Saturday, September 30, 2017 9:28:29 PM
The many myths of the same-sex marriage campaign
"Jared Kushner financials vs. his foreign policy role"
.. this article refers to an Australian campaign however much of the same myth abounds in the
USA. The same overseas stories mentioned here have been misrepresented in your country, too ..
Michael Koziol
30 Sep 2017, 4:09 p.m.
Safe Schools supporters and protesters clash during a Safe Schools protest in Civic Square on Saturday.
Rev. David Kim with one of the ACT Christian Democratic Party's anti safe schools campaign
signs after it had been vandalised at his home. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Two weeks ago, a relatively unknown entity on the same-sex marriage scene stepped up to the podium at the National Press Club to launch the "no" campaign. Karina Okotel, federal vice-president of the Liberal Party, was a good fit for the job - young, brown and female, she made a refreshing change from the leading spokespeople in this debate and in politics, period.
Okotel's journey from naive leftie to right-thinking conservative roused the rent-a-crowd audience, who applauded on cue with gusto. But the speech - like the "no" campaign more broadly - relied heavily on scary stories from overseas which don't withstand deeper scrutiny.
[...]
Okotel also deployed the example of a British social work student expelled from university over Facebook posts "about marriage". In fact, the posts called homosexuality sinful and an "abomination". Whether the university was right to eject him is questionable and will indeed be interrogated in court. But these are all problems that exist already when an individual's speech comes into conflict with an organisation's values - not consequences of changing marriage laws.
- US rapper Macklemore found himself at the centre of Australia's same-sex marriage debate. Photo: AP
And same-sex marriage opponents showed their own censorious side this week in calling for US rapper Macklemore to be banned from performing one of his signature songs, Same Love, at the NRL grand final. "It's interesting, isn't it," observed Brandis, "that the first person that has called for something to be banned is Tony Abbott."
3. Parents will lose their rights
The Coalition for Marriage's prime-time television advertisements concern children. They galvanise residual fears about the Safe Schools program, the anti-bullying initiative which seeks to foster greater empathy with gay, lesbian and transgender kids. Some of the program's additional resources explore ideas that challenge simplistic understandings of gender. In particular, The Gender Fairy tells children: "Only you know whether you are a boy or a girl. No one can tell you."
To some, that is a "radical" and inappropriate notion for minors to consider. For others, it's an affirmation of the simple, scientific truth: transgender kids exist.
[...]
Okotel told the Press Club of an Orthodox Jewish school in London facing closure for neglecting to teach students about homosexuality and gender. "Because same-sex marriage is legal," she said, the authorities declared the school was failing to provide a full understanding of British values.
But a reading of the inspector's findings reveals same-sex marriage was not mentioned at all. The school was pinged for failing to adequately teach students the "personal, social, health and economic" curriculum, including respect and tolerance for people of different sexual orientation. This stemmed from legislation introduced in 2010, before same-sex marriage was legalised in Britain.
Indeed, the school also failed its inspections on a number of other counts, including facility maintenance, medical rooms and drinking water - problems which it has now rectified. But none of this made its way into Okotel's presentation.
The broader point is that Western countries have moved towards greater acceptance of LGBTI people, whether at school or in marriage laws. The Coalition for Marriage hopes for no less than to halt this trend worldwide. As spokeswoman Sophie York told the Sydney campaign launch to thunderous applause: "I truly believe we Aussies can start a push back."
http://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/4958306/the-many-myths-of-the-same-sex-marriage-campaign/
Okotel misrepresents, and Sophie York is delusional. I've told y'all before we have them in Australia, too.
--
Posted specifically to this one in your "stashed September 17, 2017:"
Australia’s Prime Minister Defends Religious Liberty Amid Same-Sex Marriage Poll - Reuters
“Churches are free to marry whoever they like,” Malcolm Turnbull said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/malcolm-turnbull-religious-liberty-law_us_59bdcb40e4b086432b07a483
original https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-gaymarriage-religion/australias-turnbull-defends-religious-freedom-amid-gay-marriage-poll-idUSKCN1BR07A
"Jared Kushner financials vs. his foreign policy role"
.. this article refers to an Australian campaign however much of the same myth abounds in the
USA. The same overseas stories mentioned here have been misrepresented in your country, too ..
Michael Koziol
30 Sep 2017, 4:09 p.m.
Safe Schools supporters and protesters clash during a Safe Schools protest in Civic Square on Saturday.
Rev. David Kim with one of the ACT Christian Democratic Party's anti safe schools campaign
signs after it had been vandalised at his home. Photo: Sitthixay Ditthavong
Two weeks ago, a relatively unknown entity on the same-sex marriage scene stepped up to the podium at the National Press Club to launch the "no" campaign. Karina Okotel, federal vice-president of the Liberal Party, was a good fit for the job - young, brown and female, she made a refreshing change from the leading spokespeople in this debate and in politics, period.
Okotel's journey from naive leftie to right-thinking conservative roused the rent-a-crowd audience, who applauded on cue with gusto. But the speech - like the "no" campaign more broadly - relied heavily on scary stories from overseas which don't withstand deeper scrutiny.
[...]
Okotel also deployed the example of a British social work student expelled from university over Facebook posts "about marriage". In fact, the posts called homosexuality sinful and an "abomination". Whether the university was right to eject him is questionable and will indeed be interrogated in court. But these are all problems that exist already when an individual's speech comes into conflict with an organisation's values - not consequences of changing marriage laws.
And same-sex marriage opponents showed their own censorious side this week in calling for US rapper Macklemore to be banned from performing one of his signature songs, Same Love, at the NRL grand final. "It's interesting, isn't it," observed Brandis, "that the first person that has called for something to be banned is Tony Abbott."
3. Parents will lose their rights
The Coalition for Marriage's prime-time television advertisements concern children. They galvanise residual fears about the Safe Schools program, the anti-bullying initiative which seeks to foster greater empathy with gay, lesbian and transgender kids. Some of the program's additional resources explore ideas that challenge simplistic understandings of gender. In particular, The Gender Fairy tells children: "Only you know whether you are a boy or a girl. No one can tell you."
To some, that is a "radical" and inappropriate notion for minors to consider. For others, it's an affirmation of the simple, scientific truth: transgender kids exist.
[...]
Okotel told the Press Club of an Orthodox Jewish school in London facing closure for neglecting to teach students about homosexuality and gender. "Because same-sex marriage is legal," she said, the authorities declared the school was failing to provide a full understanding of British values.
But a reading of the inspector's findings reveals same-sex marriage was not mentioned at all. The school was pinged for failing to adequately teach students the "personal, social, health and economic" curriculum, including respect and tolerance for people of different sexual orientation. This stemmed from legislation introduced in 2010, before same-sex marriage was legalised in Britain.
Indeed, the school also failed its inspections on a number of other counts, including facility maintenance, medical rooms and drinking water - problems which it has now rectified. But none of this made its way into Okotel's presentation.
The broader point is that Western countries have moved towards greater acceptance of LGBTI people, whether at school or in marriage laws. The Coalition for Marriage hopes for no less than to halt this trend worldwide. As spokeswoman Sophie York told the Sydney campaign launch to thunderous applause: "I truly believe we Aussies can start a push back."
http://www.northqueenslandregister.com.au/story/4958306/the-many-myths-of-the-same-sex-marriage-campaign/
Okotel misrepresents, and Sophie York is delusional. I've told y'all before we have them in Australia, too.
--
Posted specifically to this one in your "stashed September 17, 2017:"
Australia’s Prime Minister Defends Religious Liberty Amid Same-Sex Marriage Poll - Reuters
“Churches are free to marry whoever they like,” Malcolm Turnbull said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/malcolm-turnbull-religious-liberty-law_us_59bdcb40e4b086432b07a483
original https://www.reuters.com/article/us-australia-gaymarriage-religion/australias-turnbull-defends-religious-freedom-amid-gay-marriage-poll-idUSKCN1BR07A
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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