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Australian PM slams gay slurs as marriage vote looms

24 Comments
By PETER PARKS

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an upcoming same-sex marriage vote

which is non-binding???!!!!!!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@theperson, also know a fair few new aussies (euros, saffas, yanks, poms and asians) and all of us will vote yes (would in my case as am now in J). Only guys i know who'll vote no are Egyptian kopt. Most anglo aussies i know will also vote yes but none are church goers, far right, bogans etc. Would be naive and disingenuous to think all anglo aussies are fine with gay marriage though.

As for my footy comment, i wasnt trying to bag anyone in particular. My point is Tony abbott and his disciples are good old private school boy folks and are going to vote no. Again it's not an anglo aussie vs 'others' thing. Pretty sure many older country folks may not vote yes either.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Course there are. And then five to seven years later (on average) most of them want to get divorced.

Ok; you don't like the idea of marriage - that's your choice, good on you.

Explain to me, why the fascination with the term marriage? The legal rights are the important point, no?

That, too. But some people want a bit more than just the legal points which makes it sound soulless. The celebration of the day; the invites! The vows! The first dance! The discussion about where to sit Uncle Peter!

People can't have a great time without using the word marriage?

I'm sure they can. And some also like the whole experience of a wedding.

Interesting that you mention churches ...

Don't forget registry offices. I mentioned them as well.

I suspect this is the real objective of all the marching and protesting.

Ah; there's an ulterior motive! Dastardly plans afoot!

Queer community would like to force

Go on, I'm listening...

religious groups to recognize their unions and force religious leaders to officiate at their unions no matter how much that may go against the teachings of the religion and the personal principles/beliefs of the official.

Oh. I don't think anyone's forcing any clergy people to perform a ceremony. Rather there's people in love looking to get married. Love? You know what it is. If a church is happy to officiate; all well and good. But it's not confined to clergy...

Tolerate/recognize/celebrate me while I trample on your religious beliefs/culture/heritage.

Eh? Didn't you say that "The institution of marriage has long outlived its usefulness in society"?

How is two people in love, tying the knot, trampling on heritage? Anyway; marriage has evolved over the millennia, since its inception.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

There's plenty of people straight or otherwise who want to get married.

Course there are. And then five to seven years later (on average) most of them want to get divorced.

Nobody is forcing anyone to get hitched; rather there is a push for the choice to get married.

Explain to me, why the fascination with the term marriage? The legal rights are the important point, no?

That day in the registry office or the church etc where all the family and friends can turn up and people can have a great time.

People can't have a great time without using the word marriage? Interesting that you mention churches ... I suspect this is the real objective of all the marching and protesting. Queer community would like to force religious groups to recognize their unions and force religious leaders to officiate at their unions no matter how much that may go against the teachings of the religion and the personal principles/beliefs of the official. Tolerate/recognize/celebrate me while I trample on your religious beliefs/culture/heritage.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Queer community looks silly 'working' so hard to attain something so meaningless.

There's plenty of people straight or otherwise who want to get married.

Nobody is forcing anyone to get hitched; rather there is a push for the choice to get married.

That day in the registry office or the church etc where all the family and friends can turn up and people can have a great time.

Love and equality.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Hilarious that as the straight population abandons the institution of marriage and divorce rates soar, the queer population spends so much energy agitating to marry. Let's face it, when a civil partnership can/does provide all the legal rights of a marriage, all this demonstrating and marching seems like semantic posturing. The institution of marriage has long outlived its usefulness in society. Queer community looks silly 'working' so hard to attain something so meaningless.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

So goldorak, it's ok to lump soccer and rugby guys as anti gay? Well I'm quite a jock, yet not anti gay at all. Interesting how it's alright to discriminate in one way, but not another.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well the people I know who immigrated to Australia all told me they will vote no. And a lot of the people I know who were born there want it to happen. It's not a surprise, as cultures differ all over.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Well said TH.

Spent a big chunk of my life in oz, love the country, and completely disagree with the "homophobia is an immigrant/Muslim thing' comments made by a couple of aussies on this thread.

Religious nuts (all religions including anglo-aussie Christians), uneducated/ignorant bogans (we/oz have quite a few haven't we?), the far-right and a few other sub groups will vote against SMS in oz. And, as a rugby/soccer/league etc nut, let's not even start with the footy crowds/players shall we. Didn't take me too long to realise that aussie crowds/sports weren't much better than euro ones when it comes to homophobic slurs on/off the field, see Ian Roberts (former leaguie), the Moore/Potgieter incident (union) etc.

There's no anglo-aussie vs new aussie divide on this.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Of course; not all opponents of marriage equality are of the same ilk as the UPF.

Couple of years back and you had this crowd; Unity Australia

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/20/rally-opposing-marriage-equality-clashes-with-counter-protesters-in-sydney

As you can see from the picture; immigrants. The lot of them.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The thing the article doesn't state is, both of these cities have a large muslim population who are behind the anti-gay propaganda.

Come on disillusioned, you know as well as I do that many aussies of all backgrounds do occasionally use this term, def not a Muslim-only thing. (alleycatz is spot on).

Perso I blame Turnbull for this, a public debate over SSM was always going to get ugly. Just too good an opportunity to pass up; bogans of all backgrounds, bigots, religious zealots & co are finally given the free airtime they crave for. Even better, they get carte blanche to say whatever they want.

The saddest thing is that we didn't have to go through this. Oz is already one of the most tolerant & gay-friendly country in the world and gays/lesbians are well represented in the workplace even at the highest level of management, on tv etc. Was very naïve of Turnbull to think that we could have a 'respectful debate' about SSM in oz (or in most countries for that matter). Far too many haters in our world.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The vote will probably Australians YES and the immigrants say NO and then they win the vote.

If they can vote; surely they are Australian citizens.

What makes you think that NO voters are all immigrants, anyway? Or that all immigrants, if they could vote, would vote no?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

The vote will probably Australians YES and the immigrants say NO and then they win the vote.

-8 ( +0 / -8 )

Toasted heretic I agree the statists prove that the gay population involved in pepophile actions are less than 1% so 99% are apparently straight. Although I would argue they seem to be married and involved in child education or a member of a religious organisation, But best easier to blame those not in our club, not you by the way. Nor me.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

So freedom of choice, is now a debateable subject, love now needs government legislation. For gods sake (who ever that fictional character is) must be shaking his/ her head as we were created in their image so they say. I'm suspicious God might be gay or at least gay curious!

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

What exactly is a "bigot"??

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

A bit rich coming from a PM and gov't that is also trying to water down anti discrimination/ vilification laws, saying that we all have the right to be a bigot.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Oops, previous (but one) post should read Blair Cottrell

2 ( +4 / -2 )

oh the irony, the victims of this discrimination are being attacked by the very people they defend so vigorously any other time.

it's a circus.

It's not that ironic; unless you believe there are no LGBT Muslims or that not every Muslim is homophobic or a terrorist.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Disillusioned is on the wrong track. The posters and flyers would appear to be the work of hard right Christians who are (and have been) campaigning very hard against homosexuality in general, and same sex marriage in particular. Also, while both Melbourne and Sydney have muslim populations, they are a very tiny number among a very diverse population.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

The thing the article doesn't state is, both of these cities have a large muslim population who are behind the anti-gay propaganda.

Well; you'll just have to give a link/source/citation, then.

It wouldn't be Balir Cottrell and his UPF clowns, surely?

6 ( +8 / -2 )

The thing the article doesn't state is, both of these cities have a large muslim population who are behind the anti-gay propaganda.

oh the irony, the victims of this discrimination are being attacked by the very people they defend so vigorously any other time.

it's a circus.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

a poster emblazoned "stop the fags" was put up in central Melbourne and flyers describing homosexuality as "a curse of death" were distributed in suburban Sydney.

The thing the article doesn't state is, both of these cities have a large muslim population who are behind the anti-gay propaganda.

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

In early signs the debate could turn toxic, a poster emblazoned "stop the fags" was put up in central Melbourne and flyers describing homosexuality as "a curse of death" were distributed in suburban Sydney.

Frightened, ignorant, hateful.

And if I'm "caricaturing" those fine people, so be it.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

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