Should the Gillard Government change the Marriage Act?

26 Comments

  • Luke McKee - 13 years ago

    Why are gays against human rights? I have supporters on gay radio in Sydney, I did a pre-recorded interview with the lord mayor of Sydney Clover Moore attacking special gay police but victorian special gay police on Joy 949 wont have me on to debate ethics and human rights. http://twaud.io/rTpn Interesting eh? They are teaching gay sex in school rooms now so as a result any talk about the sodomites and their special place in hell must be frozen out of the classrom: http://www.queerty.com/can-we-please-just-start-admitting-that-we-do-actually-want-to-indoctrinate-kids-20110512/ and they want to unexempt religious organizations so gay boys can go to catholic boarding schools - how dare they be expelled "with love" say the fag masters. Gays must keep their above the law exemptions from the discrimination act that entitles them to do what the NSW anti-discrimination board calls "lawful discrimination" in contray to article 7 of the united nation's universial declaration of human rights - because gay power is more important than human rights. http://www.twitlonger.com/show/78p79i http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/faith-organisations-dining-out-on-discrimination-exemptions/desc/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Whats-bad-for-the-gays-is-bad-for-Uganda/desc/ And then we have Victorian Attorney General Robert Hull defending the OTO who worship alander crowley aka the beast 666 who teachers how black magic can he enhanced through gay male anal sex (see my links on John Christopher Sunol 's page anal sex is now a religious entity!) because a former young Australian of the year was sued for critizing the Australian OTO for being involved in pedophile rings by VCAT - their anti-discrimination board. Why do gays have to be above religious organizations both in school presence and immigration law. I guess it's a case of the gay master race - sieg hail~! http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t657534/

  • Geoff - 13 years ago

    Some of the homophobic arguments posted here in opposition to same-sex marriage remind me of the arguments I heard as a child in the 1960s, when people opposed interracial marriage.

  • Stars - 13 years ago

    What the hell makes gays any different to anyone else. People need understand times have changed and gay couples have every right to be able to choose if they want to spend the rest off their lives with someone off the same sex. Centrelink is happy to class same sex couples as a relationship status. Yet the government can't approve sex same couples to get married. That just shows the inconsistencies with our government. Marriage should not just be for a men and women. That's like saying same sex couple aren't normal and don't deserve the same commitments. Everyone deserves equal rights and I will fight for gay rights until the day I die!

  • Adam - 13 years ago

    I actually find Mari and Sandras comments quite offensive. If you take out the word homosexual and replace it with the word black.. it reveals how alarming comments like "there is no such thing as total equality" and "spoilt children getting everything they want" really are.

    Homosexual equality is one of the last great human rights movements in the world today. Personal beliefs should be just that. If people dont agree with same sex marriage, dont marry someone of the same sex! Simple. The current marriage act is discriminatory though and ought to be changed.

    The definition of marriage has changed so much over the last few thousand years and only ever used to be property arrangement. What we NOW consider marriage to be has only been around for couple hundred years. The idea that the definition of marriage has not changed or should not be changed, is rediculous.. and nothing more than very thinly veiled prejudice.

  • Teagan - 13 years ago

    Sandra&Mari-its stupid comments like those you have made that make it clear that my self and others like me will never be equal in your eyes. i know so many gay and lesbian people and couples that have raised children, they are perfect parents and perfect families, perhaps even better parents then most straight people because they don't take the fact that they can have a child or say that they are married for granted.
    and the statement about them being hateful toward straight women is a complete generalisation, not all of us are. open your eyes and look around why should we have any less of a right to have a family and say that we married the person we loved then you? because we shouldnt.

  • Andy Leonard - 13 years ago

    Pauline, people like you who say 'I support the rights of gay people, but you can't marry each other' make me sick. Your hypocrisy is alarming and you should have seen it before putting it into print. Mari, just 'accepting it as it is', is certainly not good enough. When black people were used as slaves in 1800s America, when Jews were put in camps in Nazi Germany, when women weren't allowed to vote, when Aboriginals weren't allowed to vote ... Do we just say 'We should just accept things as they are'? No. Because the moral thing to do is to take prejudice out of legislation. Two people committing their lives to each other has no bearing on either of you, so don't hide behind your own antiquated views of society when your bigottism is peeking its nasty head through. The fact is, whether this survey has been shown to as large a cross section of society as possible or not, the vast majority of Australians, heterosexual and homosexual alike, support full marriage equality. Mari, I don't complain when people who have views like your own decide to have children and try to inflict those views upon them, so don't also bring up the issue of gay people not providing a stable environment for children. When gay people have children, they go through a long and arduous process, we really have to think about whether it is the right thing to do, we have to plan, we have to go through so many leaps and hurdles, I don't know any gay parents who are doing a bad job raising their children. I know plenty of heterosexual couples who have terrible environments for their children. Are we saying that we should ban heterosexual marriage because it can lead to said heterosexual couples breeding? Perhaps we should. Mari, you're a prejudiced cow, so are you, Pauline. Both of you, grow up. This is the logical and just step forward. You obviously can't provide a decent answer to speak against gay marriage that doesn't contain prejudice, so shut up.

  • Tristan - 13 years ago

    @Duncan, while this poll is slightly skewed, the majority of surveys conducted indicate that up to 60% of Australians support marriage equality.

    As for those of you who claim you believe that all persons were 'created' equal - why does this not translate into equal rights for all, as far as you are concerned? Marriage is not a Christian term anymore: it was only ever a Christian term by virtue of most of the English speaking world being Christian for a very long period of time. Now it is a legal term. This is what we want: equal legal rights. No one wants Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques or Hindu temples to marry anyone they don't agree with marrying. Why the fuck would we want to get married there anyway? We want the same legal rights for our unions that straight people are given through marriage. If you don't support this then, quite simply, you do not agree with the fundamental principles of democracy, and one has to wonder why you are living within one.

    Now supposing you do support equal legal rights but don't like the idea of gay people using the word marriage. You'd support equal rights if we'd just come up with a new word! Can I ask why? What is it exactly that will ruin your marriages, make them any less significant for you, if people of the same-sex can marry? I mean gay people are already marrying throughout South America, in the Netherlands, Canada and several other places: have you found that your marriage is worth less somehow because of this? Really?

    Finally, if your argument is that gay people are unfit to be parents (not that everyone who is married must have children, or that everyone who has children must be married, of course, but that seems to be a common line of argument) you must examine the enormous, and consistent, quantity of evidence that says otherwise before making such claims. You may wish to start with the basics found in this Wikipedia article:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_parenting
    and if you find this to be unconvincing you may check the references at the bottom of the page.

    There is absolutely no reason to prevent same-sex marriage legislation in this democratic country any longer. The only reason it has not been already passed into law is a fear of the Christian right which represents a gross integration of Church and State.

  • Alex. - 13 years ago

    I'm 16 and gay, these stats give me hope that one day i'll be able to marry the person i love hopefully.

  • Duncan - 13 years ago

    I totally agree with Pauline so won't comment further on that. I would like to ask, though, has this poll been stacked by interest group(s)? I seems unrealistically at odds with the broad thrust of community opinion as I understand it.

  • Pauline - 13 years ago

    I believe everyone is created equal, and should be treated with love, respect, dignity and without discrimination. Therefore homosexual couples whom have made a commitment to each other should have some form of legal union to protect them. I agree & sympathise with those whom say they feel marginalised & discriminated against and truly hope that I myself would never make you feel that way- however as a Christian I am totally against allowing a gay union to be called "marriage". Sorry! So whilst I am happy to recognise a binding legal agreement (call it whatever) between two people in a loving committed relationship it is not a "marriage" unless it is between a man & a woman.

  • Phil - 13 years ago

    I completely agree that every human being is created equal. What I disagree with is the dilution of terms that were created for very specific reasons. Not to discriminate but to uphold healthy family values within society. I don't think we should abandon so quickly that which has served 1000's of generations before so well. I appreciate that some may not like this view, but isn't it better to be confident about being different and to explain it as such. This I believe would be more beneficial for those who feel marginalised. They do need proctection, just like everyone else in society, but most importantly they need to be confident in who they are. I do not believe a change in the marriage act is going to affect this confidence one little bit. In our country of many diverse cultures and points of view, using the same terms to decribe different things doesn't help communication, on the contrary it's causes confusion, especially for young generations. Gay couple have been commiting themselves to each other for a while now, I don't see that changing this legislation is going to help society in general at all...in fact my view is it would be a step backward.

  • Meagan - 13 years ago

    My question to the heterosexual community is this: What are you afraid of? I'm pretty sure heterosexuals have disgraced the sanctity of marriage since the dawn of time. Divorce rate has sky rocketed, sex before marriage rates are high, and many heterosexuals are choosing to marry outside the church!
    As for the right to raise children. Again, heterosexuals have damaged families with high divorce rates, adultery is high. Molestation of children is predominantly by 'heterosexuals'. Does this mean all single mums or dads shouldn't be allowed to raise their children?

    So don't say that allowing gay people the right to marry is going to destroy the sanctity of marriage and damage our families... You the Heterosexual community have already done that!

    For those who say we're acting like spoilt brats! Maybe, just maybe it's because we've been cast aside for so long, our lives have been endangered, our families have rejected us and we've been made to feel like the scum of society. At 31 and female, I have been spat on, abused and bashed by insecure heterosexual men and women. Most people do not realise I'm gay, as I do not conform to the stereotype. I cannot walk down the street holding my partners hand (I have NEVER held her hand in public in the 2yrs we've been together), I have to be careful who I'm talking to and what information they are given. Bigottry and homophobia is RIFE even in our capital cities.

    You as a heterosexual do not have to fear for your life, you can do what you want, when you want. Talk about what you want. Walk a day in our shoes... and do not dare say that it's a choice! If it were a choice, why would I choose to have my family desert me, my friends alienate me, to be spat on, to feel endangered when walking down the street with my partner.... I would never choose this as my life.... but it is who I am! And i'm proud.... and my partner and i have been together for 2yrs and we own our own home, have the furkids and both employed full time in well paying jobs. The government tax us based on us acknowledging we're in a relationship... why not recognise us on an emotional level. Let us marry our partners... what are you afraid of?

  • Unknown - 13 years ago

    We need to get with the program to bring equality to everyone! We seem so stupid and behind in this world.

  • Barbary - 13 years ago

    Hopefully hurtful, ignorant, hate speech will soon be illegal. I look forward to the time when I can take such people as two of the respondents above to court, to demonstrate the true meaning of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights i.e. that we are ALL born equal before the law, with INALIENABLE human rights and dignity. In a democracy there is SUPPOSED to be a separation of Church and State.

  • liz - 13 years ago

    Mari- take a perspective other than your own. If you were born gay you would want the right to marry the person you love. You were born straight, good for you, it doesn't mean you are a better person, it means you are attracted to the opposite sex. That is all it means. No, there is no such thing as total equality but there is much room for improvement, do you agree? Your opinion that some things are just impossible is terribly sad and untrue. I am thankful that not everybody shares this opinion otherwise society would never move forward. As long as there is inequality in this world we should always be striving towards improvement, not just accepting it as it is. We are all born equals, no-one deserves to have their rights taken away from them. Why are you so threatened by the idea of gay people getting married? What are you loosing from this? Are you afraid you will not be able to feel superior anymore? It is only a feeling you know, you are not actually superior, just ignorant.
    What do you mean when you refer to gay people as spoilt children wanting everything they see? The discrimination homosexuals experience that is apparently justified by the lack of marriage rights is putting homosexuals in hospital from being bashed and from attempting suicide as a result of the hate we experience. Try not to be so selfish. Who are you to judge us and say we "wouldn't even know what to do with it even if they had it". Are you suggesting that all heterosexual people do know exactly how to be married? Why is there such a high divorce rate?
    I suggest you get on with your life, get informed and just be happy. Stop worrying about homosexuals having the same rights as you do. I promise WHEN we gain equality we will not change anything to do with your life, you can just go on living and raising your children.

    And as for children, are you saying single parents should not have the right to have children? They do not not have access to a mother and father so how is it any different? I am a lesbian, I have strong family values, I have an amazing supportive family, I have a degree, I have a secure job with a high income and I have a healthy balanced lifestyle. I would make a much better mother than many heterosexual people. I hope you do not pass on your intolerant opinions to your children. Wake up to yourself and stop hating.

    people and leave us married couples to get on with raising our children in a setting that all children have a right to, with a father and a mother. No-one is saying you shouldn't live as a couple!

  • Nova - 13 years ago

    Sandra, your rash generalisations breed fear mongering and are down right defamatory. I am a gay woman celebrating 7 years with my partner this weekend, and we have been successful hard working foster parents for the past three years, and if you want to bring sexuality into the credentials for parenthood, the. It doesnt look good from where I stand. Children need a positive role model to care for them, and guide them towards the right choice in life, not even sexuality or gender play ANY role in the validity of a caregiver.

  • Sandra - 13 years ago

    Agree 100% with Mari,not only do they want everything their way they also have no idea about commitment and are nasty and judgemental toward striaght women.Shocking people to bring up children.

  • Tone - 13 years ago

    It is time for a change. I believe we should have a choice and not let others choose for us who we love. Unless we stand up for what we believe in nothing will ever happen.

  • Tone - 13 years ago

    It is time for a change. I believe we should have a choice and not let others choose for us who we love. Unless we stand up for what we believe in nothing will ever happen.

  • Mau - 13 years ago

    I think the word "marriage" should only relate to the union between a man and a woman as the law on marriage states. Gay permanent unions should use another term.

  • Mari - 13 years ago

    Even in an ideal world, there is no such thing as total "equality". Some things are just impossible, so accept it for what it is. The latest push for homosexuals and lesbians to be able to "marry" makes them appear like a bunch of spoilt children, who want everything they see, especially if someone has something they haven't got, and wouldn't even know what to do with it even if they had it! Get on with your life and just be happy, and leave us married couples to get on with raising our children in a setting that all children have a right to, with a father and a mother. No-one is saying you shouldn't live as a couple!

  • Simon Margan - 13 years ago

    lol The answer I voted for is "Yes, it is time for full equality". However, it begs the question is it really possible to have partial equality. The answer of course is a big 'no'. You cannot purposefully treat people so shamefully unequal and then say we have a reasonable level of partial equality. We will not have equality until all the discriminatory legislation like the same-sex marriage ban is repealed.

  • Sandy - 13 years ago

    I agree with what everyone sais, but I would like to add a couple more things. It is about equality, but it is also about recognising same sex marriages. It is not important to everyone or for everyone, but it is about offering the same rights to same sex couples as hetrosexual couples. It is about us having the same choices, the same rights. Anger should not come into it, but patience and perserverence. Proving to the Australian people that we are not a threat to their way of living, their rights or their beliefs. Same sex couples and or homosexuals should have the same rights, the same choices as everyone else as we are all Australian and should all be represented by our government. It is about protecting and representing all its people and especially our children. the Marriage Act is a catalyst for homosexuals being allowed the same rights in all areas as every other Australian.

  • Kerin - 13 years ago

    The question is should they change the Marriage ACT? By that I'm assuming that you mean should they allow same sex couples use the word "marriage" rather than commitment or some other similar word. For me its more about the equality that comes from recognising our relationships, changes like that which occurred in Centrelink, Hospitals and with Super payouts. These are the issues for me rather than being able to include the word "marriage" on a piece of paper.

  • Sinead - 13 years ago

    I agree with Maddy.
    I am a bi and I have a gay friend who is the most wonderful-est guy around. Julia Gillard should really grow some balls and change the law giving homosexuals the right to marry. How would all hetrosexual people feel if the government was run but homosexuals and they deny marriage between a man and a woman? You feel pretty crap, don't you? Then you know how homosexuals feel when you guys (the government) deny their right to marry.

  • Maddy - 13 years ago

    I'm really glad that these are the results so far. I do wish that people could think for themselves. And I don't understand how a so-called Atheist like Julia Gillard can honestly not just vote 'yes' outright, as discrimination towards homosexuals stems from Religion in the first place. I myself am not a lesbian, but I really do believe in equality for all. I really hope this law is changed soon. Xo

Leave a Comment

0/4000 chars


Submit Comment