The nasty anti-ssm advertisements have begun on commercial television with the first from the Coalition for Marriage. It shows several women appearing and whining about some of the red herrings put about recently by other religious organisation1. If you go to the Coalition for Marriage website, the splash page states ‘We are the silent majority’. If that was the case, then presumably the money was largely wasted on their advertisement. However, that is just another lie that Christians will use to try to continue their addiction to telling people how they should live. Opinion poll after opinion poll have shown that the majority are in fact those who support same-sex marriage2,3, and the acceptance of same sex marriage has been increasing over the last couple of decades. This trend has been clearly demonstrated by Gallup in the US4.
The Coalition for Marriage (CFM) is a group whose partners include the Anglican Diocese of Sydney (which is the centre of Anglican conservatism in Australia), Australian Christian Lobby, Australian Marriage Forum, Australian Family Coalition, Australian Family Association, Cando (who want to get our country back), Catholic Archdioceses of Hobart, Sydney and Broken Bay, Christian Family Centre, Christian Schools Australia and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and sundry other religious groups5. When an organisation has ‘family’ in the title, you can bet it is a religious organisation which is about as family oriented as the DPRK is democratic.
The advertisement actually doesn’t mention much about same sex marriage at all, presumably because CFM knows it is on a loser trying to explain how the sky will fall, just like it hasn’t in the Netherlands, a country which has had same sex Marriage for 16 years, or Belgium, which has had it for 14 years.
Initially two women in the advertisement stated
- “School told my son he could wear a dress next year if he felt like it”
- “When same-sex marriage passes as law overseas these type of programs become widespread and compulsory”.
Then came some text, stating
- “In countries with gay marriage, parents have lost their right to choose.”
To choose what is unclear.
Then another woman popped up, and said
- “Kids in year 7 are being asked to role-play being in same-sex relationship” (sic)
Then, at the end, some more text:
- “We have a choice. You can say no.”1
The funny thing about the advertisement is that it is entirely about red herrings, as former New South Wales Premier, Nick Greiner, has pointed out about many of the arguments against ssm7. Nowhere do the women state why they are against same sex marriage per se, other than that it might make their sons wear dresses, or pretend to be in same sex relationships. This is because they have no valid arguments against same-sex marriage, and that is why they resort to sticking the boot into the Safe Schools Program, which is run by the Safe Schools Coalition. The aim of this program is to “create safer and more inclusive environments for same sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families”. Many Christian organisations hate the Safe Schools Program, presumably because they are frightened it will impinge on their ability to teach their children their peculiar form of bigotry.
The attitude that boys might wear dresses horrifies them and says much about their attitudes in that they would prefer their children to live a life of gender dysphoria or being bullied, or indeed living a life where they think bullying those people is perfectly acceptable. Role-playing is a way of giving those lacking in empathy some understanding of how others feel and how your actions make them feel.
In one twist, one of the women in the advertisement, Cella White, who said that her son was told he could wear a dress to school, has been called out by the principal of the school (Frankston High), who said that what she claimed “never happened”. Cella White has previously appeared in videos attacking the Safe Schools Program8. Christians will never let one of the commandments (about ‘bearing false witness’) stand in the way of getting what they want.
There is no doubt that many opposed to same sex marriage will say they have been silenced, as they parade around the various media outlets or rave on their blogs, or speak to their various claques, completely oblivious to the irony of their statements. This is, as Clementine Ford states, not that they are angry about being silenced, they are angry that fewer people are listening9. This is because their views are archaic and all they are doing is railing against the 21st century and progress, and worst of all, progressive politics.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/aug/29/coalition-for-marriage-ad-blitz-links-marriage-equality-to-gender-education
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-22/election-2016-vote-compass-same-sex-marriage/7520478
- http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6707-australian-views-on-gay-marriage-february-march-2016-201607191635
- http://www.gallup.com/poll/117328/marriage.aspx
- https://www.coalitionformarriage.com.au/partners
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage
- http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/marriage-for-all-surely-its-a-conservative-ideal/news-story/3e58633a1e0c4f9ec139be3896e38ac6
- http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/it-never-happened-principal-denies-mums-tv-claim-that-son-could-wear-dress-20170830-gy6ygk.html
- http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/opinion/silenced-no-bigots-are-just-angry-that-fewer-people-are-listening-20170828-gy5xnj.html
