Same-gender sexual attraction is a feature of human sexuality. Estimates of same-gender proclivity vary from the original Kinsey reports of 10 per cent of adults having predominant or exclusive homosexuality to more recent estimates of 20 per cent having preferred same-sex relationship. The factors resulting in same-sex sexual orientation remain controversial, but there is growing evidence that sexual orientation is heavily influenced by prenatal biological mechanisms rather than by unidentified factors in postnatal socialisation.

Giving is in a tough spot in Australia. A declining proportion of us donate to charities, and fewer of us are registering as formal volunteers than in 2018. However, demand for the work of charities is higher than ever. Charities minister Andrew Leigh has deemed this a civic crisis and set a target of doubling philanthropic giving by 2030. To achieve this, Leigh and Treasurer Jim Chalmers asked the Productivity Commission to conduct a once-in-a-generation 15-month review of philanthropy. Leigh said he would consider all of the recommendations but one – that donations to school building funds no longer be tax deductible.

Much has and will be said in the fallout of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump this weekend, but I am more concerned with what won’t be said because of it. The Trump campaign was quick to blame Biden’s rhetoric as a motivator for the assassination attempt, and the media has eaten this up hook, line and sinker. The problem for the Democrats is polls show many voters are concerned about the future of democracy, and highlighting this concern is a key way in which they have been mobilising their base in the lead up to an election in which voting is voluntary.

In regard to the Queensland government’s decision to not remove exemptions to anti-discrimination laws in religious schools (RSA Weekly, 14 June 2024), the issue should not be just whether gay teachers have a right to a job in a "religious" school. The question should be: "What are religious schools still doing in Australia or any modern society?" This is especially so given that taxpayers' money is used to support them.

The world’s richest person, Elon Musk, just announced that he’s a “big believer in the principles of Christianity” and “a cultural Christian”. Musk’s reasons are moral and political – he believes Christianity can boost both happiness and birthrates. Musk joins many western conservative thinkers troubled by a rapidly changing world. Some of these thinkers have embraced Christianity to combat these changes. Yet they often struggle to accept Christianity’s central supernatural claims, like Christ’s resurrection.