YES VOTE IN LGBT MARRIAGE EXTENDS CHILDRENS' RIGHTS - AUSTRALIA

As of September 7, Australians received a postal referendum card to vote yes or no against gay marriage.  A hot topic in some areas of the globe, where laws are somewhat behind in equalizing human rights. I say "equalizing" because the biggest argument in the Yes camp is that marriage is a human right not a heterosexual privilege, and we should all be equal when it comes to human rights. I agree.

Although the referendum is non-binding, public opinion will influence politicians in future policy making. Please note, I am not gay but a promoter of equal human rights.

Some of the Christian No camp believe that as gay parents have children, these children's right are at stake, therefore gay marriage should not be allowed. Upon scrutiny of laws in current states, indeed it seems that the word parent, in parenting and marriage legal texts  is currently defined as only a "man/woman" union. Therefore it logically follows, that if the law is updated to include all definitions of human marriage, these children's rights would be more protected. This means that a yes vote would be necessary, because it would lead to marriage and parenting legal texts redefining the words "man/women" union to something more expansive than what it currently is. This would protect those children without current rights.

As usual on Facebook, there are many dramatic and fake posts about people being "bullied into submission." The complaints are mainly from the Nay Sayers who say the Yes camp are the perpetrators.  I am not denying that there have been no incidents, as in any sensitive political question, there are freaks on both sides of the fence. What bothers me more though, is the self righteous attitude of those claiming to have "better moral values" than others, while they sit pointing fingers and judging those who live differently to them. Oh the moral irony!

I am not against anyone who is religious and wants to live by faith. That is their right, but I do object when their religious judgements infringe upon the rights of others. So yes, this post aims to address specific conservative Christian Nay Sayers, who somehow feel they have the right to deny others their human rights because their Holy Book states that homosexuality is, in a nutshell, "wrong." The reason that politics and religion are divided is that religious laws were made a long time ago and cannot in any way be applicable to modern society. The open-minded researchers of life will know that homosexuality has been around a long time in history, and even sometimes occurs in the animal world. Are we to assume that this way of sexual orientation is unnatural and not of "god's" will? I fail to see how this ties in with the Biblical idea that everything is created in God's image, because obviously therefore, God itself allowed apparently, "some faults" in his engineering.  Be that as it may....

The point is, it exists and through personal experience, I can only claim that non-heterosexual people are not what the conservative Christians are claiming them to be. There are some pretty nasty adjectives used, but these are just emotional responses and generally from the ones who do not research into consequences that the positive law change could have on children, when LGBT marriage and parenting rights are no longer denied. This lack of personal effort into research is a great pity, because it seems opinions, or the need to be right rather than wrong, supersede the issue at stake here which is:  Approving LGBT rights to marry and parent will afford children their rights in these situations and furthermore protect them in divorce or later inheritance rights. Rights to which some children currently have no access to.

When we take away the freedoms of others we cannot speak of freedom and democracy for all. Freedoms sometimes have to be fought for and on social media, the Yes camp is obviously fighting against something which is hard to oppose. Religion has its laws and something is wrong or right in "God's eyes." But on what authority?  Relying on an unproven fact, of an enigmatic figure who once inspired others to write homosexuality is "wrong" is, I'm afraid, not an argument applicable to modern society.  It might be your personal opinion to which you have every right but it is not an argument.  So please Christians, up your game.

In our reality of democracies and world of  diverse humanity, the law bases itself on facts. Law sustains our democracies which is why the judiciary is separate from Parliament. Christians wanting to use "God's law" as to why LGBT marriage rights should not be allowed is therefore in my opinion null and void.  If you have any legitimate reason based in the reality of now why children's rights should not be extended to LGBT couples then I am naturally open to debate. But please do not call opinion a debate and shut the door, because that is barely democratic.

I  kindly request that all No voters question whether your opinion and subsequent vote is about wanting others to choose a lifestyle that you approve of. Or , whether it is  a vote on progressing the moral rights of humanity as a whole.

Finally, as I respect Jesus as a great man and past teacher, but just not the son of God, I ask Christians to remember that he always accepted those shunned by society. Maybe it's time they did the same.