Vilifying the LGBTI !

Throwing the marriage equality question into the public arena by way of a postal vote to determine the wishes of the people will unleash the greatest misinformation tirade as the churches delve deep into the box of dirty tricks to try and deliver a " no " result.

It looks like what will pass for a " debate " will be an open slather to trot out as fact all the wild accusations that have been proven spurious but which cast doubt on how the LGBTI community treat children and interact with the social mores of this country.

The usual laws that apply to electoral matters will not apply because this vote will be supervised by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and not the Australian Electoral Commission.  In such a short campaign period we can expect the economic power of the churches to magnify the use of " fake news " on social media to vilify the LGBTI with all sort of unproven claims and the wildest rhetoric that is presented without any proof of validity.

It is clear that the " No " case will be spear headed by Tony Abbott, a man who once trained to be a priest and has made it clear that he wishes the views of the Catholic church to be the same laws that apply to citizens of this country.  The unyielding views and dogma of the Catholic church bitterly oppose all and every aspect of LGBTI life and conduct.

It is too much to hope that both sides of this debate would present their case in a clear, concise and respectful manner and allow the public to make their decision.  The mix of politics and religion has prevented having the matter settled in the parliament and now it has been thrown into the public arena with a vote that will not be binding when it comes to the politicians casting their individual votes to legalise the matter - if it actually gets to take place.

This postal vote will be subjected to a high court challenge instigated by Independent Hobart MP Andrew Wilkie.  A postal vote is very different from a referendum and without the rules and scrutiny of the Australian Electoral Commission whatever verdict it delivers could be open to challenge.  The process will cost in excess of a hundred million dollars and probably more than that will be spent on advertising by the protagonists from both sides of the debate.

Australia is clearly out of step with the rest of the world.  Marriage equality is legal in many countries with a similar lifestyle and when it went to a referendum in Ireland, a country where the Catholic church holds sway over almost the entire population - it got the nod of approval despite that religious bodies implacable opposition.   The opposition to LGBTI in most of the world is concentrated where education has yet to penetrate and where the voodoo of religion has its strongest hold.

Sadly, the " hate " campaigns that are now inevitable are going to turn some people into bigots who make life miserable for emerging " Gays " who are struggling to find their place in our multicultural society.   We would be wise to look across the Tasman to New Zealand - where this matter reached a logical conclusion and no longer draws interest or attention.