Anti-same-sex marriage groups officially launch ‘no’ campaign
A NEW TV ad launched by the ‘no’ campaign has shown how the marriage debate has come down to a single word.
IT’S the word you’re going to hear a lot over the coming weeks. You’ll hear it on the radio, see it on ads, you may even pick up the phone and have a recorded voice parrot it to you.
The messaging by opponents of same-sex marriage is coalescing around a single term — “radical”.
It’s the word designed to move the debate away from marriage itself and into other areas such as education and freedom of speech.
In just the last 24 hours, we’ve heard it several times.
A new advert from the Coalition for Marriage, the chief ‘no’ campaign, shows a mum complaining about “radical gender ideas”. While on Saturday, a spokeswoman from the same organisation was quoted talking about “radical gay sex and gender education classes”.
On Saturday evening, the Coalition for Marriage will hold its official campaign launch in Sydney. Expect to hear the word “radical” spoken loudly and repeated often.
The launch comes as police investigate claims same-sex marriage ballots are being auctioned off on eBay. There are also fears for the survey’s reliability after dozens of forms were found strewn across a Canberra street.
The use of the term “radical” is part of what the ‘yes’ side claim is a deliberate strategy by the ‘no’ campaign to move the focus to issues that will not be changed by the law — such as what in taught in schools — because they know most Australians would be happy for gay couples to wed.
On Friday evening, the Coalition for Marriage’s new ad dropped. It’s very similar to the organisation’s controversial first ad — it even features two of the same people.
The new ad focuses on a book called The Gender Fairy with one woman, church pastor Heidi McIvor, saying: “School programs have no place teaching my son radical gender ideas that he might not be who he was born as.”
On the Coalition for Marriage’s Facebook page many people have taken issue with the ad, an ad that doesn’t actually mention marriage.
“Too funny — again nothing to do with marriage equality. This book is not even part of the Safe Schools program but you are trying to insinuate it is. The lies are just getting weirder every day,” said one respondent.
Tiernan Brady, the head of the Equality Campaign, which is advocating a ‘yes’ vote, said the anti-same-sex marriage side was deliberately misdirecting the debate.
“The campaigners against marriage equality understand that the Australian people have long since made their minds up to support equal dignity for family and friends who happen to be gay.
“So if you can’t win the argument, you have to try to trick people into thinking that it’s about something else,” he wrote in The Daily Telegraph.
Nonetheless, the ‘no’ campaign insist giving the green light to same-sex marriage will lead to other outcomes. And the word “radical” seem to be the term they are using to encapsulate that concept.
Last week, many Australians started receiving robocalls from an organisation called ARG that purported to be conducting a phone poll.
But the questions were somewhat leading. One asked: “Legalising same-sex marriage may lead to negative consequences such as radical gay sex education being taught in schools. Thinking again do you support or oppose changing the laws to legalise same-sex marriage?”
Those advocating for a law change say the statement is baloney as the only consequence will be two people marrying.
Some have theorised the calls were less about opinion polls and more about pushing people toward voting ‘no’, or possibly testing out messages to repeat during the campaign.
That campaign will come to a head on Saturday when opponents of same-sex marriage hold a major launch event in Sydney as millions of Australians cast their votes in a postal survey.
The Coalition for Marriage will hear from speakers including senators Cory Bernardi and Matt Canavan and Australian Christian Lobby chief Lyle Shelton.
Spokeswoman Sophie York said the group is concerned about the possible flow-on effects of changing the Marriage Act.
“Many parents are concerned about their rights as radical gay sex and gender education classes become more widespread and even compulsory,” Ms York said. “Changing our marriage laws also gives license to activists who will weaponise anti-discrimination laws to target those who hold to the current definition of marriage.”
However, ‘Yes’ campaigners are also pushing hard — both collectively — and individually.
On Saturday, the Australian Medical Association raised potential health concerns for the LGBTI community as a result of the campaign.
Dozens of medical professionals and students including former federal AMA presidents rallied to support the Yes campaign at Sydney’s Martin Place.
Meanwhile, many gay couples have been busy sending letters to their neighbours to introduce themselves and ask they vote for marriage equality.
In Crows Nest, on Sydney’s North Shore, Angus Dalton and his partner Alex have been leafleting their suburb.
In their letter, which has been shared online, the couple write: “We would love to get married one day, but at the moment we can’t, and that hurts.”
The couple said the lack of same-sex marriage meant they missed out on tax concessions and the right to take carer’s leave to look after one another.
On Saturday, the Australian Federal Police confirmed they were looking into claims people were trying to sell their same sex-marriage survey forms online.
Forms have cropped up on eBay with one being sold off for $1500, ABC reported. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has admitted it hadn’t planned for people hocking their votes online.
“This particular line of fraudulent activity is not one that we, in our mitigation strategies, identified a need to liaise with the AFP earlier, so we are doing it now,” ABS deputy statistician Jonathan Palmer told a Senate Committee before the forms were sent out.
Mr Palmer said he was working with auction sites, also including Gumtree, to remove posts from people offering up their vote.
The ABC has also said dozens of same-sex marriage survey envelopes were found rain damaged across a Canberra street after apparently being stacked on top of mailboxes.
It’s raised concerns that envelopes could be tampered with or stolen.
The ABS has said around half the ballot packs have now been sent out to around 16 million Australians. People have until November 7 to post the forms back.
Originally published as Anti-same-sex marriage groups officially launch ‘no’ campaign