Graeme

Ah...in that case, I agree with you. The gallery shows that the event isn't body-shapist (if that's a word) but the photo used to advertise it definitely appears to be.

I get the impression from the website that there are lots of games played during the festival I agree that it shows a diversity of body shapes, but that first image is the one used to advertise the event and it doesn't show diversity. That was what perturbed me. Victoria is still predominantly a white community. The main other racial groups here are Asian, Pacific Islander (Polynesian, Melanesian, Micronesian), and Indian. The photos in the gallery show Indian and Pacific Islander, but I couldn't see any Asian. Admittedly, it can be difficult to pick Asian from the back, so it's quite possible that there were Asian men there, too. I also saw some pictures of someone who could be Aboriginal. Overall, the gallery photos seem to show a reasonably representative sample of Victorian males.

NudeManFest strips away body image issues, helps celebrate different body shapes This is part of Melbourne's Midsumma gay and lesbian festival, but I was a bit disappointed in the opening photo of the article, given the heading. All of the nude men in that picture have similar body shapes -- all sexy So, if anyone is in Melbourne at the moment, they want to participate, the festival starts tomorrow

My opinion is that this is a school for kids who are already out (whether or not by choice). A kid who is not out would only go to this sort of school if they wanted to come out, because if someone knows that they go to that school, they'll be assumed to be gay (regardless of whether they are or not). The Harvey Milk school in New York has been there for a long time, so this is not a new concept. It is, however, a new concept for the south. I'll let myself be guided by people like James Savik who are out and live there as to whether this is a healthy idea, or if it will just feed injustice. As for the segregation/desegregation issue, the difference here is that the members of the minority will be choosing to segregate themselves, and will generally be doing so for safety reasons. They need a safe place to go to school. If they can't get that in the traditional schooling system, then sorry, but it looks like they need to segregate themselves, at least for the few years of high school. This doesn't stop anyone from attention a school in the traditional schooling system, but for those that need it, it's an option available to them (hopefully).

I haven't heard of this being considered in Australia, but hopefully that's because it's not needed. I know our local high school has anti-bullying posters up on the walls including ones that explicitly target homophobia. However, I also know that there is still bullying at that school and that's one of the reasons my boys don't go there. I remember reading about the Harvey Milk school in New York and the discussion about whether it was a good idea. The argument for is that it provides a safe place for these kids to learn. The argument against is that it segregates them from other students and therefore makes the transition out of school that much more difficult. For me, the argument 'for' wins. The transition out of school occurs when the students are more mature and better able to handle discrimination. Allowing them to get to that point and providing an environment where they can develop self-confidence is more important.

Thanks, everyone I still remember the struggles I had with this story. I wanted it told in third person, but it was coming out stilted, so I did what I've been told should always be possible to do: I wrote it in first person and then 'migrated' it to third person. It was an interesting exercise, but it worked. I was a lot happier with the final result than my initial drafts.

The original post was not about characters using expletives, but the narrator. I think the only times it's appropriate for the narrator to use expletives are: If it's a first person POV story. If the narrating in that style is established early in the story and is maintained throughout. The sort of style I'm thinking of is that of Kurt Vonnegut or Douglas Adams. Their style is that you know that they're talking to the reader from the point of view of an unknown person, rather than an impersonal narrator. As such, the narrator could be considered to be some sort of (twisted) extra character in the story, and hence allowed to swear Otherwise, no, I don't think the narrator should swear. Characters swear as appropriate

That was deliberate. I always like my characters to have reasons for their actions. Even if it's not spelt out, the father needed a reason for his homophobia. The one I came up with is that they're all from a traditional religious community. Hence why all the children have biblical names. That doesn't mean all of the community are homophobic, but it would explain why some of them are.

Thank you, everyone! The readers have the advantage of knowing that this is a story, which gives them an unfair advantage in spotting clues.

A nice twist at the end. Loved it!

There are a number of people with the ability to delete threads that you could contact if you wanted that done, but I don't see any reason for it here. You're looking for someone to read and comment on your story. Because of the subject, you've realised that it's not going to appeal to everyone so you've provided the details needed for someone to make an informed judgement as to whether it's appropriate for them to help. Personally, I'm not an editor (as my editor will be more than pleased to point out given all the errors he corrects). I'm also incredibly short of available time at the moment. I'm trying my hardest to work on my current novel and that's not progressing very fast so I can't in all honesty offer to review and comment on the story from a higher level, either. Sorry.

I made sure that everything I wrote was consistent with public positions that the characters in question have made. I also made sure that, with the exception of people who gave me consent to appear in the story, I always had them off camera. That is, the actions/statements of the real person is reported by others in the story and they don't appear directly. It was tricky, because I had to be very conservative with anything I wrote, but I think I succeeded. Now I just need to do the same for the third book in the series

Sounds interesting. All I get are emails from women telling me my sex life needs to be improved and they've got just the drug to do it... I still haven't worked out why I'd want to have sex with more women, but I'm sure these women know best.

As a contrast, here's the response of an Australian Muslim from one of the prime-time TV shows to what's happened in Paris: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-projects-waleed-aly-praised-for-unity-message-in-the-wake-of-paris-attacks-20151116-gl0fz9.html

Change is always dangerous. When the use of painkillers during birth was first introduced, there were lots of scare stories about how we didn't know what the impact would be on the newborn child and therefore we shouldn't do it. The first 'test-tube' baby was another that raised lots of ethical questions about whether it was right. Similarly, for same-sex adoption. Cloning and stem-cells are more recent examples of medical advances that raise ethical questions. That doesn't mean that the nay-sayers are wrong. Look at the thalidomide tragedy for an example of how good intentions went terribly wrong for a large number of people. Similarly for asbestos, the use of lead in paints, mercury appearing in the food chain (fish, in particular)...the list goes on. Some change can't be evaluated beforehand. Same-sex adoption is an example of that. You can't evaluation the effect on the child of having two mothers or two fathers unless you allow some same-sex couples to adopt. Some changes are good. Some are bad. Some are indifferent. Most are mixed -- they have both good and bad elements. Sadly, we often don't find out about the bad elements until it's too late. Then it becomes an issue of whether the bad can be managed and if the good outweighs the bad. As an example, thalidomide is still used today, even though it harmed a lot of people. That's because when used appropriately (now that we know what is appropriate use), it still does a good job. Genetically modified crops have a lot of promise for both good and bad. Farming techniques involves large amounts of chemicals have a lot of promise for both good and bad. I'm still watching to see which one dominates: the good or the bad. Unfortunately, at the moment we have to go with one or the other, or both, because the world population requires intensive farming techniques to ensure an adequate food supply. While organic farming has a niche market, it's not possible to feed the current population purely off organic farming -- that approach doesn't produce high enough yields. Are the two main approaches flawless? Of course not. Will they do more harm than good in the long term? The jury is still out...

A wonderful story. A history lesson wrapped in an enticing tale Thank you, I thoroughly enjoyed that.

It's mentioned twice An amazing transformation!

Thank you for that! It's so easy to find negative press on the Internet, but it's great to read some uplifting positive articles.

Delightful Nothing more needs to be said.

You can see in the closing credits how he's desperately trying to make another wish...

Since the topic has been raised, I thought I'd share a recipe for fried brains. Not one of Aber's favourites, since he prefers fresh, but I'm sure it is better than frozen... http://www.food.com/recipe/fried-lamb-brains-440335

Thank you, everyone! This is a case of having a title and then finding a story to go with it. I had to tone it down, though, because my early ideas involved Aber leaving a swag of brainless dead bodies behind. I eventually decided that was too gruesome, even if it means that Hun, Won & Lo's delivery boy service may have financial troubles in the future.

You succeeded As an aside, Aspergers is an Autism Spectrum Disorder, so Aspergers defines what part of the spectrum the person is on. For Curtis, I'd say he has Aspergers, based on the information supplied, but it's easier to just say he has Autism and not define where on the spectrum he sits.

I read this the other day and I wanted to share it: Introducing Teddy: Crowdfunded book about transgender toy inspired by real family goes global I'll admit that I still don't really understand transgender issues. I understand the situation and I have a lot of sympathy and support for those living through it, but I don't have an emotional or intellectual reference. To me, it's an academic issue, not one I've personally seen. Stories like the one I've linked help me understand it better, though I know my understanding is still very limited.

Wonderful! Though Bobby was a very naughty boy. Tanner was just too sweet for what was done to him