Fiona Patten

[davo]

Fiona Patten has been announced as a speaker at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention

http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/fiona-patten.jpg

Fiona Patten is the Convenor and founder of the Australian Sex Party and CEO of Australia’s national adult industry association, the Eros Association. She has had 20 years experience in advocating and lobbying for the rights of adult retailers, sex workers, HIV/AIDS groups and online businesses.

In 2000 she published a listing of all paedophile priests in Australia under the title of Hypocrites, which became the basis of a Four Corners program and the beginning of a more widespread movement against organized religion and sex crimes.

In 2008, frustrated and deeply disappointed with the increasing wowserism of the major parties, she decided to set up a political party dedicated to civil liberties, personal freedoms and curbing religious influence.

Averaged across all states, the Australian Sex Party outpolled the four religious parties at the last federal election, coming in fourth place in the Senate election. In the last Victorian State election she missed out on an upper house seat by 3,000 votes.

The Sex Party is the first political party in Australia to institute a specific policy platform against the influence of religion in society. Policies include:

· removing the tax exempt status for religious businesses

· Replacing chaplaincy programs with ethics classes

· Introducing a Royal Commission into child sexual abuse in religious institutions

qbp-4DjcLVo

[AUSloth]

· removing the tax exempt status for religious businesses

· Replacing chaplaincy programs with ethics classes

· Introducing a Royal Commission into child sexual abuse in religious institutions


Three out of three winners there! Sounds great

(I hope this does not mean Fred Nile will be sneaking in the back door for a "check up", maybe keep a set of stocks and rotten fruit on hand just in case:D)

[kazzaqld]

I have been impressed with her media performances. She should make a good speaker. :)

[Voltairine]

I'm not familiar with her but she seems to have her head screwed on right!

[Darwinsbulldog]

Cool!

[Dane]

I can honestly say that this was quite an unexpected announcement.

[Praxis]

I love Fiona!! I'm thrilled she'll be speaking at the GAC2012.

Watching her rip the odious Wendy Francis a new one live on breakfast TV a while back was a delight well worth getting up so early to watch. And Fiona managed it with dignity and gentle humour, easily showing WF up for the hateful, bigoted woman she is.

I'm giving serious consideration to voting for the Sex Party at the next election.

Woo-fucking-hoo, I say, to this announcement :D:D:D

[Praxis]

I'll get all gushy and fan-girly and be overcome with an attack of teh stupidz :D

[fiona patten]

Great to be here and thanks for the comments. I am already incredibly nervous about speaking on the same stage as many of the other extraordinary guests.

[Loki]

Bah. The locals are just as interesting as the out of towners and you've been beating your head against blind prejudice for a long time now. Why wouldn't people be interested in your perspective? I'm looking forward to it.

Sorry, forgot the welcome. Hi <waves>

[Logic please]

Great to be here and thanks for the comments. I am already incredibly nervous about speaking on the same stage as many of the other extraordinary guests.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but is this the first time a guest speaker has posted in their own announcement thread? :D

As Loki said, interested to hear your perspective also. :)

[Darwinsbulldog]

Great to be here and thanks for the comments. I am already incredibly nervous about speaking on the same stage as many of the other extraordinary guests.
Twaddle! :mad: They should be nervous about being on the same stage as you. ;)

"Do not take counsel of your fears."

General George S. Patton, Jnr.

Don't worry about your flanks mate, kill 'em dead! :D

[Lord Blackadder]

Welcome Fiona. You are now welcomed into illustrious company. :)

And I meant the GAC speakers, not the rabble that hangs around these 'ere parts. :D

[Xeno]

Mumbles, checks footy scores, vaguely claps for woman on big screen, wanders off in search of the rest of the rabble.

[Bolero]

Yay! And welcome.

Will probably vote for the ASP next election...if there's a candidate in my electorate. Oh well, in the Senate at least.

[riddlemethis]

Add my welcome to the forum too Fiona. You'll make an interesting addition & the local political perspective is extremely pertinent.

[Perspective]

*screams with delight* She is super cool! That's awesome :D!!!!!!

[Goldenmane]

This is good.

And welcome to the forum, fiona. You're doing good work.

[Darwinsbulldog]

A Evul thought! :p Maybe we should invite all the speakers to come here and say hello. Fiona is high on my esteem list because she came to say hello to the great unwashed such as the bulldog. :) [Not true, I like water!]

http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/speakers/


So you lot, don't be shy! [I suspect we will have some of them as lurkers between now and GAC 2012 anyways. ;)

[fiona patten]

Fantastic another place to procrastinate in! These forums I mean

BTW I don't suppose anyone has trawled the the 1000+ submissions to the Law Reform Commission's review on Classification to see how many come with a religious bent?

[Voltairine]

BTW I don't suppose anyone has trawled the the 1000+ submissions to the Law Reform Commission's review on Classification to see how many come with a religious bent?

Picked one at random, one with just a person's name (#1952).

Q29:
."..whatever is true, whatever is noble,whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things...and the God of peace will be with you."( Phil 4:8,9b)

Ban whatever does not fit into this classification.


That's pretty much rules the Bible out.

[Xeno]

@Voltairine: :D:D

[Coryate]

The Sex party certainly seem to have good policies, but I think calling it the Very Very Liberal Party might get it some votes from some older voters :D

[Jaar-Gilon]

BTW I don't suppose anyone has trawled the the 1000+ submissions to the Law Reform Commission's review on Classification to see how many come with a religious bent?
LOL was just getting around to it!

[fiona patten]

Thanks, love it! Will use the quote in my talk today at RMIT.

[Coryate]

How about a new slogan as well?

"We keep our stillettos on our feet, not in our leaders back"

[DanDare]

Fantastic another place to procrastinate in! These forums I mean
I like to put procrastinating off until later.
BTW I don't suppose anyone has trawled the the 1000+ submissions to the Law Reform Commission's review on Classification to see how many come with a religious bent?
Sigh. I had to look. I work with Ron Williams on the Australian Secular Lobby. We are, of course, all tied up with the High Court Challenge to the NSCP next week. If you haven't read it I recommend Chrys Stevenson's recent blog post "Access all Areas (http://thatsmyphilosophy.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/access-all-areas/)" in which she lays out the basics of xtian nationalism at work in Oz through all levels of government and the school system.