Home   >   News   >   Local news   >   Opponents flooding marriage survey

Opponents flooding marriage survey

By on March 16, 2012

Opponents of same-sex marriage are flooding the House of Representatives’ survey on the marriage equality bills before Parliament, while the Senate has published more of the submissions to its inquiry into the issue.

Sixty-five percent of respondents to the House of Representatives survey, which was set up by Greens MP Adam Bandt and asks people whether they are in favour of or opposed to the bills and their reasons why, oppose marriage equality. The tally of published submissions from the Senate inquiry is running at 43 against and 31 for.

Some of those opposing marriage equality claimed that same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry because they can’t have children, or would have too many children, or could potentially molest their own children.

“The risk of homosexual abuse, where a boy is being raised by two homosexual men, should give any reasonable person pause for thought,” Graham and Carol Phillips wrote.

“It beggars belief that society would allow such an abhorrent experiment on children.

“The lifestyles of homosexuals are notoriously promiscuous, providing, for many children, therefore, not only an upbringing skewed away from the traditional mother and father paradigm, but an upbringing within a lifestyle of regular promiscuity.”

John Rietveld wrote that it was not wrong to discriminate against people.

“We discriminate against thirteen and fourteen year old children being given the right to have an automobile license, even though many are competent drivers,” he wrote.

“We discriminate against children being sent off to war as soldiers, even though many are capable of using a rifle effectively and efficiently.

“Marriage between a man and a woman is fruitful. It brings life. It sustains society. It is generative. It enhances human development. It encourages growth. Homosexuality does not and cannot.”

Geoff Lapthorn wrote that there would be consequences for children who grew up without a mother and a father, quoting from an article he found on the internet.


“A father teaches a boy how to properly channel his aggressive and sexual drives,” Lapthorn quoted. “A mother can’t show a son how to control his impulses because she’s not a man and doesn’t have the same urges as one. A father also commands a form of respect from a boy that a mother doesn’t.

“Fathers play a restraining role in the lives of their children. They restrain sons from acting out antisocially, and daughters from acting out sexually. When there’s no father to perform this function, dire consequences often result.

“Same-sex marriage will increase sexual confusion and sexual experimentation by young people.”

In contrast, marriage equality supporter Benjamin Heathwood cited expert opinion.

“I would like to … address the misinformation being peddled by some fringe groups concerning children raised by same-sex couples,” Heathwood wrote.

“These groups argue that the ‘ideal’ situation for children is to have a married mother and father and that children raised by same-sex couples are disadvantaged. These assertions are hurtful and insulting and are not supported by the world’s major psychological bodies.

“The American Psychological Association for example concludes that ‘…there is no evidence to suggest that lesbian women or gay men are unfit to be parents … not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents’.

“The Australian Psychological Society agrees, noting that, ‘no evidence supports the view that the ideal gender mix of parents is a man and a woman’.”

The first organisational submissions have also been published, with Amnesty International and the Humanist Society of Victoria writing in support of marriage equality.

Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national convenor Alex Greenwich said that now was no time for apathy.

“It’s time for action,” Greenwich said. “The outcome of the Senate and House inquiries will direct the fate of the marriage equality debate, now is the time for supporters, gay and straight, to submit and be counted.

“We have reason, logic, and progress on our side. This needs to shine through in the committee’s reports, but it only can if supporters take action.

“Don’t waste time being offended by hateful rants, take the time to make a meaningful submission.”

AME will hold Politics in the Pub events in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth in the next two weeks to help people to make submissions.

AME also has a dedicated web page at www.australianmarriageequality.com/senate-inquiry-submission-form to assist people making submissions to the inquiry.

The House of Representatives survey is at www.surveymk.com/s/spla-marriage

INFO:
Sydney: Saturday, March 17, The Bank Hotel, Newtown 2.30-5.30pm www.sydpoliticsinthepub.eventbrite.com

Melbourne: Sunday, March 18, DT’s Hotel, Richmond 1-4pm www.melpoliticsinthepub.eventbrite.com

Adelaide: Friday, March 23, Prince Albert Hotel, Adelaide 6-8pm www.sapoliticsinthepub.eventbrite.com

Perth: Saturday, March 25, Queens Hotel, Highgate, noon-2pm www.wapoliticsinthepub.eventbrite.com

About Andrew M Potts

22 Comments

  1. Roger Colclough

    March 16, 2012 at 6:44 pm


    Considering the average heterosexual church marriage lasts three years in Australia I can’t see the difference between who brings up a child. surely a loving stable relationship is more important to a child.

  2. Tahnya

    March 16, 2012 at 10:50 pm


    For gosh sakes, not every couples whos gay and wants to marry wants kids, besides, where entitled, and stop compairing us to pedophiles!

  3. Josh

    March 17, 2012 at 12:58 am


    Right. Has a 14 year old child ever been beaten or killed because of them wanting to have a license. Completely different. Life is moving on, love is moving on, everything changes and chance is inevitable. God wants us to move on and evolve because if he didn’t then we would be stuck in the same book as the bible. It’s about time people got over themselves and woke up to the fact that in this life it is everyone that has the right to love and marriage not just heterosexual people. You people who oppose this just really need to get on with your own lives and start contributing to society instead of taking so damn much away.

  4. Wolfy

    March 17, 2012 at 11:29 am


    “Marriage between a man and a woman is fruitful. It brings life. It sustains society. It is generative. It enhances human development. It encourages growth. Homosexuality does not and cannot.”
    So… what about heterosexual couples who can’t have children? Should they be banned from getting married, too?

  5. billy jacobs

    March 17, 2012 at 11:39 am


    All I can say is I thought this was America where all men and woman where created equal that includes all of us gays lisbions and tranys so we should be able to marry in the land of the free or are we in a third world country where only heterosexuals have all the rights

  6. Megan

    March 17, 2012 at 11:55 am


    It would’ve been nice for you to choose a family-friendly pub in Sydney so those of us with kids could easily come and support you. :} Still, kudos for affirmative action! I have already filled out the survey and will share this page on my Facebook.

  7. Nathan Thomas

    March 17, 2012 at 12:01 pm


    WE all need to make a senate submission and complete the House of reps survey – both can be done in no time.

    Please everyone spend 10 mins to make your contribution before it is too late.

  8. Scott

    March 17, 2012 at 12:39 pm


    Why is it that most opposition reasoning is because of ‘the children’? You don’t have to be married or be allowed to be married to have children. It seems that people who oppose, think that if same sex marriage is legalised we are going to have lots of children? The fact is that most gay couples who might get married actually don’t plan to have children or simply don’t want children. Here is a newsflash – if same sex couples want to have children, being able to marry or not is not going to prevent this.

    Likening same sex couples with children to peodephilia and child abuse can only come from very small narrow minded people who assume that all pedophiles are gay – go check your facts and see what you find.

    It is never ok to discriminate – never. Has a 14 year old even committed suicide because they could not get their licence???? What a terrible comparison to make – talk about grabbing at straws and desperation!

    I am a human being, I am an Australian Citizen – I am entitled to the respect and non discriminatory laws that every other Australian automatically has and does not have to fight for!!!

  9. deirdre allen

    March 17, 2012 at 1:20 pm


    We are all here for such a short time, surely everyone has a right to happiness in their lifetime.

  10. Michael (Brisbane)

    March 17, 2012 at 6:03 pm


    I don’t see a problem with their views, but, the one that stuns me a bit is Mr Geoff Lapthorns. I mean, it seems not so much homopobic but quite sexist. I doubt these comments will stop same sex marriage in the long run but just that comment, it’s like, a father can direct sexual urges and not a mother. Sorry, I feel off my chair laughing.

  11. Laura

    March 17, 2012 at 6:07 pm


    What people against do not realise is that same sex couples and families are already here and growing. They are already commiting to each others as life partners and as parents, I should know Im 19 and my brother is 17 and we were raised by our two dads. I have many friends raised by two mothers or fathers. All that will change is the legal recognition people like my dads will have as a couple. And given that they have been together for 20 years and still going strong I think they have more then earned that right. And for the record my brother and I are both straight and we were never molested by our parents which is more then many kids from staright families get.

  12. Michael (Brisbane)

    March 17, 2012 at 6:11 pm


    Ok so why is there no AME event in Brisbane?

  13. Neal

    March 17, 2012 at 6:15 pm


    my partner and i have been sharing our lives together for 10 years. we initially bought rings to exchange as a sign of our love. neither one of us wears the ring anymore because it just isn’t necessary. we love each other unconditionally. and we have found that life is too short to worry about the small things. neither of us want to get married in the traditional sense, which is what we see most people wanting, in the US, the UK, and Australia. would not the idea be more accepted if it was a civil union between two partners? it seems the term “marriage” is the entire problem with many people rejecting the idea. why is the term “marriage” so important?

  14. Neal

    March 17, 2012 at 6:32 pm


    it seems most of the objections are against the term “marriage” and what that has traditionally represented, vows between a man and a woman. it seems equality would be somewhat easier to obtain if the term “marriage” was not such an important factor. why not “civil union” or “civil partnership”, with the same rights that a traditional marriage contains? i grew up with “don’t ask, don’t tell” before the military ever thought of the term, now at 51yrs, it just seems like i would be shoving my views into someone else’s life. i’m happy with my life partner, and we recieve the same benefits of “marriage” except taxes. we can do anything a “married” couple can.

  15. Owen

    March 17, 2012 at 9:38 pm


    The reasons why heterosexual marriages dont last very long these days is because people dont take their vows seriously anymore and after the whole sex thing is over they realise they have nothing in common to begin with. Reasons why some gay relationships last for years is because its become an open relationship. I know for sure because I hear it from gay work colleagues. In my jewish culture, marriage is taken seriously and theres no such thing as divorce and I respect that.

  16. jeremy hodder

    March 17, 2012 at 9:55 pm


    lol this must be australia, i feel for you people and your backward gov’t. most studies have shown a larger portion of pedos are actually hetero, so there goes that theory. also it’s true a lot of gay ppl don’t necessarily want kids but how hard is it to get a surrogate or get someone pregnant (if a straight guy can anyone can lol).
    And once again i am live canada and we’ve had gay marriage implemented for years, our own conservative gov’t even supported it in the end and our country didn’t fall apart, crime is at an all time low and our economy is doing better then most. hmmmm

  17. David

    March 17, 2012 at 10:57 pm


    We still have plenty of bigoted and ignorant people in society, these so-called submissions prove it. So am i as a homosexual not contributing to society because i dont have children? I work, pay my taxes, donate to charity and help my family and friends when they need me. To suggest that discrimination is ok, as one of the submissions claims, is extremely disturbing. And disgraceful. What a bunch of Nazis.

  18. Araceli

    March 20, 2012 at 11:00 am


    I dont see how a person could go on about the importance of a father so much when you think of all the single mothers out there raising sons and daughters that are perfectly normal, same sex couples have the same abilities to raise healthy human beings, also in a less oppressive atmosphere. I’ve also never ears of any child being sexually abused by their same sex parents, so to have such a fowl suggestion as if it would be a regular occurrence is just offensive and small minded.

  19. colin g

    March 24, 2012 at 9:01 am


    hopefully everyone is putting OUR comments on the government website. They say one email only but I have 3 and it easy to set up a programme the multiply the votes on this matter, which is what the breeders have done

  20. Margaret

    March 25, 2012 at 12:03 pm


    Reply to Billy Jacobs
    Dear Billy,
    The US constitution says that “all men are created equal”. They left out women and slaves.

  21. Hayden

    March 27, 2012 at 6:04 pm


    It’s blatant stubborn discrimination, to say that one gender can’t marry the same gender. Where is the love?? Come on, who cares if someone marries someone else? To those with enough hate in their hearts to oppose same-sex marriage; find something worth fighting against, like logging of old-growth forests

  22. mc

    April 20, 2012 at 7:29 pm


    Those pushing for same sex marriage are already confused and psychologically off kilter. Queer. Repent. Stop being selfish.
    Please save the children and future generations from disaster. Remember Sodom and Gomorrah.. What will become of this nation in the eyes of God and the rest of the world.
    Jesus is the way the truth the life. Male and female He created them. Boys and girls.
    All else is corruption and perversion. Repent.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login