LL:AA: Farrago being homophobic fuckers again

[Simon Warwick Loveless]

PLEASE FORWARD

From: Anne Habgood <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

This is a copy of the letter that I sent out to all people on the Contagion
Collective mailing list (Contagion is the Melbourne Uni Student Union Queer
Department's annual publication).  Please read it and consider how you
could help in the campaign - even mailing them
([EMAIL PROTECTED]) registering your disgust would *really* help
as they appear to be vulnerable to mass opinion.

Dear contagious people,

As you may know, Contagion's funding (all $5000) was, like last year, to
come out of the Media Officer's budget line, i.e. Farrago.  As you may also
know, this year's Farrago team, Tropic, have had a history of homophobia.
Did you know that their election campaign consisted of telling students how
the opposition were gay and not worth voting for, "no lesbian poetry",
"kick the faggots out of Farrago", and "Inflight Farrago takes it up the
arse" (surrounding an Inflight woman and chanting this at her while they
groped her breasts and crotch).  And it hasn't stopped there (quelle
surprise).  They've refused this year to let us include the Queer page
which would help hundreds or thousands of students who don't know about or
are not confident enough to access the Queer Department.  And so on.  Not
to mention the blatant racism and sexism and lies either.

Well, they've told us now that they want us to stop attempting to pull them
up on this or mention these facts to others (i.e. stop us doing our job -
fighting homophobia) or else they won=92t give us the money.  Effectively
blackmail. They're doing this to the Womyn's Department (with Judy's Punch)
as well, trying to repress the protests that have ensued from angry
feminists, queers and other groups about this year's content.

We're not giving in to these people who are homophobic but this means no
money for Contagion.  Not from Farrago anyway.  This just means that we're
going to have to be hyper-organised and super-active in telling people
about what Farrago have done to us and how we're going to respond.  This
also means we're going to have to get alternative sources of funding.
Don't let this stop you from writing, and we're really going to need
submissions on time (prod prod!), and it's more vital than ever that this
year's mag is informative, funky, and accessible for all those out there
reading about the queer community.  We also need people to help us campaign
and fundraise, so please offer yourself if you possibly can (in the next
few months), 'cos there's no way us the Queer Officers can be effective
just by ourselves.

It's a bitter reminder that even on campus, enlightened enough to have its
own Queer Department, such blatant homophobia exists.

Let's fight the bastards,

Love always,
Anne Ross.

9344 8159/4816
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]



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