Christian Lobby drops homophobic documents

The Australian Christian Lobby has withdrawn its endorsement of an anti-GLBT lobbying document following the sacking of co-author Warwick Marsh from a government health advocacy role.

The controversial lobbying document, 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters, was taken down from the ACL website last week because not all of its claims could be substantiated, its chief of staff said.

-œThere was a disproportionate response from some people to Warwick’s document. Even some of the claims couldn’t be substatiated, we still support many of the well-known facts in it, Lyle Shelton said.

-œWe’re not trying to vilify homosexual people. We have a different view on marriage and children.

Shelton stopped short of calling for retaliation against Health Minister Nicola Roxon, which several of his conservative Christian colleagues had done, including the Saltshakers and Family Voice Australia.

In a letter to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Family Voice Australia president David Phillips accused the government of sacking Marsh for trying to justify his beliefs with evidence contrary to those used by gay activists.

-œThis action suggests that your government now considers support for the full claims of the homosexual lobby as a litmus test for holding any public office, he wrote in the letter seen by this newspaper.

Greens senators last week called for the second Men’s Health Ambassador who signed anti-gay statements, Barry Williams, to also be sacked.

The Opposition would not comment on the specific homophobic materials sent to them, but health spokesman Peter Dutton said they did not support anti-gay comments.

-œI would condemn any anti-gay comments, and Nicola Roxon should be ashamed to have played politics with the appointments of the Ambassadors to the Men’s Health Initiatives, Dutton said in a statement.

Gay activists have compiled a thorough list of inaccuracies and misrepresentati-ons of academic studies used in Williams’ and Marsh’s advocacy reports, available soon at www.starobserver.com.au.