Christian crusade against gay de factos

Christian lobbyists have warned federal MPs that reforms to give same-sex couples de facto status would “normalise” same-sex couples and lead to gay marriage.
But Labor’s proposed state-based relationship registries has been given the Australian Christian Lobby’s (ACL) tick of approval.
ACL director Jim Wallace attacked the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s (HREOC) Same-Sex: Same Entitlements report, saying it was “social engineering”.
“We reject HREOC’s attempts to normalise same-sex relationships by extending the definition of de facto marriage and redefining parenthood,” he said.
“Such a move plays directly into the hands of activists whose long-term aim has been to redefine marriage and family.”
The ACL has sought pre-election commitments from the federal parties to not implement de facto recognition or change parenting laws with gender-neutral terms.
ACL national chief of staff Lyle Shelton said the lobby was not opposed to recognition of interdependent relationships, be they two sisters living together or a same-sex couple.
“Our knowledge of Labor’s proposal is to look at state-based registers, like that which is already in place in Tasmania. We would be in support of that,” Shelton said.
He added that belonging to a state-based register would be a suitable criterion for having discrimination addressed at a federal level.
Shelton added the Christian lobby would not support parenting rights for same-sex couples, as outlined in the HREOC report.
“Children have a right to a mother and a father. We recognise that for a whole bunch of reasons kids find themselves in single parenting situations, but we believe the ideal social construct, which we should aspire to, should be a man and a woman providing those roles,” he said.
“As well-intentioned as two same-sex people may be, they can’t provide the emotional and physical role of the other gender brings to parenting.”
Liberal ministers Tony Abbott and Kevin Andrews told federal cabinet last month they had been inundated with correspondence opposing the HREOC reforms, according to sources within the party.
In the report, Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes argued the inclusion of an interdependency category in existing laws had not brought equality and usually had more onerous criteria.
At the launch of the report Innes said he understood the significance of marriage to the gay community, but de facto status granted financial equality. He said there was no material difference between heterosexual de facto and married couples.