Madden meets his critics
Christian Democrat and anti-same-sex marriage activist Peter Madden was confronted by a crowd of around a hundred protestors in Hyde Park today as he returned to Sydney after driving to Brisbane in a truck covered in anti-equality messages.
Madden drove the truck to Brisbane, which carried the message “The dark side of same-sex marriage – homosexual sex-ed for your young children,” in the hopes of influencing the Queensland State Election, but a rally he held there was only attended by a dozen supporters and around five hundred counter protestors.
In Hyde Park, Madden repeated his claim that young children would be given gay sex education if same-sex marriage was legalised, and repeatedly made the claim that programs aimed at getting young LGBTIs to accept themselves were more responsible for young people killing themselves than his views, as they lead to sexually confused people adopting an LGBTI identity.
Madden claimed that greater acceptance of sexual diversity in the US state of California had coincided with a rise in young people killing themselves, but was challenged on this by a Californian gay man in the crowd who said that he would not be alive if it was not for the acceptance of the LGBTI community.
A woman who had tried to kill herself when she was 13 told Madden it was views like his that had lead to her doing so, but he would not concede that his views caused harm.
He was also challenged on what he said were higher rates of paedophilia among gay men by youth and social workers and a psychologist who worked with young people – although he conceded that most gay men were not paedophiles.
Madden said that he was not homophobic and loved homosexuals despite these views, and claimed he had empathy with homosexuals as he had been molested as a child – something he claimed was one of a number of factors that lead to people being gay.
Madden claimed that, for most people, being gay was a choice but when challenged by a member of the crowd who had been sent to an ex-gay ministry, conceded that gay men who chose to marry women for religious reasons did not lose their same-sex attraction.
Before leaving Madden told protestors that he and they were locked in spiritual and political warfare and hoped “the best man wins.”
While Madden spoke to counter protestors, the truck was driven around Hyde Park multiple times.
After about an hour and a half of arguing with protestors, Madden left the park under police escort to drive off in the truck.
The Star Observer will provide you with a more detailed account and photos from the event tomorrow.
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Baz, 12 people showed up to his rally, piss weak if u ask me
Nikola, religious organisations have more to worry about than just marriage equality. Wait until the census figures on ‘religion’ are released. I think we will see a large rise in those who are not ‘into religion’ The bigotry of many churches is going to put the nail into their coffins and the ‘donations’ are going to dry up very soon.
Politics goes in cycles. In will be bleak for awhile under the Conservatives but then when they are ‘in the poo’ a new progressive era will burst forth. Look at the 20th Century with the 1920’s and the 1960’s. There have been great social advances in Australia over the last 40 years, but we need to fight to keep what we have won. The Conservatives are resisting against Marriage Equality but you don’t hear any of them saying they are going to criminalise homosexuality or remove anti-discrimination laws. The difficult thing is to get rights into law because in Australian politics, the old parties do not usually tamper with what already is in place! Though if Queensland removes the civil union legislation that would be very concerning and unprecedented!
I agree with what Rob has said pretty much. And sadly I also agree with what David has just written. However after watching last night’s 4-Corners on ABC about arranged marriages I believe that I should still be grateful for being born in this country.
However the extremism of the right is troubling and I believe that they are getting nastier and nastier the more that their divisive privileges are put under the microscope.
Bring on taxing religious institutions and make it retrospective. Write to your local MP’s and join a political party that supports “minorities”.
Australia is fast becoming a right-wing, conservative hell hole. It might be time to take up offers to move to a country where gay people are not treated like garbage (while conveniently being taxed to the hilt and getting told you dont deserve equal rights!)
Hi, Peter like many who feel the of special godly cause, he’s nw be given more attention more crowds more audience the he has every before. Before he was a lonely sap that a few listened, now he has hundreds, and national and international audience. If you don’t know Christians can read no one likes Peter and he is very unpopular in Christian circles he’s not real welcomed anywhere. But now thanks to anti protesting he has noterity but mostly a captive audience. He’s trained in this americian style street preaching, tagget the homosexuals and whatch how loud they scream. We feed them by giving them an audience which draws attention to the media which get watched by everyone one else.
Fight this man by writing to your local MP. Demand religions that discriminate pay tax.
Doesn’t this signage constitute vilification? If so why hasn’t anyone lodged a complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Board and also, why has the NSW State government knowingly allowed it to drive on NSW roads?
Yes there were only about 100 of us. Yes well done Brisbane and even better done Lismore withthe Mayor virtually telling this hateful man to get out of her town. Also well done the people who came down forrm Lismore to join us yesterday. Sydney’s victory is that there was such a reaction to this bigots plans for a hate rally that the coward piked out…telling his mindless flock not to come in case they were “scared away by 500 screaming homosexual activists (venting their) anger and hostility towards (him)” (Quoted form his website)
Sure having gained this victory a lot of people didn’t see it as imperetive to go. But there was enough of us there to make our feelings very loudly and clearly know…. and to his face! Well done Sydney. Don’t forget our own rally on the 12th.
I’m with Rick Peterson on this one. It’s one thing to amass and demonstrate that we dislike a politician’s particular views. But I just don’t think I want to give him any more attention than he’s already received. This is a new era we live in, where we don’t have to make big demonstrations of what we dislike to get the word out that it exists and is bad. These people have access to their own soapboxes. They’ll peddle their view whether we protest or not.
Our most powerful weapon is our full disregard. Madden and the rest are like a child drawing on the walls to get his parents’ attention. The more we chide him, the more he’ll say, because our disdain proves we pay attention, and he’ll take any audience he can get if it means he can broadcast all the more.
But it’s not enough to just “ignore him and he’ll go away”. We have to actually turn our attention away from him and to the people that he’s targeting with his hate. Instead of a big festival-like gathering around him, from now on, I saw it’s time we consider full-scale counter-demonstrations nowhere near him, with a small cadre of representatives to let any of his followers know that we are at our own location, willing to receive the proverbial “them”, talk to “them”, listen to “their” concerns, and accept “them” as we want them to accept us.
Then, and only then, can we defeat this monstrous master of misinformation and malice.
I was in Hyde Park yesterday. This guy is a waste of time and space! He wasn’t there for genuine discussion, his mind is closed to others’ views. He was chasing attention and a spotlight to push his bigoted views. More than 20 cops and 100+ sensible objectors so this nut can peddle his hate? I nearly threw up when he raised his hands to the air and loudly proclaimed that he loved us all. Let’s sideline Madden and focus on the next big equality rally at Town Hall on May 12th!
Only 100 people turned up? Ha! Just goes to show this is not an issue for most people.
The 500 in Brisbane might sound more impressive but the result of last weekends election tells another story.
In all fairness, I would’ve been there if I had of known…I was under the assumption the thing had been cancelled?!
whats the point, the guy wont budge, waste of time giving him any time of day…..loves the media attention!
Sydney gets 100 people to protest on a weekend, Brisbane gets 500 on a week night with tropical rain. Well done Brissy, slack effort Sydney.
Why on earth did Sydney tolerate this hate truck? Only 100 in Hyde Park? Will Clover tell him to get out of town like the terrific Mayor of Lismore? Why did Sydney tolerate this bigot?