Money shouldn’t buy airtime for a message like this, especially on a night that is about celebration.
Last night, while Sydney celebrated our LBGTQI community at the annual Mardi Gras, an outrageous advertisement was aired on Australian commercial television.
The advertisement, which aired on Channels 7 and 9, claimed that same-sex marriage would mean children “miss out on a mother and father.” It implied that this equated with oppression, and suffering for the chillden of gay and lesbian parents.
The ad was sponsored by the Australian Marriage Forum, and asked viewers “You hear about marriage equality a lot, but what about equality for kids?”
The timing of the advertisement was no accident.
It was deliberately televised during the Mardi Gras parade, in an effort by the Australian Marriage Forum to draw maximum attention from and deliberately provoke the LBGTQI community and their supporters.
Sydney’s Mardi Gras is as rare a celebration, as it is wonderful.
It is the largest parade of its type in the world and an acknowledgement of the diversity, the intelligence, the creativity, the joy and yes the love, within our gay and lesbian community.
To use the biggest day of celebration within the Australian gay and lesbian community to make a political point that is deeply hurtful and insulting to that very community, is appalling.
Sadly, it is behaviour expected of the Australian Marriage Forum, closely associated with the Reverend Fred Niles, whose bigoted views are well known.
But for Channel 7 and 9 to take money to run the advertisement, particularly on such a terribly important night for the gay and lesbian community, is surprising and incredibly disappointing.
SBS, who broadcast the parade, refused to run the 43 second advertisement that points the finger at the children of gay and lesbian Australians, suggesting that their lives are somehow lesser because of their parents sexuality. Other networks did the same.
And rightly so.
Congratulations to those networks which refused to run this offensive material at a time designed to maximise hurt and insult. It’s a shame that dollars won out over respect, for the decision makers at Channels 7 and 9 this week.
Top Comments
The role of a father and mother is vital with each playing a different role in the development of the child. Having two dads will not allow the child the natural care of the mother. If people choose to live homosexually that is their choice and I respect that, but there is no way that either two mothers or two fathers can provide the love and respect required.
Having parents who are there, care, and show an interest in the child's life, is vital in the development of a child. The sex of the parents is not.
If you think homosexuality is a choice, you are probably gay, or at least bisexual.
Umm ok I have a beautiful girlfriend and would never even consider being gay or bisexual. A loving father and mother is far and away better than any parents that a gay couple could make
You wouldn't be the first gay person in a straight relationship... If a child has a mother and father who aren't loving, and are quite abusive, do you think the child would be better off in that family, or with a gay couple who loved them?
Here we go again, the same old argument in the extreme point of view. This world unfortunately has those mothers and fathers which are abusive and that's awful. But a child should never be denied the right to a mother and a father. That is the child's right. It's not the gay parents' right to have children, it is the child's right to a mother and a father. Think of the children.
And for the record, once and for all, I'm not gay. The idea of a homosexual relationship is abhorrent to me (that's not homophobic) and I would never consider it. I understand your agenda - I daresay as soon as anyone comes to you with relationship issues, you would advise homosexuality.
Humanity is too crowded and infected and broken for people to be making more people. Fix the world before you fill it. Channels 7 and 9 perpetuate the idea that we have to find a partner, get married and breed in order to have a sense of worth as a human being. And why? Because that feeds the economy, which needs (drum roll) ADVERTISING! It's fevered, it's sick. These pasty, knuckle-dragging, prominent brow ridged, flat-earth believing, hyper conservative, cardboard-minded, mud people are holding the planet back from evolution, all because they want a quick buck here and now (I'm not sure if a lot of them believe in "God" any more to be honest, the church doesn't buy you coke and hookers after all).
What about single parents? Are they doing wrong by their kids? Eh, I can't be bothered with this diatribe anymore. I can't wait for the sun to explode and suck everything into nothingness.
I just hope that the decision to make gay marriage legal in the U.S. wasn't a diversionary tactic so that they can choke and barbecue some brown people in the middle east with drones and depleted uranium...