A 13-year-old boy who travelled to Canberra with his two mums has pleaded with the Prime Minister to “do his job.”
Eddie Blewett, 13, from the NSW town of Tathra has recently had to change schools after the teasing and bullying over his same-sex parents became too much for the young teen to bear.
His mothers, Claire Blewett and Neroli Dickson have sat with Eddie through question time as Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek asked the Prime Minister why a 13-year-old boy should “have to put up with a $7.5 million campaign by people who have never met him, telling him that there is something wrong with his family”?
Eddie’s mothers have told of how during his primary school years his family was a non-event in their town, but when he started high school this year things changed.
“People were saying stuff about my family – that it’s not normal, it’s not right,” Eddie told Fairfax Media.
He worries that if the same-sex marriage plebiscite is to go ahead his life will become unbearable.
His mum, Neroli told Fairfax Media that the spotlight on the plebiscite played a part in his torment.
“It has given people permission to say things in the playground – to pass on what they’ve heard at the dinner table,” she said.
Eddie and his family were a part of a large group of 21 parents and 27 children who traveled to Canberra to meet with politicians as a part of the support group Rainbow Families.
During question time Tanya Plibersek posed this question: “This morning I met 13-year old Eddie who is visiting Canberra today with his two mums, asking parliament to block a plebiscite,” Plibersek said. “Eddie said to me, and I quote: ‘Why should people who barely know us make an assumption on our families and vote on how we can live?’
“Can the Prime Minister explain why Eddie should have to put up with a $7.5 million campaign by people who’ve never met him, telling him that there’s something wrong with his family?” she asked.
Mr Turnbull, whilst being heckled by the opposition answered: “We all welcome Eddie and his parents to the House today. We’re pleased that he’s here,” he said.
“I’m very disappointed that the deputy leader of the Opposition would use Eddie, take advantage of Eddie,”
“What she has said is that people who do not know Eddie are not entitled to express a view on the Marriage Act — that’s what she’s saying.”
Australia has nothing to fear from the plebiscite, he said, because the debate will be “respectful” and “civil”.
But for the 13-year-old boy sitting in the gallery his answer didn’t gel.
A 13-year-old boy who had to change schools who has to face day to day questions and teasing about his mother’s love for each other.
A 13-year-old boy who just wants his parents to be afforded the same rights as any other kids.
Eddie’s, mum, Neroli Dickson said the Prime Minister was out of touch,
“He has no idea how uncivil a playground can be” she said.
“I’m not sure if he has a short memory or he went to an exceptional school but children aren’t civil.”
Rainbow Families’ children talk about why they oppose the plebiscite.
She told The Australian that the people who hurt Eddie have “permission” from the government to do it.
“The majority of Australians are very civil about this issue, are very respectful, and they just want the parliament to get on with it. But there is a very small group who have hateful and hurtful things to say and they now have permission from the government to say them loud and clear,” she says.
Ms Dickson says the Prime Minister turned a question into political theatre.
“I was horrified and incredibly disappointed that he turned a really genuine question from a child into a political piece of theatre,” she says.
For Eddie there was deep dismay and disappointment at what he said was a non-answer from the Prime Minister.
Eddie said he was so bereft at Mr Turnbull’s answer he wrote the Prime Minister a letter reports Fairfax Media.
It reads:
“Dear Prime Minister
That really upset me.
Please do your job.
We want same-sex marriage without hearing in the playground that I am not normal.
From Eddie.
P.S Thank god for Tanya Plibersek”
*Feature image via Facebook and Twitter.
Top Comments
Did his parents educate him that Tanya sat on the front bench for five years and did nothing about this I wonder?
Guest5 Labor has been out of Government for over 3 years. How much longer are you going to continue to blame them for this Government's incompetency? The Liberals weren't interested in marriage equality three years ago either. What matters is what both sides are doing today. Today Tanya listened to the concerns of families and their children and she acted on their behalf in Parliament, as she is paid to do.
Yet Tanya and her fellow Labor team play politics with the plebiscite. The democratic process - and like it or not, this is the platform the Libs were elected on, will surely validate the outcome and then we can all move on and start to focus on what is really important to the future of most 13 year olds in Australia - their future prosperity and paying down a debt ridden economy.
These families went to Canberra to tell Tanya and the Government that they don't want the plebiscite. Should she have just ignored them, they way Turnbull is determined to?
Oh and the other real worry here is that the Government is yet to give any kind of guarantee that they will legislate marriage equality if Australians vote for it. This plebiscite will cost an absolute fortune, open the door for endless hate speech and at the end the Government doesn't even have to honour the result. Not good enough.
Unfortunately, if we allowed everyone who got upset about the democratic process to prevent progress, we would achieve nothing. Shame on you Labour for using a young boy to further your case.
This is a young boy who loves his parents and wants to speak up for their rights. He is absolutely entitled to do so, regardless of how uncomfortable it makes you. I don't know if you read the article, but he was part of a large group of parents and their kids who travelled to Canberra to lobby the Government as is their democratic right. I know many conservatives justify their beliefs by convincing themselves that they speak for the silent majority, but (in this case) it might be time you accepted the fact that not everyone agrees with you. Furthermore, not everything is a Labor set up.
Lauren, I absolutely agree that everyone is entitled to speak up for their rights and just wish that the plebiscite would go ahead so that the gay and lesbian community can have equality. What I do not agree with is parliamentarians using a child to further their case. Exposing children to the rigors of public debate is what they profess to be trying to avoid.
From what I have read he wanted to be there because he is being bullied at school for having gay parents. He is already experiencing just a very small part of the nastiness and hatred that will unleash if this plebiscite is allowed to go ahead. If Malcolm Turnbull would just allow a free vote in Parliament, he could make marriage equality a reality now. No divisive campaigns, no need for Australians to vote on whether one group of people is somehow less than the rest of us. It would also send a resounding message to these bullies at school that we are all equal and that is not a matter for debate.
That small group of people who go to Canberra for same sex marriage legislation and line up with Tanya and her record on it would fit Lenins description of, "useful idiots". If not for Tanya and her party his mothers could have be married when he was 8.