Gay marriage - the moral obligation of our time

This was an occasion where despite the mob voting for the denigration and discrimination of 10 per cent of the population, authorities put freedom first. Blast democracy if it undermines the integrity of our freedom! In Australia, we are nothing if we are not free, first and foremost, and where democracy threatens this, it too must be set aside in aid of a higher authority. This is precisely why I care about gay marriage. As a proud Australian, I am nothing if I am not free. And as Australians, WE are nothing if WE ALL are not free.

At home, there are two obstacles blocking the civil rights of same-sex couples. To those that would seek to stop gay marriage, like Tony Abbott and his mates in the Catholic Church, it’s time to say that we will no longer be lectured by a pack of superstitious virgins. Any notions of Catholic morality died with the revelation that women who attempt to become priests face excommunication, but male priests who rape and torture children do not. Thinkers of this kind have no place in the Australian moral discourse. So, Tony Abbott can keep his arbitrary moral values (and I use the term “moral” in its loosest possible sense) to himself.

The second obstacle is in the form of our “dear leader” Julia Gillard, who, like many Australians, has decided that doing nothing is the path to remaining neutral - the “I’m not gay, so it’s not my problem” lot. These people need to know that doing nothing is itself a decisive and deliberate course of action.

To again pick an example from the rather low hanging fruit of the Catholic Church, they too sat on the sidelines and did nothing to stop the spread of anti-Semitism and the holocaust.

To do nothing is a choice, and it’s a choice that is responsible for the suffering and misery of our gay brothers and sisters, 2.3 million of them (statistically speaking).

The time for action is now. The political capital is there, the majority of Australians want “all Australians” to be free to marry someone of their choosing. Last Saturday we stood together in Melbourne and Brisbane. This weekend, (November 27, 2010) Sydney and Adelaide will rally for same-sex marriage. Join us at the march on Saturday - bring your friends, bring your family, bring the dog. Not for the sake of Gay Australians only, but for the sake of all Australians.

And on November 27, if you live in Victoria, vote for the party or candidate who will uphold Australia’s great tradition. A country where freedom reigns supreme.