Yes bigotry ‘is worse than racism’

Liberal Party vice-president Karina Okotel says she has faced bigotry for being against same-sex marriage.

Liberal Party vice-president Karina Okotel. Picture: Chris Eastman

Liberal Party vice-president Karina Okotel says the “disturbing” bigotry she has faced for being against same-sex marriage is worse than any racist labels she endured because of her Sri Lankan background.

In a split with federal party president Nick Greiner on the same-sex marriage campaign, Ms Okotel will be advocating a No vote in the postal survey.

Ms Okotel rebuked Mr Greiner’s claim there were not broader implications to the vote such as freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

She said she had been racially vilified for her skin colour but that discrimination paled in comparison to what is levelled at her when she argues that the Marriage Act should not be changed.

“I do from time to time experience discrimination on the basis of race,” she writes in The Australian today.

“I have, for example, been refused service in shops and people have made derogatory comments about the colour of my skin.

“I have even been told to go back to my own country, which is difficult given that I was born in Australia. However, the discrim­ination and hate I have faced just by querying whether we should be legalising same-sex marriage has been like nothing I have experienced before.”

Ms Okotel, a Victorian lawyer who become one of the party’s vice-presidents in June, said she was disturbed by the “hateful” ­labels of bigot and homophobe regularly issued at advocates of traditional marriage.

“A friend told me on Friday that her primary-aged son was bullied when he said he didn’t ­support same-sex marriage on Wear it Purple Day,” Ms Okotel said.

“I wonder what life will be like for my own kids should they themselves form a view that supports traditional marriage. In order to protect them, will I have to caution them to keep their views to themselves, not to ask questions and not speak up?”

Mr Greiner, a former NSW premier who was this week named patron of the Coalition’s Yes campaign for the same-sex marriage survey, slammed tactics from the No camp in trying to make it a debate about other ­issues.

“The deliberate conflating of issues only happens when ­people know they cannot win an argument on its merits,” he said.

“Conflation should be called out for what it is, a debating ­device.”

Ms Okotel said it was not conflating issues to be conscious of the ramifications of a Yes result.

“There are very real consequences in terms of freedom of speech, religion and association — foundational values of the Liberal Party — if same-sex marriage is legalised,” she said.

“The consequences confirm this is about much more than marriage.

“Threats to fundamental tenets of liberalism and democracy … are too real and significant to be cast aside. Liberals across Australia want to see these championed by their party and parliament.”

Yesterday, conservative senator Cory Bernardi said same-sex marriage was a “rainbow Trojan horse” for radical Safe Schools-style gender and sexuality education programs.