It’s time for Labor to divorce from its ambivalence on gay marriage

It’s time for Labor to divorce from its ambivalence on gay marriage

THE hypocrisy of some Labor MPs really is staggering. After years of dragging their feet on support for equality, allowing the right faction to stack Senate vacancies with anti-gay marriage advocates, and booting respected senators in favour of “deeply homophobic” unionists, you have to wonder whose side they’re really on.

Shadow Justice Minister David Feeney was the latest Labor frontbencher to reprimand Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek yesterday after she backed a binding vote in favour of marriage equality. It’s interesting that Feeney considers himself an expert on how best to legalise same-sex marriage given he’s either abstained or voted against every major vote on it in federal Parliament, despite representing one of Victoria’s most LGBTI-centric electorates.

Up until 2010, when MPs like Plibersek and Senator Penny Wong continued to back their party’s opposition to same-sex marriage (and were denied a conscience vote on the issue), they came under unrelenting attack from the LGBTI community. I was working as a journalist at the Star Observer at that time and we ran a front page splash on Wong, headlined “Betrayed”, which stoked the fires and had our message boards overflowing with ugly attacks.

The likes of Plibersek and Wong showed an unwavering loyalty to their party in the face of fierce criticism. Now that they’re are unashamedly championing our cause – one that’s now enshrined in the ALP’s national platform – and taking heat for it from within their own party, the community should be rushing to defend them, regardless of who they vote for.

The idea that this is some kind of power play from the deputy leader is as predictable as it is ludicrous. When, if not prior to the party’s national conference, are these type of internal debates supposed to take place?

Of course, the hypocrisy isn’t isolated to the ALP. Gay Liberal Senator Dean Smith, who had vehemently opposed same-sex marriage until two months ago, has also suddenly become an expert on the best way in which to usher in reform. He told Fairfax Media this week that it was Plibersek who had “wrecked” progress on the issue of a gay marriage conscience vote within the Liberal Party.

This idea put forward by certain MPs and commentators that a switch to a binding vote for Labor MPs may impact on the Liberal partyroom is a red herring. This debate isn’t about the sanctity of conscience votes – which many argue should be restricted to life and death issues, such as abortion of euthanasia. Those pushing for a free vote within Liberal ranks aren’t likely to suddenly not want their voices heard on the issue simply because Labor support for marriage equality becomes unanimous.

If LGBTI voters, their families and their supporters want a conservative government, they’ll vote for a real one, not pretenders. Labor is bleeding votes (and losing wonderful candidates) in inner-city electorates while its right faction plays with the lives and ambitions of gay and lesbian couples. Labor either believes in equal rights and protections for all, or it doesn’t. A half-hearted response to equality will no longer do for a supposedly progressive party. It’s time they choose.

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12 responses to “It’s time for Labor to divorce from its ambivalence on gay marriage”

  1. It is time for LGBTI voters to divorce from Labor, like they have done to the Liberals years ago under the cunt Tony Abbott!

  2. Yawn, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

    Sick and tired of “discussing” and “debating” this, I really want to marry my life partner Ron – hopefully very soon. When Australia finally allows marriage equality in the year 2100 – we will both be wheel-chairing in a nursing home!

  3. While we “talk” and “debate” marriage equality right here in Australia, another 10 countries allow it! What a total embarrassing joke my own country really is being in some backwater on 1915 marriage policy!

    Seriously, the Australian community at about 70% SUPPORT marriage equality – this is beyond an embarrassing joke and people are tired of it! Just allow marriage equality in Australia and let it go!

  4. Hey everyone in the LGBTI community, just keep voting for the Greens, Secular, Equality, Democrats and Sex parties (since they all support marriage equality) – NEVER vote for the Labor, Liberal, Christian Democrats, Family First, Shooters and Fishing, Bob Katter and the Palmer United Parties! Then one the major parties of either Labor or Liberal, will finally allow marriage equality in the year 2050!

  5. Labor either supports anti discrimination or not. There are no exceptions. The decision is not about democracy, it’s about the values held by the Party. So let it decide which direction it is heading, then we can decide who we will follow or not

  6. There trade offs to get into government, both parties do it, done it in the past and will continue to, and this is why change take time and push, trade offs with the church, other parties, and them selves ………..

  7. So how does Labor’s decisions affect what the Liberal Party does? Are Liberal Party MP not actually responsible for their own decisions?

  8. Actually the blatant hypocrisy is in people like this author who demand a binding vote for Labor in support of marriage equality with one breath, and for the Liberals to remove a binding vote against it in favour of a free/conscience vote in the next!

    Talk about trying to have your cake and eat it!