Same Sex Marriage
The intense gay lobby is still furious that Labor has declared a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, and Tony Abbott probably is just as angry. But from that point, the two camps divide.
The Opposition is under no obligation - moral or political - to allow its MPs a conscience vote on same-sex marriage just because Labor needed to approve one to rescue Julia Gillard’s authority.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott would be perfectly entitled, should his shadow cabinet back him, to tell his troops the Coalition would have a fixed position which all would be asked to support. And it is likely that position would be one of total rejection.
Continue reading "Abbott can’t give a straight answer on gay marriage" »
The Age reported this morning that former Tasmanian premier David Bartlett has called on the Labor Party to overturn marriage laws that prevent gay marriage, even by Australians in countries where same-sex marriages are legal. The call came after Bartlett’s half-sister, Angela Borella, was prevented from marrying her partner in Portugal. Here, Angela tells her story.
I met her earlier this year in Indonesia. She is Portuguese. I am Australian. We knew after ten days that we never wanted to be apart, so when my medical volunteer contract ended in Indonesia six weeks later, I flew to Portugal to be with her and we now live in Lisbon.
She is the most kind, caring and beautiful person I have ever met. It is like we’ve always known each other. She knows me better than I know myself.
I’ve never felt so loved in my entire years. I would give everything I have for her happiness. She makes me feel complete and whole.
Continue reading "The piece of paper between me and happiness" »
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Peter says:
Typical government bullsh!t. She has asked for a certificate of no incumbent, which should simply state if she is married or not in Australia. It is relating to her and SHOULD HAVE NOT BEARING OR RELATION to whom she wishes to marry.. Why should a certificate outlining if you are… Read more »
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GC_Girl says:
This article is very upsetting. The Government has no right to refuse to issue a document, based on a wish to be married in another country (pro-marriage equality) where that person is currently domiciled. If reversed and another country contacted our Government requesting that a penalty be issued to an… Read more »
There is a strong connection between gays and lesbians having the choice to marry and significantly improving their mental and physical health.
The link has been highlighted by the American Psychological Association which recently issued a statement citing the growing number of studies into marriage and the mental health of same-sex attracted people.
According to the statement, which was unanimously endorsed by the APA’s governing body, denying same-sex attracted people the right to marry:
a) excludes them from the many health benefits of marriage,
b) reinforces “minority stigma” against them and their families, and
c) may reduce the longevity of their relationships.
Continue reading "Why gay people are less healthy and how to fix it" »
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mel says:
Apologies everyone, even crazy creationists, real scientists regard the age of the earth as about 4.5 billion years old, not 3.5 billion as I typed earlier. Read more »
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mel says:
Hey apologist, we’re still waiting on those scientific delusions which you believe show your bible offers a consistent world view! More of your deluded perspective which I missed as I was laughing so hard yesterday: you mention “it is generally accepted that the earth is millennia years old”. Umm, nowhere… Read more »
It is our human relationships that give meaning to our existence. They make the joys of life joyous and the sadness in life sad. The sharing of experiences provides our context, the reference point for our hopes, our travails, our daily endeavours.
Our interrelationships define our society, inspire our creativity. Democracy and art are both functions of the truth that we do not live alone. For many of us this communitarian conviction lies at the core of our politics.
Human relationships haven’t much changed for hundreds of years. Despite the wishes or ignorance of some – whether blissful or baleful – humans have been loving each other in many different ways for centuries.
Continue reading "Human relationships are a many splendored thing" »
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fairsfair says:
I’m sorry matt but you have completly miss understood what I was saying and I don’t have the energy to further explain myself. I am so over this discussion - as is most of moderate Australia. Read more »
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Matt says:
semi i didn’t say that at all, don’t put words in my mouth.. In fact I said - ‘When the majority of the population is behind incest, polygamy and polyandry then yes, legally recognise them.’ I also didn’t say anything about children.. fairs, you haven’t explained the reasoning, you’ve simply… Read more »
If we ever needed proof that politicians should respectfully butt out of moral issues like gay marriage, we got it this week in South Australia.
On Monday – the same day we learnt that the number of Australian households with mum, dad and kids is set to plummet to just 22 per cent within 15 years – outgoing Premier Mike Rann said the time for same-sex marriage had arrived.
So, after effectively putting the issue in the too-hard basket for almost a decade as premier and also during a stint as Labor’s national president, Mr Rann has a rainbow epiphany on the eve of his departure.
Continue reading "No kidding, gay couples make great parents" »
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ADam says:
Where did you get the 5% figure from? The latest ESTIMATE for people who openly declaired their homosexual orientation is 10 or 11%. And your narrow-minded, uneducated comments referring to homosexual intercourse only make you sound like a fool and does nothing to support your argument. Read more »
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adam says:
I’d also like to point out that non Christian nations who do not practice Christianity also have marriage. Once again this is religion picking and choosing parts of a book that they want to follow. The church’s whole opposition to homosexuality comes from it’s reference to being an ‘abomination’. in… Read more »
Reports out this morning suggest Julia Gillard’s staunch opposition to marriage equality is starting to give way.
According to senior sources within the Labor Party the pressure on the Prime Minister has grown so great that she is planning to announce support for a conscience vote on marriage equality as early as next week.
Ms Gillard has proudly fronted the anti-equality campaign and declared her opposition to same-sex marriage at every opportunity.
Continue reading "What’s that? Gillard’s giving in to gay marriage…" »
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Lets get this straight! says:
I wonder if the “gays” would be so happy to see their centrelink payments reduced by being allowed to get married? That is the way for the government to save! Lets them be happy, married and disfunctional….and poor as well. Read more »
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kate says:
How about we hold a conscience vote among all the people who will be affected by this? It would be a very, very small poll, and 100% would be in favour. It would be like me getting a say in whether or not Church X is permitted to use gluten… Read more »
Dear Jim,
Re: Welcome to the ‘Homosexual Lobby’ and today’s vote on same-sex marriage in Tasmania.
UPDATE: The historic motion backing same-sex marriage has been passed by the Tasmanian House of Assembly, the Mercury reports.
Over the past few months you have either said, tweeted or endorsed the following: “Anzacs didn’t die for gay marriage”, “the global gay Gestapo…is brainwashing people”, “gay marriage will disrupt the natural order”, “gay marriage will lead to paedophiles marrying children”, and of course you came to Miranda Devine’s defence when she linked the London riots to Senator Penny Wong and her partner expecting a child.
Continue reading "Hey Jim Wallace, they’re not devils down in Tassie" »
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sam says:
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This week in New York the hottest ticket in town is not the latest Broadway musical or the opening of hip new restaurant, it’s the Marriage Bureau. So many same-sex couples have been waiting for the day when they can say “I do” that a lottery system has had to be introduced to deal with the amount of weddings set to take place.
This marriage boom is much needed in a state that has 50,000 divorces a year, almost 1000 a week! The gays will be combating this figure over the coming months with thousands upon thousands of loving and committed couples set to legalise their love.
Marriage is an institution that so many straight couples have taken for granted for so long, and it is now being strengthened by the same-sex couples who fought to be a part of it.
Continue reading "They’re getting hitched in the city that never sleeps" »
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Shane says:
It’s a bit naive to think that gay men and women would get married for the same reasons as straight couples and thus end up divorcing at the same or similar rate. In actual fact, homosexual divorce rates so far in the UK, Denmark and Sweden are lower than heterosexual… Read more »
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Outraged says:
It’s not pessimistic, just realistic. I don’t believe in Gay Marriage. I don’t believe in Straight Marriage. I dont think ANYONE should get married in this day-and-age. People live too long nowadays. You statistically are not going to spend 70+ years of your live monogomously with one person. Gays had… Read more »
The scenes outside the Stonewall Inn after the announcement that the New York Senate had passed the legislation to enable marriage equality could have not been more different to the riot that gave Stonewall its reputation as the epicentre of the gay rights movement back on 27 June 1969.
Jubilation, tears of joy and relief, marriage proposals, the crowd spontaneously breaking into choruses of “New York, New York”. Watching it on Twitter and YouTube provided a sense of immediacy, but I have never before wanted so much to be there in New York City to experience first hand such a moment in history.
Back in Australia, and ironically, this weekend yet another ALP State conference defied the bloody-minded rhetoric of its Federal leader to vote in support of marriage equality.
Continue reading "NY gay marriage vote: I wanna be a part of it" »
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Dawn says:
Some sectors of the lesbian community oppose lesbian marriage on political grounds. There’s actually a lesbian manifesto against it. Personally, I’d rather chew off my own arm than get married, but I do think that it’s the principle of the matter as far as equality and therefore I support it.… Read more »
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joshwhite says:
Quick call me a bigot and a homophobe again. The overwhelming majority are against making a mockery of marriage, a random poll conducted on the streets of Paddington isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Still upset ? Good, stick to your own little corner of Sydney and stop trying… Read more »
“This is a vote that is not about morality, that is not about religion. You can’t legislate morality, but you can legislate justice.”
The words of Senator Eric Schneiderman, New York Attorney General, are a poetic reminder of why the New York Senate passed legislation allowing same-sex couples to marry. On Friday, New York became the sixth state in the US to remove discrimination in marriage laws, joining Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut and New Hampshire.
This decision comes amidst a range of local and international moves in the past month to recognise the civil rights of sexual and gender minorities. In a historic move, the majority of countries in the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning violence and discrimination against people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Continue reading "When it comes to marriage, justice should be apolitical" »
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Tim says:
I don’t think the people who’s lives you are talking about find it silly. It’s easy to be dismissive of someone else’s feelings when it’s not you who is affected. I guess we shouldn’t worry about anyone who only makes up a small percentage of the population? Deaf people -… Read more »
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Clancy says:
Let it go Paul Horn. You are pathetic. Why don’t you lube up a crucifix or bible and shove it right up your homophobic dickhole. Read more »
My name is Sandy and I am a fiancée, mother, friend, and primary school teacher.
My gorgeous fiancée of two years, Louise, is an ex-nurse who now works as a medical equipment consultant to hospitals. We have two beautiful boys from my previous marriage – aged 11 and 9.
We are a loving and close family, just like any other. Except in one way: my partner and I are both women so under Australian law, cannot marry. Many people do not regard us as a family.
Continue reading "When I go to dinner with the Prime Minister…" »
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Plose says:
Nice On Sandy. Well done to you and yours and I hope all goes well with the dinner. Read more »
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Sandy Miller says:
Wow!Boy did my personal story open a can of worms and such strong opposing views. For those of you who have offered supporting comments thank you it has touched us and we appreciate it. For those of you who don’t support our view on marriage and having the same rights… Read more »
As a parent of a gay man and National Spokesperson for Parents with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons (PFLAG), I am encouraged by the most recent Galaxy Poll taken showing that 75 per cent of Australians “believe marriage for same sex couples is inevitable”.
This poll agrees with another Galaxy Poll taken a few months ago that showed 62 per cent are in favour of allowing same-sex marriages, and a NewsPoll that showed 65 per cent don’t have a problem with it.
But still MPs are hesitant to take the step. When I meet with them in Canberra and ask “why?” so often the answer is “fear of the religious minority and possible loss of votes at the next election.” At least they are honest. But is this a good reason to keep discriminatory legislation in place? I don’t think so.
Continue reading "Government out of step with people on gay marriage" »
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Frank says:
Yeah , first off there’s no god or gods and the bible is pure fantasy and a furphy , because of this you just can’t reference them in arguement. In the context of for or against gay marraige the word inevitable is miles closer to pro gay marriage than any… Read more »
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Errol S Nilson says:
I will not believe that 75% of normal Aussies agree with gay marriage the polls if true must have been done on a selected area of gays. It is not natural and is against the order of nature!!! These gays are always in the news pushing their unatural views from… Read more »
Love makes a marriage, even a Royal one. This is the simple and powerful message of the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, one that’s relevant to Australia’s same-sex marriage debate.
Once royal weddings were about dynastic alliances. That began to change in the twentieth century, but still there were limits on who a royal married, famously illustrated by the abdication of Edward VIII to marry a divorcee.
As recently as the marriage of William’s father, Charles, to Lady Di, it was inconceivable that an heir to the throne would marry outside the aristocracy or have a relationship with his fiancé prior to the wedding.
Continue reading "Even the Windsors recognise same-sex marriage" »
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Alle23 says:
Open your mind and read this article: http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/25/donor-conceived-and-out-of-the-closet.html Read more »
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mel says:
Servaas, I see you keep using this poor ‘benefit to society’ argument, which no-one agrees with or cares about. (And really, isn’t it just a cloak for your christian perspective of ‘my god doesn’t like it so I don’t either”?) But to follow your ‘reasoning’, all sorts of people and… Read more »
What a week it has been for the Prime Minister of our nation, Our Lady of the Lodge, the Very Reverend Julia “Traditional Values” Gillard.
Let me get this “straight”…if you’ll pardon the expression. Our first female Prime Minister, an atheist living in a de facto relationship, claims to be a traditionalist with a conservative upbringing.
We are exhorted to go back to Bible stories to understand why marriage equality doesn’t fit with Australia’s cultural heritage because we have to see where we have come from.
Continue reading "The Very Reverend Julia “Traditional Values” Gillard" »
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Peter Jackson says:
Equality for gays and lesbians we have? What a piece of rubbish ! ... All introduced by the government as a nicely covered up scheme to make money from a previously untapped source… de-facto relationships between gay people. Well, in a way there you have equality with the rest of… Read more »
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Anna says:
Gays and lesbians are a minority group who only relatively recently gained the legal right to even have relationships, let alone get married. We’ve been pathologised, locked up in jails and mental institutions, cast out by our families, beaten in the streets by police and our fellow citizens and in… Read more »
There are two key questions around the issue of gay marriage. One is the pretty straight forward question of whether you support it or not, and the polls suggest it is line ball.
The other question is whether you support the idea of politicians keeping their promises. I haven’t seen the polling on that but I would presume that no research firm has bothered to do any, as you would expect about 100 per cent of people to answer yes, politicians should obviously keep their promises, what a silly question to ask.
Having gone to the last election saying there would be no carbon tax under a government she leads, Julia Gillard will now be introducing one on July 1 next year. It’s a serious breach of voter confidence and one which has done her serious political damage.
Continue reading "Gay marriage: can Julia afford another backflip?" »
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Hannah says:
Yes..about that suicide rate,I have seen gay people judged and bullied into taking their own lives in the actual gay community by gays themselves,like a pack of henpeckers.It made me sick…but we don’t hear gay people harping on about that now do we?That you destroy you own,gosh if that was… Read more »
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Mary says:
I’m a lesbian who has no interest in emulating the heterosexual institution of marriage, but I understand that some lesbians and gays desire marriage and believe that it’s their right. I also think that lesbian and gay marriage is inevitable so can we please just get on with legislating it… Read more »
It’s been a big week this week for the politically correct.
Tracey Spicer is worried her children are being indoctrinated into Christianity at school.
Some Coalition backbenchers are worried they can’t indoctrinate new citizens to Christianity.
Continue reading "It’s political correctness gone maaaaaaad!" »
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Mensur Cehic says:
Why is it that Anglos always bitch about Political Correctness? So you can keep plucking a new victim out of the portfolio of “ethnic” minorities? I think you should toughen the fuck up. WE all know you have been SKIPping your well-deserved turn. There’s no way around it. Read more »
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Sodapoppy says:
People, understand that there are things in this world that are going to piss you right off. Then, get over yourselves, take a deep breath, and go on about your day. It’s not up to you to tell everyone else how to live,okay? So who are these twisted people who… Read more »
I have a challenge for Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott – when my Marriage Equality Bill comes before Parliament today, I dare you to resist the urge to control … sorry, kill debate by insisting Senators toe the party line.
Show some leadership instead, and let the members of your parties have the courage of their convictions by giving them a conscience vote.
Until the Australian people can see their representatives talk freely and vote honestly on the issue, they have no idea how far away they are from living in a nation where equality is truly valued.
Continue reading "Man up, Kev and Tony, have a free vote on equal marriage" »
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Pharme232 says:
Hello! ffeedde interesting ffeedde site! Read more »
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Jodi says:
Martin I agree with everything you said - marriage is defined as the union between a man and a woman - therefore marriage as such does not apply to same sex couples. I believe they should have a similar institution to celebrate their love but it should be known by… Read more »
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marley says:
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No wuckin forries. These nuckin futs are tuckin fops
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