4 November 2010

Firefighters calendar now in doubt - UPDATE: Now to proceed.

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[First filed: Nov 3, 2010 @ 11:47]

women in uniform

Remember that item on RA a few weeks ago about women in the firefighting service bringing out their own charity calendar to raise funds for the neo-natal unit at The Canberra Hospital? The calendar was the ladies’ reply to the wildly successful male version which has been on sale for three weeks and proved an instant hit when first published last year.

Well, WIN News has reported that the calendar has been put on hold indefinitely due to a single complaint received by the ACT Office of Women. The presses were literally stopped halfway through the print run.

The bureaucrats now have to investigate the complaint and come to a successful resolution if the calendar is ever to see the light of day. If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint, and if a positive resolution is not forthcoming the whole project will be scrapped.

No calendars will be sold and no money raised for charity. Already three weeks of fundraising has been lost and if the complaint takes longer than anticipated to resolve there will be little point in bringing out a calendar at all this year.

What do RA members think about this? Should a single person lodging a complaint with a government agency be able to stop an entire fundraising project? And what was the exact nature of the complaint? Surely it is time to question the ethos of political correctness and feminist/sexism methodology when charities are denied funds simply because some little blob of nothing gets an ideological bee in their bonnet.

Should the government be allowed to plant a tree on your verge?

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UPDATE: We requested comment from the ESA and have had this reply in:

The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) sought independent advice on the ACT RFS Volunteer members’ women’s firefighter calendar following some concern being raised.

Following this feedback, the ESA has no issue with the calendar and is pleased this fundraiser for the Canberra Hospital Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit will proceed.

The ESA looks forward to the community supporting this fundraising initiative by our volunteer firefighters in the ACT.

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I have the male version and signed by a couple of them, for a birthday, just loved it.

Nothing like a man in uniform, especially firemen.

colourful sydney racing identity4:33 pm 09 Nov 10

Pork Hunt said :

colourful sydney racing identity said :

harley said :

The best double standard I ever saw was on my work Intranet page.

“The Atlanta Black Employees Network”

Could you imagine the ruckus if someone started a “White employees network”, or the one I suggested to my workmates – “the White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network”

A white employees network would be appropriate in a country where whites were not allowed to vote, suffered hundreds of years of slavery and degredation – perhaps you can find such a country and move there to be with your oppressed bretheren.

Seriously – how the hell can you suggest that there is any need for a “White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network” – there already is one. It’s called the system/

WFT has enslavement and degradation got to do with forming a movement?

Only groups that have been hard done by get to whinge?

And what, pray tell do you have to whinge about you poor, poor, thing you.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

harley said :

The best double standard I ever saw was on my work Intranet page.

“The Atlanta Black Employees Network”

Could you imagine the ruckus if someone started a “White employees network”, or the one I suggested to my workmates – “the White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network”

A white employees network would be appropriate in a country where whites were not allowed to vote, suffered hundreds of years of slavery and degredation – perhaps you can find such a country and move there to be with your oppressed bretheren.

Seriously – how the hell can you suggest that there is any need for a “White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network” – there already is one. It’s called the system/

WFT has enslavement and degradation got to do with forming a movement?

Only groups that have been hard done by get to whinge?

Woo! Nice to see there’s people here who don’t understand sarcasm.

Governments and prominent people like to talk about equality, but its clear its not alwayts the case.
Hey calendars may very well be derogatory, but as pointed out there are just as many scanitly clad mens calendars as there are female calendars. Somes fair and equal to me. Just because women do something like a calendar doesn’t mean its worse than men doing the same thing.

We won’t even get onto people of different sexualities. Imagine a gay female policewoman calendar!!! Think of all the children who would grow up to be gay women in the police force!

colourful sydney racing identity11:03 am 04 Nov 10

from the Canberra Times website:

The complaint, believed to have been made by a female member of the Rural Fire Service who took part in the calendar shoot, had originally frustrated female fire fighters.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/firefighter-calendar-stalled-by-complaint/1987767.aspx

James-T-Kirk said :

Ian said :

What’s descrimination?

Descrimination is the act of removing discrimination.

By, for example, opening an “ACT office for MEN”. No, that would be discriminatory to people who choose to be non-gender specific…

Ok – Lets have an “ACT Office for People”.

No, That would be discriminatory to all of the non-people.

Ok – Lets have an “ACT office for Mammals”. Nope – that will be discriminatory for all of the non-mammals.

Ok – Lets have an “ACT office for Things”.

Close – but, what does it do????

The same as the current offices not bloody much!

Because there’s never been segragation or racial issues in Atlanta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Race_Riot

And there’s still no segregation in Atlanta today
(Legend: Red is White, Blue is Black, Green is Asian, Orange is Hispanic, Gray is Other, each dot is 25 people, data is from Census Night, 2000 Reference geography is roughly this view)

James-T-Kirk10:19 am 04 Nov 10

Ian said :

What’s descrimination?

Descrimination is the act of removing discrimination.

By, for example, opening an “ACT office for MEN”. No, that would be discriminatory to people who choose to be non-gender specific…

Ok – Lets have an “ACT Office for People”. No, That would be discriminatory to all of the non-people.

Ok – Lets have an “ACT office for Mammals”. Nope – that will be discriminatory for all of the non-mammals.

Ok – Lets have an “ACT office for Things”. Close – but, what does it do????

I doubt feminazis are behind this complaint; they would love it, pin it up right next to their motorbike.

georgesgenitals10:17 am 04 Nov 10

colourful sydney racing identity said :

georgesgenitals said :

I’m a straight white male aged 18-45 with a tertiary qualification living in the most educated town in the country.

Help!

You poor bastard.

Yep. Woe is me.

Floydwafer said :

Thanks to the moron that complained – sales will now skyrocket – good stuff!!!!!!

It ended up being fantasic publicity for the rfs and the calender

colourful sydney racing identity10:10 am 04 Nov 10

georgesgenitals said :

I’m a straight white male aged 18-45 with a tertiary qualification living in the most educated town in the country.

Help!

You poor bastard.

georgesgenitals9:58 am 04 Nov 10

I’m a straight white male aged 18-45 with a tertiary qualification living in the most educated town in the country.

Help!

Ha, yeah, tell me about it. It’s just so hard to be a middle-class white heterosexual male these days.

neanderthalsis9:39 am 04 Nov 10

colourful sydney racing identity said :

harley said :

A white employees network would be appropriate in a country where whites were not allowed to vote, suffered hundreds of years of slavery and degredation – perhaps you can find such a country and move there to be with your oppressed bretheren.

Rather sounds like Ireland…

colourful sydney racing identity9:22 am 04 Nov 10

harley said :

The best double standard I ever saw was on my work Intranet page.

“The Atlanta Black Employees Network”

Could you imagine the ruckus if someone started a “White employees network”, or the one I suggested to my workmates – “the White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network”

A white employees network would be appropriate in a country where whites were not allowed to vote, suffered hundreds of years of slavery and degredation – perhaps you can find such a country and move there to be with your oppressed bretheren.

Seriously – how the hell can you suggest that there is any need for a “White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network” – there already is one. It’s called the system/

WillowJim said :

PBO said :

And why do I get looked at funny when I buy tampons?

Maybe, just maybe, no one gives a sh|t and you’re imagining it?

Ouch, did you write that yourself or did you get help?

vg said :

Here’s my solution.

Go ahead and re-commence the printing. Then launch the calendar, then sell the calendar. When the Office of whatever comes a’ callin’ ask them what they are going to do about it. If they wish to seek an injunction to prevent it the calendar creators will require full disclosure, including all details of the complainant. The principles of natural justice (he who accuses must prove, right to face accuser etc etc) will prevail.

I will categorically guarantee the Office of Women will collapse like a deck of cards at the mere thought of having to justify their actions.

+1

Maybe the person who complained is a misogynist or a misanthropist!

The best double standard I ever saw was on my work Intranet page.

“The Atlanta Black Employees Network”

Could you imagine the ruckus if someone started a “White employees network”, or the one I suggested to my workmates – “the White Protestant Heterosexual Male employees network”

Clown Killer10:29 pm 03 Nov 10

There were no women beside me in the trenches at Gallipoli or at Passchendaele

Oh God if only I had known! We could have had some sweet gurl-on-gurl action in the mud baby. I’m getting all firm ‘down there’ just thinking about it!

I find this calender to be totally offensive, and agree wholeheartedly that it should be banned. Who the hell let women into the Rural Fire Service? It’s an absolute outrage! There were no women beside me in the trenches at Gallipoli or at Passchendaele – and for very good reason too. Everyone knows that women can’t handle pressure, the sight of blood, loud noises and tend to burst into tears at the drop of a hat. God, whatever next; women politicians?

On a serious note: as for Fernwood, why wouldn’t women want to have a gym that they can go to without having creepy, small willied, steroid taking morons perving at them all day long?

screaming banshee said :

KB1971 said :

I saw this on the news last night & I have one question. WTF is the ACT Office for Women?

Where is the mens one?

Sorry, that was two questions……

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

where is the Men’s Chamber of Commerce? Telstra Men’s Business Awards? and on and on and on and on….

nah, that would be sexist

Ok so do you think someone could have had some handy access to the facts before you all went on a “PC/bureaucracy-gone-mad” rant – honestly you would swear this was some sort of 6:30pm current affairs show (oh and really is that where the story came from in the first place – quelle surprise).

C’mon riotacters are smarter than that.

PBO said :

And why do I get looked at funny when I buy tampons?

Maybe, just maybe, no one gives a sh|t and you’re imagining it?

Great news!!
The calendar will go on sale on the 13th of November 2010 at Galaxy Night Club, the second launch will be at MooseHeads on Friday the 19th of November.

Pommy bastard6:45 pm 03 Nov 10

Sanity prevails, neat.

Wowers be damned! I’m all for this calender and the women behind it.

But lets be honest, the calender will sell, and sell well, because the girls look sexy the same way the male firefighter calender sold because,I presume, women find them sexy.

After all, no matter how sexy the male or females in these calenders are with bare skin exposed, no-one but anorak wearing fire-truck spotters would buy a calender with pictures of these same people wearing fireproof suits and breathing apparatus.

Now, where can i get me one of these calenders?

Thanks to the moron that complained – sales will now skyrocket – good stuff!!!!!!

does the male one feature underwear?

And what isn’t superb is my broken italics tag. Sigh.

The ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) sought independent advice on the ACT RFS Volunteer members’ women’s firefighter calendar following some concern being raised.

Following this feedback, the ESA has no issue with the calendar and is pleased this fundraiser for the Canberra Hospital Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit will proceed.

The ESA looks forward to the community supporting this fundraising initiative by our volunteer firefighters in the ACT.

Superb.

The male one has ACT Fire Brigade logos on the cover and ACT Fire Brigade badge on every page
The male one has ACT Fire Brigade trucks.
The male one has ACT Fire Brigade uniforms.
The male one has ACT Fire Brigade equipment.
The male one has ACT Fire Brigade nipples.
The male one has ACT Fire Brigade and local corporate support.
The male one is sold from ACT Fire Stations.

Lovingly embrace the ACT Office for Women, lovingly embrace their misguided feminism, and gently caress the horse they rose in on.

Clearly even though both the male and the female ones have a statement on them advising how thankful to the purchasor the Professor at Canberra Hospital is for the extra support, OfW has decided that it will do absolutely no good for the neonatal intensive care unit.

Perhaps the morons who passed legislation stipulating that the lodgement of ANY complaint in respect to women would trigger this overkill reaction should be the ones taken to task.

p1 said:

“Shame the government can’t be so well integrated when you want them to do something for you”

That’s gold..!!

Here’s my solution.

Go ahead and re-commence the printing. Then launch the calendar, then sell the calendar. When the Office of whatever comes a’ callin’ ask them what they are going to do about it. If they wish to seek an injunction to prevent it the calendar creators will require full disclosure, including all details of the complainant. The principles of natural justice (he who accuses must prove, right to face accuser etc etc) will prevail.

I will categorically guarantee the Office of Women will collapse like a deck of cards at the mere thought of having to justify their actions.

Please start the printing presses up again and go ahead with what you intended. Start a fighting fund. I’ll be the first to donate.

And, if by providence, the complainant is reading this, there isn’t a word in an English dictionary that describes how pathetic you are.

I wonder if any men work for the ACT office of women.

troll-sniffer4:38 pm 03 Nov 10

You know what? I say sexual intercourse the officiousness of the office of women or whatever it’s called, and just sexual intercoursing print and sell the sexual intercoursing calendar. If it can’t be sexual intercoursing done by the letter of the law, then sexual intercoursing well do it underground.

I will persoanlly volunteer whatever I can to aid and abet the bypassing of this monstrous infringement of a group’s rights in a just and fair society.

The sexual intercoursing wowsers cannot be allowed to win such a perversion of natural justice.

Holden Caulfield4:33 pm 03 Nov 10

When I saw the title of this article in my live bookmark reader thingy I thought it was a male calendar because I had stereotyped all firefighters as male.

Should I turn myself into the ACT Office of Women for a jolly good spanking?

creative_canberran3:25 pm 03 Nov 10

Let me see, charity calendar with women wearing more than they would at the gym… or even Civic on a Friday night. No, can’t see the problem.
On the other hand, Zoo Weekly at local servo with a fake nun on the cover and a headline proclaiming how to score with two women in a single night just to line the pockets of PBL execs… that I have a problem with.
Perhaps time for common sense.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Sonja said :

I find it sickening that for all the so-called “equality”, we’re still seeing discrimination.

Oh, sorry, it’s only discrimination if it’s against women or minorities.

“sonja” yeah right.

I’m sure that “sonja” is a female deaf mute paraplegic with african and asian heritage (but mostly Indigenous).

johnboy said :

depends if any grants were given to get it off the ground. and then you’ve got the use of the uniforms.

I find it hard to imagine that ACT RFS gave them a grant without approving the thing the grant was for….

The use of the uniform is probably a fair call (if totally minor and petty), although I don’t see any logos on those pants – how can you tell they are ACT RFS property?

If they had some sort of grant from someone other then the RFS, then ‘women’s firefighting social club’, or ACT Women who fight fires as part of a Rural Fire Service” Calendar would be a good name.

colourful sydney racing identity2:52 pm 03 Nov 10

Sonja said :

I find it sickening that for all the so-called “equality”, we’re still seeing discrimination.

Oh, sorry, it’s only discrimination if it’s against women or minorities.

“sonja” yeah right.

I find it sickening that for all the so-called “equality”, we’re still seeing discrimination.

Oh, sorry, it’s only discrimination if it’s against women or minorities.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

help i’m being discriminated against by the mere existence of an office i was completely ignorant about until about a minute and a half ago

These people can help you

http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/women

Maybe the person making the complaint is against,neo-natal units??? If not and the calendar is canned because of their complaint they should have to pony up the dollars themselves or at least co-ordinate another fundraiser.

Woody Mann-Caruso2:06 pm 03 Nov 10

help i’m being discriminated against by the mere existence of an office i was completely ignorant about until about a minute and a half ago

Pommy bastard1:54 pm 03 Nov 10

I wonder how many letters of admiration it takes to mitigate one letter of complaint?

If it is all about the RFS logo, then stick an address lable over that, and call the calendar the ‘women’s firefighting social club’ or something.

depends if any grants were given to get it off the ground. and then you’ve got the use of the uniforms.

Enya said :

Why is it ok for men to do Calendars but women cant. The Calendar is showing that there are strong, beautiful women out there doing a fanastic job.

Same reason it’s not OK for anyone of european extractionto be xenophobic, but it’s OK for everyone else.

Everyone is created equal, but some are more equal than others. Ok, it’s probably not that orwellian, but you never know…

johnboy said :

The issue is the ACT RFS logo on the cover. Zoo does not seek or use the imprimatur of a government agency.

So, should the Complainant have made the complaint to the ACT Rural Fire Service? And then shouldn’t they (assuming they agree with the complaint – which would seem unlikely since they must have known about this calendar) have to get some kind of court injunction on the basis of copyright infringement?

Or is this a situation where the ACT Office of Women and the ACT RFS are “one entity” as part of a larger ACT public service. Shame the government can’t be so well integrated when you want them to do something for you.
_____________________________________

It will be interesting to see how they rule on this. While the ACT RFS might be a section of the ACT Public Service, the simple fact is that the majority of their work force are unpaid volunteers would perform said work to help the community. If they want to stop a project aimed at helping the community, driven by their staff, from displaying the banner they all work under, I hope they have a very well constructed argument as to how this is inappropriate for society women.

colourful sydney racing identity1:24 pm 03 Nov 10

housebound said :

Maybe there’s an angry father out there, unhappy at the antics of the apple of his eye.

ex boyfriend of one of the fire fighters perhaps?

Quickly, save those womenfolk from their own choices, they don’t know what they’re doing!
</ironic paternalism>

These women who freely keep themselves in good condition to serve the community, chose for themselves what they did with their bodies, and made a display of that which that are proud, all for the sake of benefitting children [ ie: incompatible with whatever the prevailing Theory of Feminism is within the Office for Women ] are being oppressed \ are naive about life \ what men are thinking when they see the calendar \ cannot think for themselves, so are obviously objectified pawns of male patriarchy.

Also, how many male ACT firefighters calendars are currently in the offices of specifically DHCS and the Office for Women, but also the ACT Public Service as a whole?
Are those guys ‘tasteful and artistic’ in the way they let people objectify them, or do they not care if calendar buyers objectify them?

The issue is the ACT RFS logo on the cover. Zoo does not seek or use the imprimatur of a government agency.

colourful sydney racing identity said :

Is there a penalty for lodging a vexacious complaint?

It would be nice if complainants had to identify themselves.

Put simply, how can the ACT Office for Women stop a non-govt organisation from raising funds and producing a most likely tastefully done calendar? I’d love to hear some response from such an office about the frequent production and regular distribution of magazines such as Zoo, People, and a raft of other soft porn rags that hit our news stands…this town is beholden to some bizarre and somewhat irrelevant agencies…

JessicaNumber1:07 pm 03 Nov 10

Isn’t one complaint a low number? Shouldn’t community opposition be measured by the actual number of complaints, not the fact that any exist at all? It’s pretty easy for someone or even a small group to be upset but harder to show that this reflects genuine community concern.

Amanda Hugankis1:00 pm 03 Nov 10

preacher said :

screaming banshee said :

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

On an aside about descrimination, are Men allowed to join Fernwood gym?

Yep – but a warning, when you want to use the gym equipment, you might need to wait a while until they’re finished sharing it amongst their cliquey girl’s group, and put up with lewd comments about your ‘package’.

Thoroughly Smashed12:53 pm 03 Nov 10

The looks I get when I use the ladies restroom!

Discrimination!

I think the complainer has gone a bit overboard, but when I first saw this I was disappointed that the two women in the centre felt the need to have their pants undone. I don’t’ see how that adds to the image of strong capable women.

It seems the office of women may need to tweak their systems if the print run was really stopped mid-stream. It will cost a lot more to re-print the calendar than it would have to pulp the copies if the protest was successful.

As for ‘panic panic where is the office for men’ – what would it do?

What’s descrimination?

Inappropriate12:41 pm 03 Nov 10

You’d think the ACT Woman’s office would know how to spell woman properly, and not as wooman.

http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/women

ACT Women’s Plan 2010 – 2015 [RTF 635kb]
ACT Woomen’s Plan 2010 – 2015 [PDF 475kb]

Would it take a single complaint to get the spelling corrected?

preacher said :

screaming banshee said :

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

On an aside about descrimination, are Men allowed to join Fernwood gym?

A+++

And why do I get looked at funny when I buy tampons? I may not be female, but I also dont need to be judged for buying womens sanitary goods. I may have a another practical use for a douche.

But seriously, here it is, my comment that will spark outrage………..

Some women want to be victims and will go out of their way for people to know that. This is a reflection of how the sliding standards of our society operate, what was good and fine 10 years ago is akin to the holocaust now. I would be curious to find out why they were offended by this calendar as the beneficial aspects for the firies and the community far outweigh the supposed sexism of it.

We should not be bound by single individuals who wish to ruin things for eveyone, if someone is a dolphin hugging, tree dwelling, earth first forget the rest, animal rights activist, leather shoe wearing hypocritical, homosexual (not that theres anything wrong with that)vegan, feral, dolebludging, shower dodging, dreadlocked leftie, greenie Marion Le wannabe then they should not have the right to dictate what is good for the rest of us.

I want that Calendar now……..

I wonder if we started a fire at the Office for Women, would all the female fire fighter turn up then so we can take photos????

johnny_the_knife12:28 pm 03 Nov 10

Fernwood are protected by exemptions under state legislation which allow them to discriminate against men in terms of membership and employment opportunities.

So yes, it’s discrimination, but they are allowed to do it.

Maybe there’s an angry father out there, unhappy at the antics of the apple of his eye.

Umm, is this something that only applies to charity calendars, or does it work with other things too? Is one complaint from me enough to get Zoo Weekly to stop publishing their magazine, or get Kylie & Jackie O of air, or get the Liberal Party to stop making press releases? They are all much more offensive to me then this calendar.

I always wanted to open up a man-only version of Fernwood, but call it Firmwood.

georgesgenitals12:20 pm 03 Nov 10

It’s sad that pandering to the whinging of the minority spoils something that benefits the majority, without hurting that minority. The minority aren’t being asked to agree with it, or like. But they should be asked to STFU.

colourful sydney racing identity12:17 pm 03 Nov 10

screaming banshee said :

KB1971 said :

I saw this on the news last night & I have one question. WTF is the ACT Office for Women?

Where is the mens one?

Sorry, that was two questions……

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

Ah yes, poor men have been opressed by the militant femocracy since the dawn of time. PB will pop by shortly and you can join his jihad.

screaming banshee said :

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

On an aside about descrimination, are Men allowed to join Fernwood gym?

Oh ffs this is annoying, I was looking forward to buying one of these, as my missus always buys the man one.

screaming banshee12:09 pm 03 Nov 10

KB1971 said :

I saw this on the news last night & I have one question. WTF is the ACT Office for Women?

Where is the mens one?

Sorry, that was two questions……

Jumped on to highlight exactly that, if there isn’t an ACT office for Men…..well that’s just blatant sexual descrimination

A single complaint? I mean only one? And this stopped it? Wow, what is this place coming to.

colourful sydney racing identity12:05 pm 03 Nov 10

Is there a penalty for lodging a vexacious complaint?

Those of you who voted to support the wowser, identify yourselves!!!

I saw this on the news last night & I have one question. WTF is the ACT Office for Women?

Where is the mens one?

Sorry, that was two questions……

I think someone needs to come into 2010.
Why is it ok for men to do Calendars but women cant. The Calendar is showing that there are strong, beautiful women out there doing a fanastic job.
My question would be why did they wait so long to make the complaint. What did they not get picked to do it?
Maybe the person making the complaint should put in a compalint about the men’s calendar or is that one ok??

colourful sydney racing identity11:57 am 03 Nov 10

It really depends on the validity of the complaint. Though, having said that I would be prepared to put my Melbourne Cup winnings on it being a wowser or a person with a vendetta, or, both.

I assume the malcontent is someone who missed the 12 available places??

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