Rugby star supports marriage equality
A leading Australian rugby player and committed Christian, David Pocock, has come out in support of marriage equality, saying he and his female partner will not marry until their gay friends can.
Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich welcomed Pocock’s statement saying it shows support for the issue is increasingly widespread in all sections of Australian society.
“David Pocock’s strong support for equality will have a dramatic impact in a sports-mad nation like Australia,” Greenwich said.
“David’s stance also sends out the message that marriage equality is a reform Christians can and should support.”
In an interview in the New Zealand Herald at the weekend, Pocock, who is a flanker in the Australian national rugby team, the Wallabies, and is regarded as one of the toughest rugby players in the world, said he didn’t see what the big deal was with the gay marriage debate in Australia.
“Being brought up in a Christian home and still identifying as Christian, I get pretty annoyed with the Christian lobbies around the world who say gay marriage destroys the family and all that kind of rubbish,” Pocock said.
“They claim to follow someone who always stood up for the oppressed and marginalised.
“I guess it is a fear of the unknown – if you talk to someone who doesn’t like gay people you can almost guarantee that they don’t know too many.
Last month Australia’s leading axeman, David Foster, who describes himself as “an old-fashioned bushie”, surprised many by declaring his support for marriage equality.
Foster, whose daughter is in a same-sex relationship and is raising a child, said like any father, he wants to be able to walk his daughter down the aisle.
@Paul: If you disagree with gay marriage, please express your opinion in a more graceful, courteous, respectful and less biblical manner. The offensive biased quote “Homosexuality is a sin” is no longer a valid argument for your standing, I am afraid.
@Bob the Builder: It is amusing how some barefaced Christians would say gay people are intolerant of their faith. Because some Christians’ faith does strangle and inhibit LGBT people’s lives and love, they of course fought to changes these beliefs. No thing wrong about that.
To all of you idiots panning Paul Hunt, well, at least he has the courage & honesty to speak his mind about something he believes in strongly – despite the fact that there would be some who wouldn’t like it (besides, isn’t “dissent” what the homosexual-rights movement is proud of?). As for being on this website, I too was directed here from another site, with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever that this newsite was by and for homosexuals.
My opinion of Pocock is very low: this is only a publicity stunt designed to attract attention. If he was truly a “committed Christian” as this articles claims, then he #1, wouldn’t be trivialising marriage for the sake of any political cause (he’d believe it to be sacrosanct & therefore wouldn’t dare to mock it), & #2 he’d heed the words of Paul in the Biblical Book of Romans (where it condemns homosexuality) as well as the Old Testament where it’s clear on the matter (Sodom & Gomorrah anybody?).
My opinion of the bigoted Christophobes is also very low: they espouse “tolerance” and yet display just as much intolerance they accuse the Christians of showing (if not more so – especially if we regard Kirby’s comments about editing the Bible & wanting SSM opponents to be officially labelled mentally deficient).
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
[…] reform stating that he will not marry his girlfriend until his gay friends can as well. As noted in Star Observer: Australian Marriage Equality national convener Alex Greenwich welcomed Pocock’s statement saying […]
Paul, fess up, your on this site checking out the hunky rugby players aren’t you?!….another closeted Christian…it must be crowded in there!
Does anyone else think that marriage is a totally crap institution? Who does it really benefit? Puzzled …
Can we get a moderator for this site? I dont want to have to read what batshit crazy religitards have to say
Hey Paul, as one little old lady asked George Pell after he made the the same claim in a sermon at St Mary’s. If God didn’t make Adam and Steve who did?
@ Paul Hunt: “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”
Oh there’s Paul, showing off his knowledge of Grade 3 literature again.
Paul, the moral thing to do is to realize that there is nothing wrong with homosexuality and to support equal rights for homosexuals. Welcome to 2011. Keep up or fall drastically behind.
Paul Hunt, ignorance and arrogance are the biggest attitude from religious people like you. “Homosexuality is a sin”, it’s 2011 !!! Wake up and get a life! You can’t have a moral yourself when you think your belief is the ONLY truth. Plus you have to be stupid to believe in Adam & Eve story. Feeling sorry for you!
Yeah Paul, you are what is wrong with our system, pushing your faith on others. Meanwhile David seems to be quite the moral man and doesn’t force himself on others. You are a turnip, get off my internet.
Paul, why are you on this site?
BITE MINE PAUL!!!!
Unfortunately, here is a perfect case of; “if you stand for nothing, you WILL FALL FOR ANYTHING.” Perhaps what he should be saying is that to honour his own marriage, he will not get married before the law against gay marriages is enforced.
Homosexuality is a sin before the God of true believing Christians, obviously Pocock is deceived about his faith. Strong in rugby, but weak in faith, I’m really dissappointed at his stand, where have all the moral men gone??
God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.
Let down
Paul