Australian Marriage Forum anti-equality ad — where do you stand?
AN Australian Marriage Forum television commercial that criticises marriage equality has sparked controversy after channels Seven and Nine aired the ad on the night of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade, while SBS refused to broadcast it during its highlights coverage of the Parade on Sunday.
The ad asks viewers to “think of the children” by claiming that children from same-sex families are forced to “miss out” on having a mother or a father.
It quotes Dr David van Gend, a “family doctor” and the President of the Australian Marriage Forum (AMF).
“So-called marriage equality forces a child to miss out on a mother or a father,” he says in the ad.
“That’s not equality for the kids who miss out. That’s not marriage.”
SBS has come under fire for its decision to not air the ad on Sunday night, with some media commentators highlighting questions of freedom of speech and opinion.
Australian Marriage Equality (AME) national director Rodney Croome said in a press statement that the ad was “actually harming the many Australian children being raised by same-sex couples because it defends discrimination against their families”.
However, a Facebook post by AME this afternoon indicated a slight change of opinion by the organisation: it agreed with openly-gay WA Liberal Senator Dean Smith, who told Fairfax media that “obnoxious ads should be aired because they undermine the cause of their sponsors — the obnoxious views will be seen for what they are”.
“Fortunately Australia has come so far in this campaign that, at this point, he’s right,” AME’s Facebook post read in response to Smith’s comments.
“The overwhelming reaction has seen thousands speak up for equality and the dignity of all families.”
Meanwhile, the YouTube link for the AMF ad has received more that 10 times more “thumbs down” than it has for “thumbs up”.
In addition, at the time of print over 9200 people have signed a Change.org petition asking for the advertisement to be removed altogether.
Where do you stand on the controversial ad? Scroll down after the video to vote in our poll.
Watch the ad:
[socialpoll id=”2257264″]
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I have a real solution to all the anti-gay marriage bigots out there:
Lets just feed the Christians to the lions, like they did in Roman times!
The religious right have one of our own as their advocate in Tim Wilson…
He’s a traitor and I ghank some members of the gay lobby for pulling his head in
Pauline Pantsdown ….thanks
In the US state of Oklahoma – they just passed a law that shifts the issuance of marriage licenses from the state to members of the clergy. Does that mean the state will not get involved in marriage very soon?
There may as well be a sign at Sydney Airport that says and quotes:
“Welcome to Australia, when in 2015 are still very proud to be former UK convict people – who are hypocritical conservative sexist and misogynist wife-beating/bashing, asylum seeker bashing xenophobes and racist people – who keep marriages for straights or heterosexuals only!”
Plain and simple discrimination , ignorance , uneducated , homophobic , repulsive idiots putting their two two left feet forwards .. hate the add however givng it so much attention only feeds such pathetic ignorance !!
Plain and simple discrimination ,ignorance
It was a desperate act from the religious extremists, who now find themselves on the wrong/loosing side of history. If only they went after murderers’ & rapists with the same zeal they’ve shown against the gay community. The other commercial networks showing these ads have an agenda to divide the Australian community for & against. SBS had a social conscience & were not going to let the Christian Extremists hijack MG’s one big night of the year.
This advert is ridiculous. Grow up you moron rednecks.
Banning freedom of expression is wrong. It wouldn’t bother me if it aired.
John Roy…
How many gay men like you have children?
Would you be offended if there was a gay neo-nazi in Melbourne that expressed their hate towards you as an Australian?
Freedom to hate is vicious bullying.
love it. the girl is with mummy . the boy with daddy, sexist teaching at an early age. We really should support it and demand the government ban divorce and abortion. if they want to carry on about children blah blah let them stay with them through school university AND PAY FOR IT no benefits, why should my taxes support these leeches
Disgusting disgusting! The goal for marriage equality is love and greater inclusion. It does not mean that every same sex couple is going to have or adopt children. There is certainly no possibility of an accidental unwanted pregnancy with same sex couples and any children brought under their care would be after a long deliberate conscious and probably painstaking process which could only be underpinned by love. I believe gay people who want to have children are highly-sensitive people (how can they not be in a world filled with these sorts of hateful messaging on commercial television) who have the skills and EQ to be outstanding loving parents and to be sensitive and inclusive of their children to make them into excellent members of society who are sensitive and loving towards others and conduct themselves with a ‘live and let live’ attitude. This is the kind of messaging which leads to teen suicide because the subtext is: There is something wrong with you if you are gay. People who believe in this sort of messaging are putting their own gay children at risk of suicide. To anyone who agrees with the messaging in these ads: Who taught you to believe that way because you didn’t think it when you were a child. To anyone involved with creating this material, isn’t it like the 22nd century, grow up!
Amen to that sister!
I want to personally pass a simple one-page law called the “Suppress All Christian Taliban And The Islamic State Act 2015”!
(1) A person or groups of persons, by a public act, must not incite hatred towards, aids or abets or any serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or a group of persons on the ground of – the disability, HIV status, sexual orientation, marital or relationship status, gender identity or expression or lawful consensual adult sexual activity of the person or any member of the group; and/or
(2) Any bigot, religious minister, anti-gay marriage or anti-gay activist who under any circumstances uses public resources and/or raves, petitions, encourages, incites, discriminates and/or harasses a member and/or members with a disability and/or who are part of the LGBTI community – has just committed a horrendous major crime.
Penalty: Maximum 50 years imprisonment, with a minimum of at least 15 years imprisonment must be served.
I think it is bigoted, in the worst way.
WE really need to stop this shit people, and get over it – it is embarrassing to the rest of the western world that we Australian’s actually still “debate” this!
Other western nations allow marriage equality – such as 38 states in the US, Canada, New Zealand, UK (not Northern Ireland), Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc., for a while now and the sky has NOT fallen!
It is 2015, not 1915 – it is time Australia allowed marriage equality for all!
Fuckig Assholes.. What about single parents so annoying… so ignorant .. we need psychologists onto this
It’s just nasty
Trust me, it was stupid ad.
Ads which point out the disadvantages of marriage would be refreshing.
Embarrassing Aus!
My father was a raging alcoholic who beat the living day lights out if my mother, I was too young to remember what happened. Fortunately. My mum copped the brunt of it all. She has gone through her life journey, written several books, she now studies art. Not bad for someone who couldn’t speak or read English when she left my father as a single mother. There were no domestic violence units 40 years ago, not to mention this Christian Lobby (they funded this video) “support group”. Mum did it on her own.
I have a private FB group supporting people in drug, alcohol and smoking awareness. I have a compelling urge to help, not to make hurtful videos..
does it mean that they will play it after MG?
http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/backlash-after-antimarriage-equality-ad-debuts-on-mardi-gras-night-20150308-13y8yi.html