Hello The Aussies (2) Marriage Equality

My search for that hashtag on Twitter is yielding no results, but I suspect it's referring to what DJ Astro “Funknukl” Labe said he'd like to do to Tony Abbott. IOW, he has a speshul name for Abbott and he'd like to head-butt him.

I'm glad DJ Funknukl gave himself up, because the Tassie police would have a hell of a job interviewing the entire nation. Which made this statement by that opportunistic bastard Abbott all the more stupid:

Patricia Karvelas: Tony Abbott says if you don't support the headbutt he suffered you should vote no to political correctness.

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In other news, a judge ruled that it was perfectly fine to call Tony Abbott the c-word.

Helix said:

Patricia Karvelas: Tony Abbott says if you don't support the headbutt he suffered you should vote no to political correctness.

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... Logical as always, Tone.

I'm gonna stick this story here, coz it's as good a place as any. The Aussies are probably already familiar with it, but it still warms my heart whenever I hear an update.

Senator Cory Bernardi, Australia's far-right conflator-in-chief (frex: being in a gay relationship is on par with bestiality etc etc), took to twitter a few days ago to condemn an Adelaide school for hosting an event called "Do It In a Dress," where students go to school dressed in a dress (obvs!) or in casual clothes for the day as part of a fundraising campaign. According to our C-I-C, this was clear evidence of the evil lefties and the Yes campaign's real agenda to corrupt the liddle kiddies. One tweet:

"This gender morphing is really getting absurd".

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Thing is, this campaign's been running for six years, and has nothing to do with the current marriage equality 'debate' or 'gender morphing'. It's an annual event aimed at raising enough money to send African girls to school for an education they wouldn't otherwise get.

The school in question had been aiming to raise $900 to send one underprivileged girl to school.

In the two days since Bernardi tweeted, they've raised in excess of $240,000. They're no longer getting one girl an education, but hundreds.

I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Cory Bernardi!

mccardey said:

is that what #nailedthecnt means?

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No idea. I assume it's about the Abbott headbutt?

FTR, "nutthecnt" is a Googlewhack -- the only Google search result is this thread.

be frank;10265282 Thing is said:

$900 [/B]to send one underprivileged girl to school.

In the two days since Bernardi tweeted, they've raised in excess of $240,000. They're no longer getting one girl an education, but hundreds.

I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Cory Bernardi!

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That's almost 300 girls! A whole school's worth, or several villages worth of school-age girls! Woo-Hoo with extra !
Which suggests that many Australians are both pro-education for girls, and indifferent to boys in dresses. Good on ya!
And watch out for attempts to ban both boys in dresses and girls in trousers. Because, 'equality'.

My daughter posted this, an like myself a little of her bitterness about this debate has overflowed. Here she has however eloquently presented her arguments with a clarity i find beyond me. I hope there maybe some insights here that people may share.


Has everyone remembered to vote?

This issue is really important to a lot of people, and there is a lot of misinformation out there, and a lot of unconstructive, emotional rhetoric. Personally, I am deeply angry and bitter that my relationship and that of thousands of other LGBT families has been declared open to scrutiny by our government, but I know that if I express this anger, I will be labelled a "heterophobe" or a bully, and people will use my voice as an excuse to discriminate against me and others. I am not okay with that, and to be honest, I am even less okay with Allies engaging in name-calling and mockery - I don't want you to be angry on my behalf, if you call yourself an ally, I want you to advocate for us, and in this instance, anger and advocacy are pretty much mutually exclusive.

So, instead, I would like to offer up some of the carefully non-aggressive arguments I have developed in the last few weeks, designed to educate without triggering the defensive rage that is the instinctive response to realising a deeply held belief is wrong. Please feel free to share them around, or mix and match, according to the flavour of "No" you encounter.

If you put a "have a nice day" or a smiley face at the end, I find that it offers a much more satisfying sense of facetious smugness than any angry rant.

1. The Patriot

The responsibility of a democratic government is to ensure all it's citizens are equal before the law, and to legislate accordingly, even when it conflicts with their personal beliefs. Every citizen in a democratic government has a civic duty to uphold the ideals of democracy and equality. I feel like this is a pretty fundamental statement of the purpose of modern democracy.

This plebiscite asks people to vote on equality before the law, and so I believe everyone has a civic duty to vote yes. I am, however, aware that a lot of people hold personal religious or ethical beliefs that same sex marriage should not be legalised. The fact that the government is asking its citizens to choose between their civic responsibility and their religious convictions is disgraceful, particularly since the only reason we are here in the first place is because they lacked the spine to do so themselves.

However, Marriage equality is a civil issue that directly affects only a small fraction of the population, and as such, your vote does not need to reflect on your personal beliefs. You are not voting for yourself, or for the way that you wish to live your own life, but for the rights of others, and as such, to vote Yes -I believe - does not need to contradict the practise or content of your faith. That is the beauty of a secular government with freedom of religion.

2. Think of the Children
Same-sex couples seem to be pretty good parents. There hasn't been enough research yet to make any concrete claims, but the Australian Institute of Family Studies has data indicating that on most metrics, children raised by same-sex couples are at least as well-cared for as children raised in heterosexual couples, and the only places where they are disadvantaged is due to homophobia or discrimination - primarily when people bully them for their parents or denigrate their families.

So before you make claims about how harmful LGBT parents are to children, please consider that the actual harm to the children of these couples comes from exactly that sort of rhetoric.

Citation: https://aifs.gov.au/…/childrens-wellbeing-same-sex-parented…

3. Freedom of Religion
I would just like to point put that by voting no, you are actually damaging freedom of religion. You are voting to have the government legislate according to your religious belief. That is setting a precedent that denies everyone who does not agree with your religious views their freedom of religion. In the near future, even all the various branches of Christianity combined in this country will likely be a minority, and people may call for legislation that affects your ability to practise your religion.

4. The "Heterophobe"
Having an opinion that gay people should not he allowed to marry is certainly protected by freedom of speech, and you have every right to state that opinion. However, *voting* to deny gay people equal rights under the civil laws of this country is by definition a prejudicial act against gay people. Further, the exact same protections that allow you to voice your opinion in a public forum allow others to criticise that opinion. That is not bullying, that is debate. And unless someone has specifically called out your heterosexuality in a derogatory fashion, there is no grounds to call their behaviour "heterophobic".

Enjoy a #RespectfulDebate