Same-sex marriage myths driven by deceit and ignorance
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| English: Michael Hendricks (right) and René Leboeuf, photo showing both their faces. Taken at their wedding (the first same-sex marriage in Quebec), 1 April 2004. Photo by Montrealais. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Polling is often about the questions asked and how they are worded — 78 per cent of the 1000 surveyed by Crosby Textor last year agreed that “if it doesn’t hurt anyone else, gay couples should be able to do what makes them happy, including marry”.
I’m surprised the response isn’t higher. If there is no harm in something and it makes people happy, why not agree?
“Excluding same-sex couples from marriage fosters discrimination,” said 78 per cent. Yes it does, the Marriage Act is discriminatory, that is why not everyone can marry.
We all experience discrimination. Not being allowed to go in the ladies toilet if you are a bloke or to get a home loan without a deposit or decent security.
There is a difference between positive, just discrimination (as in these examples) from negative, unjust discrimination.
Discrimination in the Marriage Act is positive and just to regulate a life commitment between a man and woman, binding them for the nurture of children.
It is a myth to say all discrimination is bad.
There are many other myths supporting the idea of same-sex marriage.
“No one is hurt by this reform,” says Australians for Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome.
Tell that to the hundreds who have lost jobs, businesses and livelihoods for objecting to same-sex marriage or not providing services for same-sex weddings in jurisdictions where it is legal.
Tell that to the thousands of children who will not know their mother (or father) and whose genetic ancestry is unattainable. Elton John admitted after the birth of his first baby the child will be “heartbroken” when he learns he doesn’t have a mum. The reality is he does, she is an anonymous Indian paid to donate her eggs.
Same-sex marriage normalises brokenness in children’s lives either relationally, from the separation from biological parents, or through genetic and biological brokenness via assisted reproductive technologies where mums or dads are often anonymous donors. No one is hurt?
The notion of marriage equality is a fallacy. To say the relationship between two men or two women is equivalent to that of a man and a woman is not true. The latter is complementary on many levels, and has potential for procreation. These differences are important.
Aristotle summed up this myth well: “The worst form of inequality is to try and make unequal things equal.”
Taking the marriage equality myth to its end means marriage for all groups seeking it. One such group is the polyamorists (multi-partner relationships). Think this is far-fetched? They too have had floats in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and there have been calls for equal marriage rights from the Polyamory Action Lobby.
Children raised by same-sex couples do equally if not better than those raised by a mum and dad? This is saying the role of mum or dad is not important for a child. There is an overwhelming body of research indicating children do best with married, biological parents.
Methodologically flawed surveys will continue to pop up, imploring the uninformed to ignore the obvious.
Same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue? Homosexuality cannot be equated with race or gender equality movements. Are people being excluded from voting, entering shops or using public transport?
There is no empirical evidence to suggest people are born gay, unlike race or gender. Research shows most who are predominantly same-sex attracted as teens will not be so in their 20s.
The European Court of Human Rights last year reiterated that same-sex marriage is not a human right.
Same-sex marriage in Australia is inevitable? The media makes much of other countries legalising same-sex marriage, but only 17 of about 200 nations in the world, less than 10 per cent, have national same-sex marriage laws. Hardly a majority.
We hear little about countries like Italy, Croatia and Northern Ireland who, like our own, recently rejected pushes for same-sex marriage.
Homosexuals make up about 10 per cent of the population? Latrobe University did the largest, most thorough survey in 2014. It found 3.5 per cent of Australians identify as non-heterosexual. The 2011 census shows homosexual couples make up about 1 per cent of Australian couples.
Most gay couples want to get married? Why then, after more than 18 months of legal same-sex marriage, have less than 10 per cent of New Zealand gay couples done so?
Twenty years ago stating such facts as I have here would have been ho-hum. Today it is controversial. Such is the nature of deceit.
As George Orwell noted: “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
Mark Brown is state director of the Australian Christian Lobby.
