LGBTQ family groups in Australia are taking action to stop a proposed referendum (plebiscite) on marriage equality, saying it would be damaging to children and families.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who has said he supports marriage for same-sex couples, is pushing for a plebiscite as a prelude to a vote in Parliament, and told the Guardian, “I have no doubt the plebiscite will be carried and the same-sex marriage legislation will then sale [sic] through the Parliament.”
Nevertheless, the Labor and Green Parties, which support marriage equality, oppose a “pointless” and expensive ($160 million) plebiscite in favor of a free vote in Parliament—where it would likely pass.
Turnbull, however, “inherited the promise to hold a plebiscite from his predecessor, Tony Abbott,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported, adding that holding one “is part of the Liberal/National coalition agreement.” Turnbull “would face a massive backlash from conservatives within his own party” if he abandoned a plebiscite. A plebiscite, to me, seems a last-ditch effort by equality opponents to slow down progress.
Rainbow Families Council and Rainbow Families NSW (New South Wales), organizations for LGBTQ families, oppose the idea of a popular vote on marriage. They are meeting with politicians next Tuesday to say “For the kids’sake, please no plebiscite.”
They explain, “A plebiscite campaign will subject our children and families to many months of stress, anxiety and hate speech. We fear the impact this will have on all of us, but especially those who are more isolated or vulnerable.”
We saw this happen in the U.S. during the time of Prop 8 in California, with kids of same-sex parents seeing anti-equality ads and worrying whether their families would be torn apart.
The organizations are urging Australians to take photos of their families holding downloadable placards about the plebiscite, and to e-mail them to the organizations by this Friday for sharing with politicians next week. You can also Like their Facebook page and grab images to use in your own social media.
A popular vote on marriage equality—or any civil right—is never a good thing, as we’ve seen in the U.S. as well. As then-Mayor of Newark (now U.S. Senator) Cory Booker put it when the question of a marriage referendum in New Jersey came up in 2012, “Dear God, we should not put civil rights issues to a popular vote to be subject to the sentiments and passions of the day. No minority should have their civil rights subject to the passions and sentiments of the majority.”
