OPINION: ‘Why Scott Morrison is totally wrong about gay marriage’

OPINION: Scott Morrison recently wrote a letter detailing why he is opposed to gay marriage. Here, Gavin Fernando goes through all four points and explains why they’re all off the mark.

Scott Morrison

WHEN you think about it, same-sex marriage is hardly outrageous. It’s unifying. It’s monogamising. It’s downright conservative.

It’s saying, “Let’s publicly proclaim our love for each other, and grow old together until we drop dead. Let me reveal to you my oversized grey Kmart underwear, comforted by the fact you now have no escape. Let’s — to quote that romantic fellow Mussolini — ‘bury the putrid corpse of liberty’.”

Marriage equality is inevitable, no matter how much the Tony Abbotts pretend the Malcolm Turnbulls have no say on the issue.

The Senate is set to debate its sanctity, with Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm introducing his “Freedom To Marry” bill into parliament. A number of Liberal MPs already proclaimed their support, including Malcolm Turnbull, Simon Birmingham and Arthur Sinodinos. Even Julie Bishop said she has an “open mind” about it.

But Social Services Minister Scott Morrison is having none of it. A letter he wrote to one of his constituents on the issue was recently published on the news site SameSame, where he made his position clear. As he has every right to, being an elected Member of Parliament and part of a democratic society.

So in the spirit of that democracy, let’s run through his key points.

Social Services Minister Scott Morrison in Question Time in the House of Representatives Chamber, Parliament House in Canberra.

Morrisism 1: Marriage is about children, raising them, providing for the survival of the species.

This is ultimately about a child’s natural right to a mother and father.

In other words, heterosexual couples who do not or cannot have children should not be allowed to get married.

What’s that? You’re a post-menopausal woman who has recently found love? Away with you, Satanic mistress! Your malfunctioned ovaries are a stain upon tradition!

Culturally, procreation is increasingly becoming detached from marriage. “Child-free” families have been expected to increase by 1.2 million, or over 70 per cent, between 1996 and 2021, according to projections by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The average number of children per family has dropped from 2.7 to 1.7 in the past 50 years. As Social Services Minister, Mr Morrison, will you be enforcing a nationwide crackdown on these diabolical child-free heterosexual heathens?

With childless families projected to become the most common family type by next year, should we just throw up our hands and outlaw marriage altogether?

Morrisism 2: Religions and cultures over centuries have held that family is optimally based on the union of a man and a woman.

Marriage today is not exclusively about religion. It’s about the state. It’s a secular contract. The gays aren’t lining up outside Fred Nile’s shiny church door demanding he bind them in holy matrimony.

Couples of the same religion marry. Couples of different religions marry. Couples of no religion marry.

A Galaxy Research poll found 53 per cent of Australian Christians support marriage equality, proving religious adherence doesn’t necessarily equate to religious stereotypes.

The Pew Research Centre found only 1 in 5 Australians believe religion is important. Which is a little out of step with the 72 per cent in favour of marriage equality. You do the math.

Government front benchers Julie Bishop, Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Pyne and Scott Morrison during Question Time today in the House of Representatives, Federal Parliament, Canberra.

Morrisism 3: I do not believe that tested wisdom over centuries has been overwhelmed by more contemporary arguments.

Luxembourg. Scotland. Wales. England. Brazil. France. New Zealand. Argentina. Iceland. Portugal. Sweden. 37 states in the USA. Just a few nations where same-sex marriage has been recently legalised without devastating social consequences.

Oh, and let’s not forget those less-than-desirable ‘traditions’ that we’ve since thankfully outlawed: women not having the right to vote. Segregation. Slavery. Burning witches at the stake. The hipster mullet (the law will get there — just have faith).

Cultures evolve. Traditions change. People progress. That’s why we’re no longer lounging in caves wearing fur.

Morrisism 4: (The failure of too many heterosexual marriages) is a genuine national tragedy, not an argument for same sex marriage.

Woah — where did that connection come from? How exactly will allowing gay people to marry impact on failing heterosexual marriages? Unless gay people are known to violently storm wedding ceremonies, or perform a magical interpretative dance to exacerbate the “poverty, disadvantage, mental illness and related conditions” which primarily cause family breakdown, it’s safe to assume they’ll have no impact on heterosexual marriages.

If anyone is worried the marriage of two gay strangers will somehow affect their own relationship, they should probably look into underlying reasons for that. It sounds like a house built on somewhat shaky ground.

The funniest thing about the marriage equality movement is how ironically conservative it is. Marriage is one of society’s most iconic traditions. It’s not about changing the norm. It’s about joining it. It’s about contributing to a nation built on family, love and unification.

Hopefully, our elected members will keep in mind that the desire to commit yourself to a monogamous relationship is far from dangerous or radical.

It’s simply human.

Follow @GavinDFernando on Twitter.