Relax and let it happen
Bruce Watson’s claim, that the same-sex plebiscite was “denied to the public”, sets the scene for a long letter, warning us of the dangers of a certain Irishman, who has come to Australia to repeat the successes he campaigned for in Ireland, where they voted to legalise same-sex marriage. (NDL Letters 16/2/17).
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During the fiasco of the attempt to pass legislation on the plebiscite, Australian senators responded to the ground-swell of opinion in favour of same-sex marriage and allowing for a conscience vote in parliament, rather than wasting $16million on a plebiscite. The government tried to threaten that this had put same-sex legislation back years, but there was simply no justification for saying or believing this. Now there is hope of a marriage equality bill as soon as next month, and people like Mr Watson are getting nervous.
Bring it on, I say. We don’t need the Irishman to tell us what to think. We are a sophisticated mob, and most people already understand that the time for marriage equality has arrived. Opinion polls have been showing this for many months.
Mr Watson worries about fundamental values, but his values are different to mine. He believes that, because he doesn’t want marriage equality, no-one should have it.
Do we really need all this angst? Homosexuality has not been a criminal offence in NSW for 35 years. Homosexuals have always been a part of our society. Who has the nerve, in this day and age, to say they can’t have the same rights as every other member of the community. Where is the justification for denying them the right to join the person they love in a legal marriage.
It’s not about “politics, economics, law, philosophy or religion”, Mr Watson. It is simply about love, love of our fellow man. Just relax and let it happen.
Jan Morris
West Tamworth
