Editing Rodney Croome (section)

==Activism==
===Tasmania===
Croome was the founding president and long-term board member of the Tasmanian LGBT support organisation, 'Working It Out' as well as serving on various other similar organisations and had been in a leading role in the establishing challenging-homophobia education in Tasmanian state schools and in the [[Tasmanian Police]], as well as the instituting of anti-discrimination laws in Tasmania.<ref name=RC/> He also fronted the successful campaign to decriminalise homosexuality in Tasmania, which until 1 May 1997 was a criminal offence punishable by up to 25 years in jail.<ref name=ssnine/> That campaign saw Tasmanian activists take their case to the United Nations (''[[Toonen v Australia]]''), the Federal Government and the High Court.<ref name=RC/> In 1997 in the case of ''Croome v Tasmania'', Croome applied to the High Court of Australia for a ruling as to whether the Tasmanian laws were inconsistent with the federal ''[[Human Rights (Sexual Conduct) Act 1994]]''. The Tasmanian Government repealed the relevant Criminal Code provisions after failing in its attempts to have the matter struck out.<ref>{{cite journal |title=From conflict to convergence: the evolution of Tasmanian anti-discrimination law |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AJHR/2001/6.html#fn151 |journal=Australian Journal of Human Rights |author=Gus Bernardi |year=2001 |access-date=2009-06-25|quote=Once standing was given the Tasmanian PLP Government did not wait for a High Court challenge and passed the Criminal Code Amendment Act 1997 which repealed the anti-gay provisions within the Tasmanian Criminal Code.}}</ref> In 2009, Croome was named one of the 25 most influential gay Australians by readers of the website samesame.com.au.<ref name=ssnine>{{cite web|title=Samsame 25|url=http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2009|publisher=Samesame|access-date=31 March 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206023523/http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2009/|archive-date=6 February 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Croome called for reviews of blood donors processes, saying the screening process of blood donors did not question heterosexuals on their safe sex practices, but singled out gay and bisexual men as high risk: "It's really time for the Red Cross to change its policy and focus on whether donors have safe or unsafe sex rather than the gender of the person they have sex with."<ref>{{cite web|title='Discriminatory' gay blood donor ban challenged|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/discriminatory-gay-blood-donor-ban-challenged/2005/08/02/1122748633535.html|website=ABC News|date=2 August 2005 |publisher=ABC|access-date=15 May 2017}}</ref>

===Same-sex marriage===
Croome was one of the first advocates in Australia to raise the issue of same-sex marriage circa 2004, at a time when it wasn't a popular topic of discussion both within the LGBTI community and more broadly.  Despite opposition to the idea of marriage equality, Croome would commit the next 13 years of his life fighting for marriage equality for all Australians.

In 2010, Croome co-authored a book presenting the cases for and against marriage equality, entitled ''WHY vs WHY: Gay Marriage'' (Pantera Press).<ref>{{cite web|title=WHY vs WHY Gay Marriage Rodney Croome vs Bill Muehlenberg|url=http://www.panterapress.com.au/shop/product/4/why-vs-why-gay-marriage|publisher=Pantera Press|access-date=23 January 2013|archive-date=8 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208035636/http://www.panterapress.com.au/shop/product/4/why-vs-why-gay-marriage|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2012, Croome became the fifth National Director of [[Australian Marriage Equality]].  On 8 May 2013 Croome debated Patrick Langrell on Same Sex Marriage at the University of New South Wales.<ref>[http://www.xt3.com/library/view.php?id=13274 Same-Sex Marriage Discussion with Rodney Croome and Patrick Langrell]</ref> In September 2013 Rodney Croome wrote to the group [[Community Action Against Homophobia]] CAAH expressing his concerns in regards to the radical campaigning methods they use in same-sex marriage campaigns saying, "It is a double standard to demand respect for same-sex relationships without showing the same respect in return".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.samesame.com.au/features/10228/Letter-to-protesters-Withdraw-this-hateful-poster-now|title=Letter to protesters: Withdraw this hateful poster now|date=15 September 2013|access-date=2 October 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003062218/http://www.samesame.com.au/features/10228/Letter-to-protesters-Withdraw-this-hateful-poster-now|archive-date=3 October 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>  Croome supports Australia's [[Transgender|trans]] and [[intersex]] communities in their quest for marriage equality saying, "the marriage equality campaign must be inclusive of all loving committed couples regardless of [[sex]], [[sexual orientation]], [[gender identity]] or [[intersex]] status".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/advocates-work-together-to-ensure-inclusive-marriage-equality-bill-13875.html|title=Advocates work together to ensure inclusive marriage equality bill|first=Cec|last=Busby|date=21 May 2014|work=Gay News Network|access-date=6 June 2014}}</ref>

In 2015, Croome released his latest book, "From This Day Forward: Marriage Equality in Australia" (Walleah Press).<ref>{{cite web|title=From This Day Forward - Marriage Equality in Australia|url=http://store.walleahpress.com.au/RODNEY-CROOME--From-This-Day-Forward-Marriage-Equality-in-Australia_p_68.html|publisher=Walleah Press|access-date=10 July 2015}}.</ref>

In 2015, Tasmanian Archbishop Julius Porteous distributed a political booklet titled, "Don't mess with Marriage"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cam.org.au/Portals/0/2015/documents/DMM-booklet-web-version.pdf |title=Don't mess with Marriage |date=2015|work=[[Australian Catholic Bishops Conference]]|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> that advised parents to lobby MPs against same-sex marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/booklet-says-dont-mess-with-marriage/2670799/|title=Booklet says Don't Mess With Marriage|work=Gympie Times|date=13 Jun 2015}}</ref> Croome encouraged parents to submit complaints to the Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, stating “I urge everyone who finds it offensive and inappropriate, including teachers, parents and students, to complain to the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, Robin Banks”.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outinperth.com/debate-heats-up-over-catholic-traditional-marriage-booklet/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150814114235/http://www.outinperth.com/debate-heats-up-over-catholic-traditional-marriage-booklet/|title=Debate heats up over Catholic traditional marriage booklet | date=25 Jun 2015|archive-date=14 August 2015|work=outinperth.com}}</ref> The [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] ''Media Watch'' program reported that Croome, along with [[Christine Forster]], had been interviewed 32 times on the subject of same-sex marriage, in the first 12 days of August 2015.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4295137.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820024237/http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4295137.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=20 August 2015 |title=Media equality on marriage equality? |date=17 August 2015|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref>