Equal Love deserves Equal Rights
The Equal Love cam
paign isn't really about marriage.
Marriage means different things to different people. For some people it’s a public celebration, for others it’s an important religious ceremony, for others again it’s an archaic, patriarchal institution that they would never want for themselves.
The point of Equal Love is that our government is telling us that marriage is only for some. And, in doing so, politicians are making a clear statement. They are saying that the love a person feels for a same-sex partner is a less worthy love than heterosexual couples feel for each other. As Tony Abbott would say, it’s a love which is “threatening”.
Equal access to marriage says we believe in equality as a basic human right for all peoples, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. By making this change we take a big step forward in eradicating homophobia and discrimination. Of course we also see inequality across a range of other areas. The Rudd government has failed to recognise a lifetime of social and financial discrimination, such as proper regulation of the private superannuation sector, leaving older LGBTIQ Australians in financial circumstances not of their making, and with no time to adjust.
This idea of equality isn’t some esoteric notion.
When compared to heterosexual counterparts, the LGBTIQ community has a 6-16 times greater suicide rate. Every piece of research on the issue highlights ongoing, low-level, systemic discrimination as a key factor in this suicide rate. We must change that.
If you believe in simple respect, as is the desire of governments today, rhetoric is not enough. You need to back up your words with action.
A couple of weeks ago the Greens Equal Marriage Bill was debated in the Senate and it was defeated 45-5. Many Labor senators didn’t even have the courage to turn up and vote with their party, let alone cross the floor. They just let the Coalition, Family First, and independent Nick Xenophon do the dirty work, all the while running on exactly the same policy; marriage is between a man and a woman.
60% of Australians are in favour of same-sex marriage, this isn’t a fringe issue. The recent Senate vote shows the old parties are seriously out of touch.
But this is an election year, a double whammy for Victorians with both a state and federal election. In Victoria, the final Senate spot is going to come down to two people and you can make a choice; Family First’s Steve Fielding or me. Me or Steve.
Your vote this year is incredibly powerful. And, as we can clearly see, it matters who you vote for.
The government has every
The government has every right to tell us what constitutes a family, because the defintion of family is used right throughout their legislation.
They don't want homosexual marriage because the next step is equal reproductive rights, funded by medicare.
The LGBTIQ community needs to make up their mind. Twenty years ago they said there was nothing wrong with homosexuality, so we took it off the DSM. Now they are saying there is something wrong with homosexuality because they can't have children. They want to change the rules so that they can start down a path of becoming more like heterosexuals.
I agree that there's nothing wrong with homosexuality. I find it offensive that a part of the gay community would be so crass as to label homosexuals as a sub-class of society just because they can't get married, even though they enjoy all the legal rights of married couples, without the name. It seems like the activists of yesteryear who wanted to change society's perception of homosexuality are gone. They have been replaced by lazy, touch-topic fools who want to change what it means to be a homosexual in order to fit society's perceptions.
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