violate love? How could they violate the command that summarises all of what God commands? It’s really very simple: they don’t.

DISTINGUISHING TRUE AND FALSE TEACHING This approach to same-sex unions is unfamiliar to many Christians, and so they assume that it represents some new false teaching. Christian humility, however, requires us to ask whether in fact the traditional approach represents false teaching.

How can we discern false teaching from true teaching? Jesus taught a very simple method. In the context of a discussion about false teachers, Jesus said, “By their fruit you shall know them. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit” (Matthew 7:16-17).

With this simple but profound guidance, we must ask what good fruit would look like and what bad fruit would look like. Next we must investigate which approach produces good fruit and which approach produces bad fruit.

Consider a couple of additional passages. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). So it’s important to ask what approach brings life. Paul describes this abundant life when he gives examples of the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

I can tell you that in my ministry with LGBTI people since 1991 it has become unequivocally clear that the church’s traditional approach of condemning same-sex unions has borne rotten, stinking fruit. This approach has driven queer people to lives of shame, depression, anxiety, self-hatred, fear, and alienation from family. It has driven them to self-destructive behaviours, including substance abuse, dangerous and promiscuous sexual encounters, and suicide.

It has led gay people into heterosexual marriages, which very often end up in great suffering and divorce.

Perhaps worst of all, the traditional approach has driven LGBTI people away from the Christian community and sometimes away from God (almost always because of feelings of rejection). How could a teaching that is supposedly based on Scripture produce such bad fruit?

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As we look at these passages, keep in mind that in order to respect and understand the Bible, we must always consider passages in their literary and historical contexts. What did particular passages actually mean in their original settings 2,000 years ago (New Testament) or more (Old Testament)?

We must then go on to ask how a particular passage applies to our situation today. Is the situation which the Bible addresses the same as our situation today? Or is it similar enough so that it has direct bearing on our setting and our particular moral issue?

GENESIS 1 AND 2 - CREATION Furthermore, it is unmistakably clear that an approach that affirms committed, loving partnerships for gay couples produces beautiful, healthy fruit. Over and over I have observed that as gay people let go of the old messages of condemnation and receive new messages of affirmation, they experience emotional and spiritual healing. They come to peace with themselves, their families, and God. They abandon self-destructive behaviours. They return to God and often the faith community, albeit typically in churches that affirm gay partnerships. How could a teaching that is supposedly “of the world” produce such good fruit? Once again we see that the application of biblical teaching leads us to affirm gay unions.

APPLYING THE GOLDEN RULE As one specific way of fulfilling the command to love our neighbour, Jesus taught us, “Do to others as you would have them do unto you” (Matthew 7:12).

To heterosexual Christians I say; Imagine how you would want others to treat you if you were LGBT or I. Would you want the church to excommunicate you for having a life partner? Or imagine how you would feel if the tables were turned. Would you want to be part of a church that required its members to renounce their relationships as sick and sinful — and vow never to be married? The thought is ludicrous. Yet many churches routinely treat members of the LGBTI community in this way.

As we consider how to apply the Golden Rule to our relationship with gay people, our moral obligation becomes clear. If you were gay, wouldn’t you want the church to support you in a life partnership, just as the church currently does for heterosexual couples?

CONSIDERING DIFFICULT PASSAGES But what about those passages that appear to condemn gay relationships? Bible scholars have written volumes of literature on this topic. In this article we have space only to consider a summary.

Some people turn to these creation accounts to say that God created people heterosexual and that this is a “creation norm” for all times and places. However, the passage never says this.

Furthermore, such an interpretation looks for an answer that the writer of the passage never intended to address. The question behind Genesis is, “How did this marvellously diverse creation, including human creation, come into being?” Genesis gives the resounding answer, “God made this world!” And since the book tells about the beginnings of the human race, of course it is going to tell about a man and a woman. But that doesn’t mean that God could not have allowed and blessed later variations of sexuality, just as God has blessed a vast variety of created beings throughout the earth’s history, most of which are never mentioned in the Bible.

GENESIS 19 - SODOM In this passage we read about the city of Sodom, from which we get our word “sodomite.” The passage tells the story of all the men of Sodom surrounding the house where two out-of-town male guests (who are really angels) are staying. The men of Sodom demand that Lot, the owner of the house, send the guests out so that they might have sex with them.

Later we find out that God destroys the city.

Some people say that God destroyed the city for its homosexuality, but this clearly does not make sense. The passage is talking about intended gang rape, which was a common practice in the ancient world by which men humiliated other men and showed dominance over them. The passage says nothing about loving gay relationships.

LEVITICUS 18:22, 20:13 - LAWS Many people point to these passages that state, “A man shall not lie with a man as with a woman.” Although the passage seems very clear, we must consider its context. The book of Leviticus is filled with many laws, most of which we don’t follow today because we realise that God gave them for another time in history.

Christians acknowledge that this time ended when Christ came. So why would we say that almost all the other laws are not for us but this one still is? Leviticus also states that a man is worth more than a woman, god shuns those with disabilities and slavery is OK. Things like trimming your beard, mixing fabrics in clothing and cross-breeding animals are forbidden. We need to ask what basic ethical principle is at the root of a particular law in Leviticus, and we need to ask what the rest of Scripture teaches us. So we need to look elsewhere in the Bible to find clarity.

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The problem with this interpretation is that it is based on a very questionable translation. This passage (and the entire New Testament) was originally written in Greek. The two Greek words that some versions of the Bible translate as “homosexuals” (or something similar) are very difficult to translate and have been translated in a variety of ways.

ROMANS 1:26-27 This passage refers to those whom “God gave over to shameful lusts” and to women and men who “exchanged natural relations for unnatural.” It speaks of men who “committed indecent acts with other men.” On the surface this passage seems to condemn all gay and lesbian relationships.

However, is that really what it is saying?

Let’s look at the context and the passage itself. The context talks about those who have completely turned away from God. And then it says that God “gave them up” to various extreme behaviours. These behaviours sound like a description of people going wild in their rebellion against God and against any healthy boundaries. But what about good Christian people who have not turned against God — but who realise they are gay?

Also consider the description of the people. The passage says they “exchanged natural relations for unnatural.” But does this sound like a description of what we today call gay and lesbian people? Not at all! It sounds more like a description of people we would call heterosexual acting out in homosexual ways.

Note also that the passage refers to relationships characterised by lust. But what about relationships based in love?

In summary, the author of this passage (the Apostle Paul) seems to be referring to a situation quite different from that of gay people as we know them today. And so we may not legitimately use this passage to say anything about loving, faithful same-sex unions. It simply does not apply.

I Corinthians 6:9, I Timothy 1:10 These two passages include lists of people who will not inherit the “kingdom of God” and who are “lawbreakers.” In some Bible translations we see “homosexuals” or some version of the word included in the list. Many people have concluded on this basis that GLBTI people are going to hell. They also conclude that gay people can become heterosexual through the power of God since the passage goes on to say that some of the people on the list had been changed through Christ.

An increasing number of Bible scholars now believe that these words do not refer to healthy, loving gay relationships as we know them today. Rather, they refer to specific kinds of relationships such as that of pederasty, prostitution and slavery — all practices that nearly everyone would condemn among heterosexual people as well as gay people. In fact, when the executive director of the translation committee for the New International Version was asked what the translators meant by the term “homosexual offenders” in I Corinthians 6:9, he replied that they were not referring to gay people per se but rather to people such as child molesters and rapists.

In summary, it appears that these two passages have often been mistranslated. Or at the very least the translation is not clear at this point, and so we must be careful in how we apply it.

“By their fruit you shall know them” It has become unequivocally clear that the church’s traditional approach of condemning same-sex unions has borne rotten fruit.

Announcing the Bible’s Good News That’s it! We’ve looked at the individual passages people typically use to condemn gay people and gay relationships, and we’ve looked at the Bible as a whole. What do we see? We see that the Bible clearly does not condemn LGBTI people or gay relationships as we know them today. What the Bible condemns is homosexual AND heterosexual relationships that do not contribute to love and life.

So we must look to the broader themes of Scripture. When we do this, we see that God loves and welcomes us all, whatever our sexual orientation. And because God desires that we live and thrive, God calls us to live healthy, loving lives in healthy, loving relationships. For most people that includes finding a life partner and living faithfully, thus demonstrating the faithful love of God. And for most gay people that means finding a same-sex life partner.

That’s good news for gay and lesbian people of faith! Yes, you can be gay or lesbian and a Christian. God loves all human beings regardless of sexual orientation. And God blesses our life partnerships with love.

About Reverend Jim : Rev. Jim Lucas, received his Master of Divinity degree from Calvin Theological Seminary in 1985. After serving a Christian Reformed congregation, he began a ministry with and on behalf of LGBTI people and serves as Chaplain of Gays in Faith Together. .

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NORTHSIDE COMMUNITY SERVICE

Pantone 2758 BLUE Pantone 144 YELLOW

NOW PROUDLY AUSPICING

DIVERSITY ACT You may have heard that the Boards of Diversity ACT and Northside Community Service recently formalized their existing partnership, and as a result Northside is now the auspice agency for Diversity ACT. So what does Northside Community Service know about LGBTIQ specific issues and service delivery?

We’re starting fresh and learning quickly!

WHY NORTHSIDE? We have a reputation for courage in practice. We do things a little differently – we like to push the envelope and challenge the long held beliefs about what is ‘best’ for individuals and their communities. We may not be the biggest organisation in the ACT, but we are the bravest.

WHAT EXPERIENCE DOES NORTHSIDE HAVE IN WORKING WITH LGBTIQ COMMUNITY? We have a great history of partnership and collaboration with other service providers, but haven’t previously focused on working with the LGBTIQ community. Luckily, we have some fantastic organisations willing to help us ensure our existing services are respectful, relevant and accessible.

WHAT SERVICES DOES NORTHSIDE PROVIDE? We deliver a range of programs from Early Education and Care, Youth Engagement and Housing Support, through to Mental Health Support, Community Development and in-home care for the older members of our community.

You can find out more on our website. Our partnership with Diversity ACT is an opportunity to ensure all our services are supportive of LGBTIQ needs.

IS THE AUSPICE ARRANGEMENT FOREVER? No, it’s for a two year period. Throughout this time Diversity ACT will be a separate organisation, and will provide advice and direction through an Advisory Group working closely with Northside’s Leadership Team. Current membership and volunteer arrangements for Diversity ACT will be unaffected.

We are really proud to have the opportunity to strengthen our services. If you have ideas, feedback, or want to know more please visit our website: www.northside.asn.au or contact the Executive Director of Community Services, Kate Cvetanovski: kate.cvetanovski@northside.asn.au or 02 6257 2255

COURAGE 38

INTEGRITY

CHOICE

INNOVATION

COLLABORATION FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

EAR CANDY

By Bebe Backhouse

LILY ALLEN AIR BALLOON The self-proclaimed bitch is continuing her comeback, dropping another controversial single from her long-awaited, untitled third album. Air Balloon is a fittingly lightweight arrangement and features more of her gum-chewing pop chants.

While the track is ostensibly a nursery-rhyme singalong about rising above the daily grind, it’s hard to definitively surmise whether Ms Allen is advocating daydreaming, or describing a Snoop Dogg-style high. Perhaps both? With lyrics like “we’re so high it can’t rain”, “somebody remind me where I am, Miami or Timbuktu?”, “did I ever tell you my uncle’s monkey ran away from the zoo?” and the “trippin’, tri-tri-trippin’ now” refrain, we’ll let you make up your own mind.

BRITNEY SPEARS BRITNEY JEAN All the talk prior to the release of Britney Spears’ eighth studio album was of a record that would be her most personal to date. But while 2007’s Blackout stands as one of the best efforts of a topsy-turvy career, ‘Britney Jean’ finds the singer failing to impose herself over some drab, electronic beats. It has its moments, but an intimate and revealing affair it is not. The album begins promisingly enough, with one-time Madonna collaborator William Orbit adding pleasant flourishes to Alien. Recent single ‘Perfume’, a mid-tempo power-ballad written by Sia Furler, also deviates from the norm, but the core of the collection lacks the heart of a great confessional. Spears carried off the transition from pop princess to R&B diva with aplomb on Blackout before adding funkier trimmings on 2011’s Femme Fatale. Here, on tracks like ‘It Should Be Easy’ and ‘Til It’s Gone’, she sounds lackluster by comparison.

In short, it’s a markedly mature departure, an album made for both the dance floor and the diary, and as her recent collaboration with Miley Cyrus showed, she is still in the game 15 years down the line, no mean feat.

SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT Adele’s second album, 2011’s 21 has been diamond-certified for sales of 10 million in the USA alone. In 2013, she won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her James Bond song, ‘Skyfall’, so to say that Adele’s third album is highly anticipated is putting it lightly. Yet it’s release date still remains something of a mystery.

In March 2013, Adele said she would only record a new album when has “something to sing about.” To make matters worse, back in October 2012 after she gave birth to her first child, an executive from her UK label XL said her next album “may not come for years.” But there has been some movement. Back in April 2013, she reportedly spent some time in the studio, teaming with James Ford and Kid Harpoon, known for their work with Florence and the Machine. She has also reportedly been working with OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder.

BEYONCE BEYONCE While we’re pretty sure Beyonce released her self-titled fifth studio album without warning simply to ruin the lives of print journalists eager to set off on vacation, we give her credit for pulling off a great stunt. Without any traditional promotion, the 14-track-and-17-video visual album sold more than a million copies in its first week, becoming the fastest-selling EP in the world of iTunes. Sure, it’s a feat only someone in Beyonce’s privileged position could pull off, but she backs it up with her most intriguing set of songs in ages, veering from the lush soul of ‘Drunk In Love’, a duet with hubby Jay Z, to the minimalist electro-funk of ‘Mine’, a collaboration with Drake. She declares herself a feminist on several occasions, and on album opener ‘Pretty Hurts’ denounces almost everything we thought she stood for — ‘perfection is the disease of a nation’. While the album doesn’t contain any firecrackers like ‘Single Ladies’ and ‘Irreplaceable’ it hardly matters; Beyonce has already proven herself as a brand.

MUSICNEWS&REVIEWS

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Did you know Australia is facing rapid population ageing mostly due to the ‘baby boomers’ generation. The number of people aged 65 years will likely double within the next 20 years.

THE AGEING AGENDA The ageing of the ‘baby-boomer’ generation and the expectation that demand for services will dramatically increase in the future, has inspired a greater focus on ageing and aged care. Until comparatively recently, there has been minimal examination and inclusion of the needs of older Australians of diverse sex, gender, sexual orientation and those who are HIV positive.

People of diverse sexual orientation, sex or gender identity are a group requiring particular attention due to their experiences of discrimination and the limited recognition of their needs by service providers and in-policy framework and accreditation processes.

The ACT LGBTI Advisory Council has partnered with the AIDS Action Council of the ACT and A Gender Agenda to address this emerging and potentially challenging issue. The partner organisations have compiled a comprehensive survey which was rolled out in the second half of 2013. They also held a forum on 22 November 2013. The forum addressed key issues of HIV, sexuality, gender identity, intersex status and related discrimination in aged care. It targeted consumers and professionals interested in aged care and attracted almost 40 people from a cross-section of the community.

The LGBT&I and HIV positive population is not a homogenous group, although some common needs may exist. Nor are these groups mutually exclusive. Individuals within these communities have specific social, cultural, psychological, medical and care needs.

As such it is important not to generalise these demographics in regards to the identification of their needs in aged care.

Despite the unique considerations, older LGBT&I people share many of the same issues and concerns as all older Australians. These include mental and physical health; being able to make informed choices about retirement and health care; concerns about living situations; needs for both interpersonal and institutional support; the impact of chronic diseases, issues surrounding bereavement and preparations for end of life. However, additional and significant concerns arise in these areas for LGBT&I people and people with HIV, due to their shared experience of being part of minority populations and their likelihood of having been subjected to exclusion, discrimination and stigma.

Older people with HIV share many of the same issues as older LGBT&I people. The largest group of older people with HIV are gay men. It is likely that aged care workers will know that an older person has HIV through access to medical records. This is sensitive personal information that should not be shared with other service recipients without the permission of the individual involved.

By Philippa Moss AIDS Action Council

Manager Support and Education

It is well documented that many people with HIV, particularly those who have been using HIV medications for many years, are developing additional medical problems at relatively young ages. This includes a number of conditions commonly associated with ageing such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Early onset dementia is a key issue for consideration for people living with HIV. The existing literature shows there are a number of specific issues facing older LGBT&I and HIV positive people linked to experience and fear of discrimination and a general lack of understanding of the lives of older LGBT&I people among aged care providers. This is supported by international research and is consistent with the experiences of those represented in the survey and at the forum.

THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT: • Older LGBT&I and HIV positive people fear discrimination from aged care providers.

• Many older LGBT&I people hide their diverse identity from aged care services.

• Discrimination and insensitive treatment does occur in aged care – for example, religious providers are exempt from state and territory discrimination laws.

• Aged care services tend to operate on the assumption that older people are not sexual, let alone gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

• LGBT&I and HIV positive communities are generally not specifically considered in organisational policies, procedures and staff training.

• There is a lack of consistency, transparency and accountability within aged care services regarding the treatment of LGBT&I people.

• Discrimination and harassment can come from other care recipients.

Older LGBT&I and HIV positive people want all aged care services to be sensitive and accessible to their needs. Many LGBT&I and HIV positive people would also like to see providers emerge that specialise in providing care for older LGBT&I and HIV positive people, either from existing aged care providers developing particular expertise or from new providers entering the market.

If you would like more information about The LGBTI Ageing Agenda you can register your interest and assist by completing a survey. The results of this survey will assist organisations to progress issues of LGBTIQ and HIV positive inclusiveness in practice, policy and program development in their respective roles.

link to the survey can be found at: w Asurveymonkey.com/s/LGBTIQ_ageing HEALTH&WELLBEING

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Do you, or someone you know need assistance to make life easier?

LGBTIQ older community members and people living with a disability, family, friends and carers.

At Northside we aim to provide exceptional services that support people to improve and change their lives. Northside Community Service has more than 30 years’ experience working in partnership with individuals and the ACT community. Our team work outside the square and design services and support with you to make your life better.

Our Case Management team is experienced and knowledgeable — you may be surprised at what could be available.

Possibilities include assistance with: • Case Management and Coordination • Domestic Assistance • Personal Care • Social Opportunities

• Shopping • Banking • Transport • Social Support and more…

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FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

YOUR HOROSCOPE MARCH & APRIL 2014

By Melisa Sandfort

With Mars going direct and the year well and truly started, now is the time to check to see if you are still on track — think new year’s resolutions, new goals, work and home life. This is something that all signs should be doing at this time. We will be feeling Mars energy — especially when it comes to motivation — so take full advantage, push that little bit harder and get ready because these are going to be months full of inspiration.

Aquarius

January 21 – February 18 March is full of good memories that will leave you feeling very reflective.

This is a great time for you to get that busy head in order. Tip: Talk to those close to you about your feelings and remember it’s easier to make big decisions with the help of a loved one.

Taurus

April 21 – May 21 By the second week of April you will be full of energy! Use all your motivation to improve those things that have been bothering you in the love arena, so go for it and good luck! Tip: Remember that your opinion and ideas are not the only good ones.

Leo

July 23 – August 23 April will be the perfect month for you to make some changes at work or study.

During the middle of the month you may be introduced to a potential new collaborator or even a possible business idea. Tip: Do not make any anticipated decisions.

Scorpio

October 24 – November 22 By the beginning of March you might get in touch with an old friend or lover. Enjoy the time you spend with her or him and prepare yourself for a wonderful surprise this person may lead you to. Tip: Take extra care with your finances over the few months.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20 Mars is helping you with the motivation you need to make some changes you’ve wanted to do for a while. So get to work and let the Universe inspire you with its energy. Tip: If you have been a bit slack, now is a good time to get in touch with the people you care about.

Gemini

May 22 – June 21 You may have been having some issues with money, but don’t worry because

by March you will get an opportunity to re-organise and improve your finances.

Tip: It’s OK to get help. Working with the people who care about you, makes things easier than doing everything yourself.

Virgo

August 24 – September 23 Recently things may not have been so perfect when it comes to love and sex, but Saturn is going to give you a new opportunity in March to improve things, so keep a look out. Tip: Stop thinking so much about the money and enjoy your life with what you already have.

Sagittarius

November 23 – December 22 Getting into a fun group activity could be the answer you are searching for.

You will be presented with a lot of new opportunities, which will help you to get out of your old routine and meet new people. Tip: Pay more attention to the person closest to you.

Aries

March 21 – April 20 By the second week of March you may be feeling like something is not right at work. This is a good time for you to show others at work how creative and competent you actually are. Tip: Bring new ideas; get pro-active and work for what you believe in.

Cancer

June 22 – July 22 Lucky Cancerians should look forward to some very fortunate events during March. Prepare for some wonderful surprises around love, relationships and sex. Tip: Remember that in order to make things go well in your life, you have to take care of yourself.

Libra

September 24 – October 23 With the help of the Moon, Mars is going to give you some inspiration for you to use in the family area. Remember how important it is to spend some quality time with the people who care about you. Tip: Sometimes it is better to listen before speaking.

Capricorn

December 23 – January 20 The next two months will come with a few nice surprises, but one of them bigger than the others. A wonderful opportunity for a trip may surface; pay attention to the signals so you don’t miss out. Tip: Remember to treat people the way you want to be treated.

STARGAZER

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COMMUNITY DIRECTORY AIDS Action Council The AIDS Action Council provides information, support and services.

More info: aidsaction.org.au

Diversity ACT A LGBTI community and service centre, for more information call 1300 794 717 diversityact.org.au

A Gender Agenda A resource for transgender, intersex, gender queer and gender variant people. genderrights.org.au

Gay ACT Squash Group Wednesdays 6.00pm–8.00pm.

ANU Sports and Recreation Centre. groups.google.com/group/gayactsquash

ACTQueer A free email list for LGBTI people in Canberra and surrounding region. groups.yahoo.com/group/actqueer

Gaycrash Canberra Taking over the coolest Canberra straight bars one night at a time! facebook.com/gaycrash.canberra/info

Bit Bent Youth Group Meet other young people, get support or just hang out. Mondays at Belconnen Youth Centre 6pm–8pm and Thursdays at the Woden Youth Centre 5pm–6.30pm.

Email: bit_bent@hotmail.com

PFLAG-ACT A support and friendship group for parents and friends of LGBTI people.

More info email pflag.act@gmail.com

Canberra Gay & Lesbian QWIRE Want to be involved with Canberra’s own gay and lesbian choir? Singers and non-singers encouraged. More info: canberraqwire@yahoo.com.au Capital Queers Canberra’s Mardi Gras group.

More info at capitalqueers.com Cube Nightclub Canberra’s premier gay nightclub.

Thurs 9pm-5am • Fri 9pm-5am Sat 10pm-5am • Sun 10pm-late 33 Petrie Plaza Civic, Canberra City. cubenightclub.com.au Dyke Dinner & Movie Group More info on FUSE website or see Canberra Lesbians on Facebook.

Long Yang A friendly social club for Asian and non-Asian gays and their friends.

Canberra: lyccanberra.org Sydney: sydney.longyangclub.org GLBTIQ Car Club Contact Stuart Poole ACT Convener Motafrenz on 0420 523 238 or email act@motafrenz.org motafrenz.org.au OUTBIZ : LGBTI Business Network Connect with other like-minded people, expand your business, find new customers or suppliers, network and support the LGBTI business community.

Email: outbiz@yahoo.com.au Pink Tennis Gay & Lesbian Tennis Group meets Mondays 6pm–9pm at Turner Tennis Club, Cnr McCaughey & Condamine Sts.

Qnet : Queer Youth Cyberspace GLBTI people under the age of 25.

Check out qnet.org.au Queanbeyan GLBTI Youth Support Mondays 4pm–6pm at Axis Youth Centre, Campbell Street, Queanbeyan Park.

Radio Q Canberra LGBTI community radio show on 2xx 98.3FM 2xxfm.org.au Rainbow Bubs A playgroup and support group for same sex parents and their kids.

Email: hoogied@yahoo.com Ranch Men’s Lounge Canberra’s mens’ space. They are located at Unit 19, Molongo Mall in Fyshwick ACT. A safe venue for men who want to meet men. See ad p47.

Tilley’s Devine Cafe For almost 30 years, Tilley’s has been a gathering place for the LGBTI community. Warm and sumptuous, it’s famous for its food and fabulous coffees and cake. Cnr of Wattle & Brigalow Sts, Lyneham. Telephone 02 6247 7753.

Uni of Canberra Queer Collective A supportive social group for UC students and staff. Get in touch at: sexuality@theucsa.org.au or find our FB group: UC Queer Collective.

Westlund House Westlund house is a welcoming space and community centre for the whole LGBTI community. You’ll find us at 16 Gordon Street, Acton, ACT Online at: westlundhouse.org.au

> > Want to know “what’s on” or be listed here, then visit us at www.fusemagazine.com.au

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FUSEARTICLE

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

A Little Laser Cosmetic Laser Clinic

Jennifer Dromgold is the owner of a boutique clinic providing hair removal and skin rejuvenation with medical grade treatments at affordable prices.

Jennifer has clients ranging from gay boys & girls to people in the trans* community who need a professional that understands their needs.

OVER 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH LASER TREATMENTS

For more information call 6232 6629 Located in Manuka Arcade “As somebody that supports and understands the needs of GLBTI people I’m very keen to offer my services and help individuals look and feel better.”

Bewong River Retreat

We offer the perfect holiday or short break in a secluded natural setting with luxurious bungalow accommodation. The perfect place for civil unions, commitment ceremonies and hopefully very soon same-sex marriages.

riverretreat.com.au Telephone 02 4443 6999

47

EMAIL DEAR ROSE WITH YOUR PROBLEM TODAY!

By Rose Pappalardo

Dear Rose, I started dating my current girlfriend around four months ago.

We have not had sex yet and whenever I get to too intimate she pushes me away and says I’m pressuring her.

No sex girl

Dear Rose, From 9.00pm on I can pretty much count on my girlfriend being in a really foul mood.

What’s going on? Please help!

Tiff

Dear No Sex Girl, Usually in new relationships intimacy is full on, so perhaps it’s time to have an honest discussion about why? There could be a myriad of reasons why she has not felt amorous. It could simply be a low confidence issue or as serious as being a survivor of sexual assault. Whatever it is, you need to get to the bottom of this situation quickly. Once you determine what the issue is, both of you can move forward to a relationship that you both want. Communication and an open mind is the key.

Dear Tiff, Have you asked her why? Is there some stress in her life she isn’t talking about? Is she not feeling well? Is her bad mood a reflection of other things that are going on? Is she actually aware that it always happens in the evenings?

Both of you must be willing to look at your lives closely to get a positive outcome.

If the issue is more serious, you should encourage your GF to seek professional counselling, there are some terrific counsellors and services around who are experts and will be more than willing to work through the issues that may exist.

Dear Rose, I’m tired of constantly meeting the wrong guys who just want one thing. Why won’t anyone stick around to get to know me?

Mr Wrong Guy Magnet

Dear Wrong Guy Magnet, Don’t be disheartened, “you gotta kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Prince”, and we have all kissed a few along the way!

The key is to be very clear of your intentions. Spell it out in no uncertain terms that you are looking for a long term relationship and not a one night stand. Being clear and up front filters out the guys that are only interested in hooking up.

The other option is to simply wait before you do the deed, this too will filter out guys who just want to hook up. If someone is truly interested in you as a person, they will wait. It seems an old fashion concept but in reality it will also stop you from what I like to call the “Will they call me tomorrow or not” syndrome.

Keep in mind that by taking these steps you are letting potential partners know what is important to you. That sense of self will be recognised by the right guy. Be patient with this process and the results will be wonderful!

A good approach is to look at your lives from a holistic perspective and go through a process of elimination. Divide things into emotional and physical causes and then examine them carefully. Family, friends, work stresses can all impact on our moods. If that is the case take a few steps back until things settle. We often give priority to many things in our lives that are really not that important. Even habits such as obsession with social media have an enormous impact on us.

Physical aspects are also important in regards to food intake and exercise, as she may also be glucose intolerant. Have a good look at what she is eating or drinking — especially at night. Carbohydrates and sugar consumed in the evening can create serious mood swings and with growing instances of diabetes and glucose intolerance rising in Australia it might be a good idea to see a doctor.

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? We shouldn’t marginalise people for this. They must be integrated into society.”

Pope Francis Roman Catholic Church

Need help or support? Support is available for anyone in distress by phoning (24 Hours) QLife 1800 184 527 or Lifeline on 13 11 14 If you require relationship support or services call Relationships Australia on 1300 364 277 or visit www.racr.relationships.org.au

ASK DEAR ROSE 48

DEARROSE

If you need help or have a question email : dearrose@fusemagazine.com.au

FUSEMAGAZINE.COM.AU

Tilley’s

Devine Café Gallery

For nearly 30 years Tilley’s has been a gathering place for the gay and lesbian community.

LOVE HAS ALWAYS BEEN EQUAL AT TILLEY’S SERVING YOU BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS. THE CALL IS YOURS! TILLEY’S CAN DO IT FOR YOU!

Monday to Saturday 9am –10pm Sundays 9am – 6pm Reserve your favourite table or booth call 6247 7753 www.tilleys.com.au

CORNER OF WATTLE AND BRIGALOW STREETS, LYNEHAM

Over the years Tilley’s has become renowned for its breakfasts, lunches, dinners and its fabulous coffees.

Tilley’s attracts not only ‘regulars’ but visitors from overseas and interstate who enjoy the all-day menu specials, and oh such lovely cake!

Envelop yourself in an intimate and warm atmosphere clad in red velvet, brass and dark timber booths. With a fully licensed bar, one can enjoy champagne with breakfast, or in the evening savour our broad range of wines, spirits or boutique beers on tap.

COLLECTED WORKS 2014 CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE

Three choreographers come together in one captivating triple bill.

10-12 APRIL 2014

CANBERRA THEATRE CENTRE is part of the CULTURAL FACILITIES CORPORATION

CHOREOGRAPHY BY RAFAEL BONACHELA JACOPO GODANI GIDEON OBARZANEK

“...SUPER SLEEK & SEXY.”

The Australian