Kennett: Heterosexual marriages best for children
Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has declared that he believes heterosexual marriages are better for the mental health of children.
In a veiled attack on same-sex marriage in his Herald Sun column today, Kennett used his leadership of national depression initiative beyondblue to back up his claims.
“There is no substitute for parents of both genders,” Kennett wrote.
“Happy heterosexual marriages are the best environment for the mental health of children.”
Kennett said that during his 11-year leadership of beyondblue, he had become increasingly concerned that children starting out in primary school are already stressed and anxious as a direct result of learning patterns they observe from home.
“Clearly the best environment in which to bring a child into the world is a stable, loving environment in which a male and female are married to each other,” he said.
Kennett said he also believed many people were afraid to express a view that married couples in a loving relationship provide children the best opportunity to prepare for a fulfilling and happy life.
He used the recent For Kids’ Sake report, commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby and authored by the University of Sydney’s Professor Patrick Parkinson, as further evidence of his claims.
The report found that the “wellbeing of Australia’s children and young adults has declined sharply in the past decade, and …sliding marriage rates are partly to blame”.
Marriage equality advocates argue that the report actually strengthens the case for same-sex marriage.
Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said it is cruel and hypocritical for those who say they uphold marriage as an institution to deny the benefits of marriage to same-sex couples raising children.
“The fact that marriage can provide greater security and stability for children is all the more reason to allow same-sex couples to marry,” Greenwich said.
“Those who truly believe in the benefits marriage brings to couples and children should be demanding these benefits are extended to same-sex couples and their children.”
Beyondblue have previously been criticised for failing to live up to their commitment to target depression in the LGBTI community.
In 2010, the organisation claimed the lack of LGBTI inclusion in its Clinical Practice Guidelines was due to an absence of “high quality” research, despite their own fact sheet quoting Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing homosexual and bisexual people have far higher levels of anxiety disorders than their heterosexual counterparts (31 percent compared with 14 percent); and more than triple the rate of depression and related disorders (19 percent compared with 6 percent).
Since the backlash, beyondblue has sunk $1 million into various LGBTI projects including the Private Lives survey, due for release this year, and research into an online early intervention model to tackle depression for those struggling with their sexuality.
You can read Jeff Kennett’s full column here.
Why would anyone willingly subject themselves to the gay gestapo’s propoganda? There is enough of that rubbish forced upon us in our everyday lives without actively seeking out the ‘professional’ brainwashing of which you write. Even after I had predicted your victim response in an earlier post, it is so ingrained that you fail to come up with anything better when confronted.
As stated, and due to the absence of evidence to suggest otherwise, homosexuality is a choice. As with any form of anti-social behaviour, one has degrees of predisposition toward homosexuality. Contrary to Dave’s dillusion, we have a civil duty to fight against the promotion of homosexuality and its damaging effects on society. Just because I might have a predisposition towards alcoholism does not mean I should indulge in such behaviour and publicly promote my lifestyle in a deluded attempt to relieve my guilty conscience. If I was to indulge in such behaviour, I should expect public scrutiny of my choices.
Perhaps whilst Dave is taking the time to educate himself in english grammar, he can take the time to educate himself further in the basics of human behaviour. It is very difficult to appear convincing when you cannot grasp the basic concepts of Year 7 grammar. Mind you, because the gay gestapo are so busy brainwashing children in school there is probably no time left to learn superfluous nonsense like reading and writing…
Long live our democratic right to freedom of speech and well done to Jeff Kennett for exercising his, despite the best efforts of the gay gestapo to censor him.
Ed: Just curious Bob, but at what age did you decide you were going to be heterosexual?
“Bob” your a bully, a thug, who blames the victim of his abuse. No doubt you are not happy with your own life and feel the need to bully others. You come here expecting respect for your menace. How bizare, what sort of twisted person does that? It just shows how out of touch you are. You just want to fight people, no different to a drunk at a pub glassing a stranger. You think there is a consipiracy amongst all the doctors. Listen to yourself for moment. Gay people use ESP to attack people? Develop some self respect if you want people to take you at all seriously. I mean the Gestapo? Have one brain cell or did you lose that? We are the victims of those mates of yours but you blame us. How ironic. Do you also go to Jewish websites and blame them? Do you piss on the holocaust museum also? Perhaps you just finger yourself and throw shit onto others. You offer lunatic theories and want people to take you seriously? For God’s sake get some proffessional help for your conspiracy theories.
The only abuser, the only thug, the only drunk glassing people is you “Bob”. Go read your pig post again. You expect respect? Hitler wanted this also, so did the Taliban. Are you that mental?
A conspiracy of all doctors, of the medical association? Listen to yourself. Your saying there is a mafia, and they all meet in secret at some hospital. I bet when you go to the emergency for a heart attack you trust all those doctors you blame. Where you a home birth or did your mother trust those doctors you hate. It is just so pathetic to watch such an idiot like yourself throff at the mouth. My partner is a Doctor, we both had a good chuckle at your lunacy. Our scientific term for you was Wanka. Bob get help, or live your life out as a complete Wanka you tool.
Bob call lifeline and get help! Do one of the Uniting Church anti-homophobic programs. Your looking pathetic here, I am sure you can be a better man then the conspiracy theories you write about. You really need professional help. You can spend your life hating people, but what life will that be you have to ask yourself….
You can be as patronising and indignant as you want but it has no impact on reality. I did not even imply that being different equates to being bad, I simply stated that those who choose to be different should expect scrutiny. The gay gestapo is good at knocking down straw man arguments but next to useless when presented with facts as all they can do is play the victim in response. Pathetic….
Bob it is our Christian Duty to fight homophobia. Remember homophobia has been declared a sin by many Churches. Anglican Arch-Bishop Desmond Tutu went so far as to say “homophobia is the same as racism.”
Beyond Blue really can’t justify having Kennett as a spokesperson for mental health when he uses that position to vilify people from marginalised minorities, thereby contributing to mental health problems. By allowing him to spout his bile, they are aggravating the problem they claim to be tackling. If they really care about mental health, they have to get rid of this prick.
The Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sack-Jeff-Kennett-from-beyondblue/168249379920374 is available for those who wish to register their displeasure
@ Bob
oh bob… oh… oh dear… oh Bob… perhaps when you chose to lead (presumably) a straight lifestlye… you neglected to open your eyes and realise that *insert patronising tone here* some people are different than you and it doesnt make them bad people
oh and…
Just because you don’t like what we say doesn’t mean that it’s not the truth.
In Kennett’s world it is also best if a child’s parents are white, middle class and tertiary qualified. It is best if the child has one parent at home full-time (of course the mother) to bake, clean and help with homework, monitor internet use and television viewing. Those parents must also ensure the other parent (the father) models good work ethics. The child must be enrolled in team sports from an early age and only mix with children from similar families. Only then will they have optimum mental health!? (I wonder how many kids from this demographic ring kids helpline?)
Perhaps he can make a statement saying that if parents can’t commit to this model, they can’t marry
[…] Never been a fan of Jeff Kennett. Closed a crap load of the state schools near where I lived. Introduced pokies to Victoria. But his work with beyond blue has been pretty awesome. And then the TOSSPOT comes out with – for the mental health of children, they should be in a heterosexual household. […]
What is it with the gay gestapo reacting like a pack of hyenas whenever someone publicly denounces their lifestyle choice. There is not an ounce of scientific proof to suggest that homosexuality is a biological absolute despite the overbearing propoganda from those who wish to make us believe otherwise. If someone makes the choice to live as a homosexual, particularly whilst implicating innocent children, then they should expect that choice to come under scrutiny. Thus, again despite the propoganda of the gay gestapo, Jeff Kennet is more than entitled to express his opinion. Similarly, itt is ludicrous to suggest he should have peer reviewed evidence for an opinion piece in a newspaper. Imagine trying to edit a newspaper where everything had to be peer reviewed…
Just because you don’t like what he says doesn’t mean that it’s not th truth.
Last week the LGBT Health Alliance produced a report on the mental health/suicidal ideation of LGBT people. In that report, and in the absence of empirical evidence to support their grandiose claims, the Alliance stated that LGBT people are significantly more likely than straight people to be mentally unwell and the MOST likely of all Australian citizens, to kill themselves! By perversely latching onto faux victimhood as a means of somehow progressing LGBTI rights, those academics and others within our community are adding to the myth that to be LGBT or I is to be intrinsically defective. Little wonder then that buffoons like the former Victorian premier come out to ponder, how could such ‘sick’ people parent a poodle, let alone a child?
As an individual it is OK for Mr Kennett to think what he likes he may even say what he likes he can be as wrong as he wants. But when he speaks as he did on the subject of children and gay relationships/marriage he will be seen as speaking for Beyond Blue, ex catherdra. And it is most certainly not OK to say what he said unless he has strong and peer reviewed evidence to support is beliefs which clearly he does not.
Until this I thought Kennett had done a good job running Beyond Blue but sadly it seems he has leaned very little from his years working with depressed people.
shameful. i have no words.
I can understand where Jeffs coming from, hes concerned of the welfare of kids!
Kennett is a bald faced liar, like most of the anti-gay marriage participants. There’s a million more kids around the world suffering as a result of heterosexual dysfunction.
Fk off Kennett.
Here is a previous post I wrote explaining the conflicts of interest that Beyond Blue has. Jeff Kennetts comments on children were not evidence based, and I can only conclude fall in with his past homophobic and hate comments.
When the Chairman of the Board and “Ambassador”, Jeff Kennett likens employing a gay man to employing a paedophile, the organization has a credibility problem. When the organization does not act on this and remove the Chairman, then it speaks volumes about the way it feels towards our community. When it publishes guides on dealing with suicide for GP’s, and misses the high risk groups, then it has an ethical problem.
Beyond Blue is not an academic group but a political think tank on depression with corporate structure similar to the conservative Australia Institute, with what I see are great conflicts of interest between its corporate members, and government representatives. Therapeutic Guidelines, is an organization that produces guidelines for doctors based on the latest research, with academic groups. It is a world away from the way Beyond Blue operates, putting in opinion in guidelines, instead of just sticking to facts. It is important to distinguish between the way an Academic Organization runs with latest treatment methods, and the way Beyond Blue operates, tying to cope with its self evident conflicts of interest.
So before I have any faith in Beyond Blue, I need action on the Kennett issue, and I need to know they are following only the latest Academic research in their publication, and not opting for Murdoch style tabloid spin that mostly ignores GLBTI people and any facts or evidence. What I am seeing is funding being made available to us by Governments, and Beyond Blue wanting to grab that money in our name. I would rather the money go to organizations that do not exclude us in some important publications, and who has a Chairperson who does not liken us to child sex offenders- that in my mind inhibits some people from getting help with depression.
Some Links of interest.
http://www.defamer.com.au/2008/07/jeff_kennetts_recent_comments_may_lead_to_some_depressed_homosexuals_i_think_its_probably_best_to_keep_those_rapey_pedophilic_gays_away_from_young_foo/
http://www.smh.com.au/national/beyondblue-abandons-gay-youth-20090627-d0lx.html
http://www.theage.com.au/national/beyondblue-incredibly-neglectful-of-gay-youth-20100417-slix.html
If hetero parents are so good for kids mental health,how come Jeff’s head is so f—–d?
Opinions of randoms should not be published. Who cares what he thinks. If it is blamed on the decline of marriages let gay people marry. Does he even know gay parents?
if straight is that ugly, I’m glad to be a homo!
With fathers like Kenneth no child would have good mental health.
Sorry, but Jeff has proven he has no clue when it comes to the well-being of kids. His government was, afterall, responsible for the closing down of numerous schools in Victoria. I saw the impact of that decision when I worked with many of the disengaged youth who never re-engaged in the education system and instead spent their time in broken households or wandering the streets aimlessly with no support or future. Jeff, you have no clue and I don’t believe you have the well-being of ANY young person in mind. What kids need is a loving, caring, and supportive household. As a social worker I can assure you heterosexual married households do NOT guarantee that.
I think Mr. Kennett needs to resign his position with Beyond Blue. His mindset is EXACTLY the kind of mindset that contributes to depression and gay suicide.
As in most of Australian politics 2day, Jeff represents a race 2 the bottom with all the gutter politics and nastiness that trades in the misery of others.
When Jeff came 2 office he took to the people and the state of Victoria with a giant set of pruning shears, selling off massive amounts of state assets and slashing jobs.
His ‘elder statesman’ work for hawthorn football club and beyond blue have been riven with clangers and ‘foot’n’mouth’ statements that constantly try and belittle or demean gay ppl.
Jeff’s article is yet another classic ‘cum hoc ergo propter hoc’ fallacy. Young children are stressed by their parents’ relationship breakdowns, therefore we must conclude the best environment for children is a happy HETEROSEXUAL marriage (gee, I wonder what he’d think of a bisexual man & woman married to eachother then?)… Rubbish.
Hmmm its funny how many Gays have come from the straight families..
& of all kinds of religions & demographics .
So perhaps our Gay families will provide more open minded straight children to the world. :)
And then there is the science. Lesbian and gay parents have children with well developed mental health, no different or BETTER than heterosexual couples (click “Lesbian & Gay Parents” on the right panel)
http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/parenting.aspx
Additionally, it is attitudes such as Kennett’s that cause undue mental suffering to children of gay couples.
Wow Okay For 1
This is so biased its not even partially true.
2 There are WAY more split up people and divorced people in heterosexual marriages than Homosexual “partnerships”
3 I would say statistically speaking Heterosexual parents with children have done more mental damage to any child than homosexual “partnerships” tenfold
Actually make that hundred-fold
4 I would LOVE to know how many children are calling into beyond blue saying “Omg help me my parents are gay” as opposed to kids calling in saying “my mother and father are fighting”
Once again i find myself ashamed to hear that the leader of beyond blue an organisation that claims to help children who are going through depression has been led by kennet.
Jeff, you really are a diff.
In a past life I worked as a public servant at a professional level. I was involved in some 10,000 child abuse allegations at various levels. The issues of abuse in various manifestations, domestic violence and general disarray in Jeff’s notion of a functional unit for mental health of children is fallacy.
It is beyond rational comprehension that he chairs the Board of Beyond Blue, let alone has a public voice.
Hope you’re back gives you hell Jeff.
Jeff Kennett also said employing a gay man is the same as employing a paedophile. How ironic that Beyond Blue cares more about funding the homophobia of Jeff Kennett, then helping people with depression. Jeff is Chairman of the Board of Beyond Blue, an ‘’Ambassador’’ for them, but he would never get a job as a Marriage Ambassador given his bitter divorce.
From having GLBTI people strip searched on mass in the Tasty Night Club raid, to getting the police to install hidden cameras in the toilets of gay dance venues, or allowing councils to burst into saunas with Cameras and the police, there is a pattern of abhorrent and destructive behaviour by Jeff Kennett. Remember in his government Robert Clarke said homosexuality was a sick disease, the same Robert Clarke who is now the Attorney General.
Jeff shames the Liberal Party, and will never be a great like Don Dunstan. There have been greats in the Liberal party, but Jeff is just becomming a bitter bistard as he ages. It is time the party got rid of his membership.