GAY TRUTH

Julia Gillard speaking at the lanch of the Australian Multicultural Council (AMC) and a new local ambassadors program to champion inclusion and highlight the benefits of Australia’s diversity. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) TOLERANCE has often been a clarion call for the liberal left, but a creeping intolerance in political debate is emerging most fiercely from, of all people, progressives. (The Australian) Those politicians, activists and organisations who seek social change should be especially aware of the need for a plurality of views in open debate. How else to seek progressive change if you are not prepared to hear, discuss and, perhaps, overcome prevailing attitudes? Trying to shout down the status quo or prevent conservative voices from being heard is no way to show respect for mainstream values, much less win people over. We raise this at the end of a week in which Julia Gillard cancelled a speaking engagement with the Australian Christian Lobby because she disagr

The Prime Minister is again under pressure on the issue of gay marriage as the Labor Premier of Tasmania , Lara Giddings , said she would face down any constitutional challenge of proposed legislation for same-sex marriage in her state. The proposed Tasmanian legislation is a departure from Ms Gillard 's vocal political and personal opposition to same-sex marriage and yesterday she made it clear she considered gay marriage to be a federal concern. ''The Marriage Act is a federal law and we do have a bill before the federal Parliament dealing with same-sex marriage,'' the Prime Minister told reporters in Cairns . ''I determined that this should be a conscience vote for the Labor Party and people will be free to determine how they vote.'' The Greens called upon Ms Gillard to rule out a constitutional challenge to the Tasmanian legislation but she did not. ''We don't have any details on [the Tasmanian gay marriage bill], so it's fa