Nick Jensen threatens to divorce in protest of gay marriage in Canberra CityNews article

THESE two said they’ll get divorced if gay people are allowed to marry each other. Now they’re copping a fearsome backlash.

A CANBERRA couple has announced their intention to divorce if gay people are allowed to get married too.

Nick Jensen, who posed with his wife Sarah on the cover of the latest issue of Canberra CityNews, writes of the Christian couple’s decision to end their marriage under the headline, “Gay law change may force us to divorce”.

“My wife and I just celebrated our 10-year anniversary. But later this year, we may be getting a divorce,” he writes.

“The decision to divorce is not one we’ve taken lightly. And certainly, it’s not one that many will readily understand. And that’s because it’s not a traditional divorce.”

Mr Jensen goes on to explain the divorce plan, where the pair will continue to live together, have more kids, and refer to each other as husband and wife, but will legally end their marriage because they believe “marriage is not a human invention”.

“Our view is that marriage is a fundamental order of creation. Part of God’s human history. Marriage is the union of a man and a woman before a community in the sight of God. And marriage of any couple is important to God regardless of whether that couple recognises God’s involvement or authority in it,” he writes.

In the piece, Jensen describes the intervention of the state into marriage as “odd”, and says he and his wife refuse to recognise the government’s regulation of marriage if its definition includes same sex couples.

“If our federal parliament votes to change the timeless and organic definition of marriage later on this year, it will have moved against the fundamental and foundational building block of Australian society and, indeed, human culture everywhere,” he writes.

“Indeed, it raises a red flag when a government decides it is not content only having sovereignty over land, taxes and the military — but ‘words’ themselves.

“This is why we are willing to divorce. By changing the definition of marriage, ‘marriage’ will, in years to come, have an altogether different sense and purpose.”

The Canberra CityNews, an independent publication distributed in local businesses and published online, has faced comments from angry readers “appalled” by its decision to publish the piece.

“This is absolutely disgusting, not to mention homophobic. I can’t believe such an article was published. You should be ashamed and you definitely owe to gay community an apology,” Natalie Sarah wrote on Facebook.

“I hope this is a publicity stunt. If it isn’t then you massively shot yourself in the foot with this one Canberra CityNews,” Ross Kosub Garrett said on Facebook.

The magazine’s editor, Ian Meikle, has defended his decision to publish the story, rejecting suggestions it was supporting a “homophobic” view.

“I think this couple had an interesting angle, and that it was newsworthy,” he told news.com.au.

“The article does not reflect the opinion of the paper. We published arguments and I decided it was a serious enough argument to genuinely warrant some attention.

“It’s an unusual love story, and what would life be if people didn’t have different ways of life.”

Mr Jensen is referred to in the article as director of the Lachlan Macquarie Institute and has previously been employed by the Australian Christian Lobby.

The conservative lobby group is publicly against same sex marriage and encourages people to email MPs and senators to vocalise their objection under its “preserving marriage” campaign.

Mr Jensen concluded his article saying he and his wife “know we are not alone” in their decision to divorce in protest.

Originally published as Nick Jensen threatens to divorce in protest of gay marriage in Canberra CityNews article