Sydney

Women's and Girls' Emergency Centre in Strawberry Hills, which helps homeless straight, gay, and transgender women, has just opened a new space in Surry Hills. Donations to WAGEC are tax deductible.

The Australian government has ruled out Islamic courts for Australia. What will this mean for other minorities who have their own courts for civil and religious matters, such as the Jewish Beth Din in Sydney and Melbourne, Catholic ecclesiastical courts, and Aboriginal traditional law?

Police are taking steps to address increased anti-gay violence in Sydney's inner suburbs. But meanwhile, anti-homophobia education languishes in NSW.

What's going on in your neck of the world?

Anything Goes

John Barrowman's autobiography Anything Goes, written with his sister Carole, is a great read - I got through it almost entirely in one sitting. Heaps of funny stories from childhood and from the theatre, as well as some more serious stuff, notably a chapter in memory of a mentally ill friend who didn't get the help she needed, which reminded me of how lucky I am to have the parents I do. The most mind-boggling chapter, though, was the one where John is hired ostensibly for a fashion shoot, only to be pampered aboard a luxury yacht and finally realise that he's there for ornamental purposes only. Life is stranger than fanfic.

That's two celebrity biogs I've read now. My standards are obviously slipping - better get back to finishing off My Life by Giacomo Casanova.