63% of Australians oppose religious right to discriminate – new poll
Image: PFLAG Australia's Shelley Argent. Photo: Wikimedia.
A new Galaxy/YouGov poll has revealed that 63 percent of Australians do not believe that religious organisations should have a special right to discriminate against LGBTIQ people, or people based on their marital status.
That number rises to 68 percent, including 48 percent of people who say they are strongly religious, when respondents are asked if religious organisations should be able to discriminate against people with different views or values.
The results come as the Morrison Government considers new laws that advocates fear may enshrine discrimination against LGBTQI people and other groups under federal law in the name of religion.
Shelley Argent, who is the spokesperson for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Australia and who commissioned the poll, said parents of LGBTQI people were concerned that a minority of hardliners in faith communities were pressing for rights to discriminate when the majority disagreed.
“Our children have families who love them, they contribute to society and pay their taxes,” Argent said.
“Mr Morrison should listen to the actual ‘quiet Australians,’ those who don’t want any more discrimination in the name of religion.”
“This push for religious freedom is just a backlash to marriage equality. Christians in Australia are not persecuted and not likely to be. Christians have nothing to fear except fear itself.”
Argent said that Australia needed more freedom from discrimination in its laws, not less.
“Australia needs a Bill of Rights to ensure no-one’s rights or freedoms override the rights and freedoms of other people,” Argent said.
So the real shocking statistic here is is that over a third of people think its perfectly acceptable to be a raving bigot just so long as you say that your imaginary friend told you to be.