Wendy Francis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Wendy Francis |
| Occupation | Lobbyist |
Wendy Francis is an Australian political activist. She is a lobbyist on social issues and formally the Queensland and Northern Territory state director of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL). Wendy is the Acting Managing Director of ACL and National Director for Politics.
Wendy Francis was the Executive Producer of the Brisbane Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols for several years. She is married to Peter Francis, who is a Baptist pastor and Principal of Malyon College. [1]
Francis' political interests before joining ACL in January 2011 included her running as the lead Senate candidate in Queensland for the Family First Party in the 2010 Federal election. [2] She created controversy when she compared allowing same-sex marriage to the stolen generations and to "legalising child abuse". [3]
Chad St James, the Brisbane editor of SameSame, said of Wendy Francis:
"Over a couple of hours sitting in a cafe, the two of us chatted and for the very first time I saw very human side to a woman who has been one of our most stringent opponents to marriage equality. I also gained a better understanding of her motivations, and I won’t deny that it was one of the most surprising coffee dates I have had a long time". [4]
Francis shared a personal story on Brisbane radio on the impact of her sister's death. [5]
Since 2007, Francis has run 'meet the candidate forums' for ACL in 15 to 20 Queensland electorates in each election. [6]
On 8 August 2010 Francis tweeted "Children in homosexual relationships are subject to emotional abuse. Legitimising gay marriage is like legalising child abuse." Francis later deleted the tweet but stood by her comments. [7]
During April 2013, Francis lobbied against government subsidies for the abortion drug RU486 saying, "Women facing unsupported pregnancies should be offered real support – not a chemical which is harmful to both them and their unborn child." [8]
Francis has argued for outdoor advertising to be ‘G-rated’. [1] She organised ACL members to protest against bus shelter billboards – where as Francis said, "children are waiting for the school bus" – promoting safe sex, which featured a fully clothed, hugging, gay couple holding an unopened condom packet. Francis was criticised due to her campaign not mentioning any affiliation with the ACL, and for describing the image as an act of foreplay. [9] A Queensland Parliament committee conducted a public hearing where Francis argued that all billboards should be 'G-rated'. The committee subsequently recommended a tougher approach to sexually explicit outdoor advertising. [10]
In May 2013 after a billboard was erected in Kings Cross, New South Wales, Francis lobbied to have it removed. The billboard displayed a fictionalised UK prime minister having sex with a pig. Francis said children should not have to see an adult image like this. The billboard was subsequently taken down. [11]
In August 2013 a ruling was made against the owners of a billboard by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB). [12] The ASB said it presented women, "in a manner that was subservient and degrading". The owners said they would comply with the ruling. With the billboard remaining in place in August 2015, Francis said that self-regulation is not working. [13]
Francis has campaigned against the offensive slogans painted on the sides of Wicked Camper vans. [14] [15] Francis has similarly campaigned against a series of ads for shoes which incorporate naked models. The promoters say their ads are a "celebration of sexual expression" and are designed to "target a younger audience". [16]
Francis received abuse over her support of changes in surrogacy laws to exclude same sex couples and single people. [17]
In July 2015, Francis lodged a petition with the Queensland parliament complaining about the Safe Schools program. [18] The petition incorporated wording from a Safe Schools student resource, OMG I’m Queer , intended for children aged 11 and up. However the Clerk of the Parliament would not permit the wording on Queensland parliament's website because of the "intemperate" language. [19] The 10,891-signature, petition was subsequently tabled with the "intemperate" wording censored. [20] While the Palaszczuk government has said that it does not have plans to introduce the Safe Schools program in Queensland, Francis is concerned that that could be reintroduced in some other form. [6] [21] Francis has said that she supported anti-bullying programs, but the Safe Schools Coalition goes "way beyond that". [22]
Francis has campaigned against the liberalisation of abortion laws in Queensland. [23] [24] In lobbying against 'gender selection', Francis has said that eliminating human life in its early stages for being the wrong sex, is sex discrimination. [25] Francis has said that for Australian to use its foreign aid program to finance abortion in developing countries. which are culturally opposed to abortion, is a form of "colonialism". [26]
Francis also supports the 'Nordic' model of prostitution legalisation – which has been described as the world's first human rights/women's rights-based legal model of prostitution legislation. The Nordic Approach does not criminalise the prostitute, but rather it criminalises the buyer – addressing the demand for prostitution, and importantly also provides women with exit strategies. Within four years of the law being implemented, the number of women involved in prostitution in Sweden halved. [27]
In response to children being taught that they can choose their gender, Francis has had two books published entitled, "What are little boys made of?" and "What are little girls made of?" describing how a child's biological sex determines whether they are a boy or a girl, with each sex having specific X or Y chromosomes. Francis does not ignore the reality of children born with intersex conditions which, whilst rare, account for a number of genetic or developmental situations. [28]
Francis heads the 'Centre for Human Dignity', which was established in 2017 by ACL [29] to advocate for rights and freedoms, particularly for vulnerable children and to stand against all forms of sexual exploitation. [30]
Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership right over one or more people with the intent of coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in sexual activities. This includes forced labor, reducing a person to a servile status and sex trafficking persons, such as the sexual trafficking of children.
Concerned Women for America (CWA) is a socially conservative, evangelical Christian non-profit women's legislative action committee in the United States. Headquartered in Washington D.C., the CWA is involved in social and political movements, through which it aims to incorporate Christian ideology. The group is primarily led by well-funded anti-feminist interests.
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the Catholic Church. According to the 2016 census, 3.1 million Australians identify as Anglicans. As of 2016, the Anglican Church of Australia had more than 3 million nominal members and 437,880 active baptised members. For much of Australian history since the arrival of the 'First Fleet' in January 1788, the church was the largest religious denomination. It remains today one of the largest providers of social welfare services in Australia.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in Australia have advanced over the latter half of the twentieth century and early twenty-first century to make Australia one of the most LGBT-accepting countries in the world, with opinion polls and the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey indicating widespread popular support for same-sex marriage. A 2013 Pew Research poll found that 79% of Australians agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, making it the fifth-most supportive country surveyed in the world. With its long history of LGBT activism and annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, Sydney has been named one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world.
The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) is a conservative right-wing Christian advocacy organisation based in Canberra.
FamilyVoice Australia is a conservative Christian organisation. It was known as Festival of Light Australia from 1973 to 2008. Its stated mission was to be "a Christian ministry to the nation, promoting true family values in the light of the wisdom of God". The name was changed to FamilyVoice Australia on 1 July 2008 in order to eliminate confusion with the many other festivals or groups around the world called "Festival of Light" or "Festival of Lights". Key activities of FamilyVoice Australia are providing information to supporters, churches and community leaders and lobbying on issues of concern.
The Anglican Diocese of Brisbane, also known as Anglican Church Southern Queensland, is based in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The diocesan bishop's seat is at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane. The diocese stretches from the south-eastern coastline of Queensland, down to the New South Wales border and west to the Northern Territory and South Australian borders. The diocese currently markets itself as "Anglican Church Southern Queensland" (ACSQ). The "Anglicare Southern Queensland" brand is also heavily promoted by the diocese.
Prostitution or sex work in Australia is governed by state and territory laws, which vary considerably. Federal legislation also affects some aspects of sex work throughout Australia, and of Australian citizens abroad.
Shayne Kenneth Neumann is an Australian politician. He was elected to the Federal seat of Blair in November 2007, and re-elected in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022. In March 2013, Shayne was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General and Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing. After the 2013 Federal election, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and for Ageing. In 2016, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection. After the 2019 Federal election, he was appointed Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Defence Personnel.
Mark Andrew Robinson is an Australian politician who is a former Deputy Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly. Since March 2009, he has held the seat of Oodgeroo in the Legislative Assembly for the Liberal National Party (LNP).
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Queensland have advanced significantly from the late 20th century onwards, in line with progress on LGBT rights in Australia nationally. Private consensual sex between men has been legal in the state since 1991, with lesbian sexual acts never criminalised. The age of consent was equalised to 16 years for all sexual acts in 2016. Sexuality and gender identity are protected attributes under both state and federal anti-discrimination laws. Same-sex couples may marry under Australian law, enter into a civil partnership under state law or live together in an unregistered de facto relationship. Same-sex couples may become parents through adoption, foster care, altruistic surrogacy and, for lesbian couples, IVF. In 2020, Queensland became the first jurisdiction within Australia to pass a law banning conversion therapy, with a maximum penalty of 18 months imprisonment and fines. State anti-discrimination protections for sexuality and gender identity were introduced in 2002 and in 2017 the gay panic defence was abolished from the criminal law. Transgender and intersex Queenslanders are able to update their government records and birth certificate, with the formal repeal of both the "divorce requirements" in 2018 and then the "surgery requirements" in 2023.
There exists a diversity of feminist views on prostitution. Many of these positions can be loosely arranged into an overarching standpoint that is generally either critical or supportive of prostitution and sex work. The discourse surrounding prostitution is often discussed assuming sex workers are women, but those in the field of sex work and prostitution are not always women.
Prostitution laws varies widely from country to country, and between jurisdictions within a country. At one extreme, prostitution or sex work is legal in some places and regarded as a profession, while at the other extreme, it is considered a severe crime punishable by death in some other places.
Christian Action, Research and Education (CARE) is a social policy charity based in the United Kingdom, with offices in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls is a 2011 American documentary film about modern human trafficking, specifically sexual slavery. Presented from a Christian worldview, Nefarious covers human trafficking in the United States, Western and Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia, alternating interviews with re-enactments. Victims of trafficking talk about having been the objects of physical abuse and attempted murder. Several former prostitutes talk about their conversion to Christianity, escape from sexual oppression, and subsequent education or marriage. The film ends with the assertion that only Jesus can completely heal people from the horrors of sexual slavery.
Lyle Shelton is an Australian conservative political activist. He served as managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) from 2013 to 2018. He was one of the leaders of the "No" campaign in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey. In 2018, he resigned from the ACL to become federal communications director of the Australian Conservatives political party. Shelton has been employed by Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson since at least August 2019. In April 2021, Fred Nile announced he would retire in November 2021, nominating Shelton to replace him for the balance of his term ending in March 2023. This endorsement was withdrawn in September 2021, with Nile deciding to serve the remainder of his parliamentary term. On 27 May 2022, Family First National Chairman Tom Kenyon announced that Shelton had been appointed as the National Director of the party.
The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Its mission is to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are in these groups. The primary activity of the SSCA is the Safe Schools Program that was developed to give support to teachers and schools who had been seeking assistance in the creation of a more inclusive environment for LGBTIQ students and their families.
The suicide of Tyrone Unsworth occurred on 22 November 2016, in Brisbane, Australia. Unsworth, a 13-year-old boy, died by suicide after years of bullying motivated by his homosexuality. His death garnered considerable national attention in Australia, as well as international attention.
Transgender rights in Australia have legal protection under federal and state/territory laws, but the requirements for gender recognition vary depending on the jurisdiction. For example, birth certificates, recognised details certificates, and driver licences are regulated by the states and territories, while Medicare and passports are matters for the Commonwealth.
