Under the guise of preventing harm from what is commonly known as "conversion therapy", the Victorian Labor government has tabled the Suppression Practices Prohibition Bill 2020. The harm argument is central to the bill, so assessing what the Bill defines as "harm" should be at ...read more
I have a dear friend who writes like Charlotte Bronte. My Charlotte would be able to respond to Mark Conner’s article about blind privilege and her deep meditations would be heard. Because of all she inherited in life, she would be granted that privilege. As an ...read more
The Victorian Government has already committed to prohibiting what it calls ‘harmful LGBT conversion practices’ and is seeking the community’s views on the best way to implement this ban. (due 24 November) Given the breadth of the definition of ‘conversion practices’ -- sometimes called ‘gay ...read more
Porn addiction might be considered an ‘eating disorder’ of another kind. It’s the wrong kind of brain food for the developing brain, literally short circuiting healthy emotional and behavioural responses toward intimacy. It’s about porn trigging neuroplasticity changes and neurochemical release of naturally occurring hormones, ...read more
David Marr describes the faith of Pell’s supporters in him as ‘depthless; proof against any evidence that might be brought to bear against him.’ Co-panellists on The Drum seemed similarly mystified as to how Pell’s faithful supporters could remain so in the face of the ...read more
What They Saw begins with the acclamation that ordinary people can make a difference; that is, ordinary people with a testimony and enough chutzpah to share it. Being sworn to secrecy, that’s just what author Monica Bennett-Ryan and her co-workers had to demonstrate to confront ...read more