Monday 29th of April 2024
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leadership .....

leadership .....

There was a moment on ABC Q&A last night which broke through the cynicism that has permeated our politics recently. It came in the show's final minutes, in response to an audience question to Joe Hockey on gay marriage.Hockey's response was to reiterate his opposition, claiming a child is better off with a mother and father. On the other side of the panel sat Penny Wong, gay parent. The exchange is well worth watching.Barack Obama recently expressed his support for gay marriage in the US, in a watershed moment. We are still awaiting ours, but Penny Wong has shown her colleagues that it's possible for a politician to speak up, personally and honestly, to lead the public on a cause they believe in.A Moment Of Clarity

unthinking prejudice

What Mr Hockey's answer revealed is the unthinking prejudice that lies at the heart of opposition to marriage equality. That unthinking prejudice is revealed in the very incoherence of his response. He literally cannot state a rational argument in support of his position. All he can do is rattle off a prejudice dressed up as one.

Marriage equality is inevitable because the arguments against it are pathetic.  

None of them hold water, and once you say them out loud, you are either forced into contradiction - as Joe Hockey was - or into hate speech, as many other opponents are.

To put it another way, marriage equality is inevitable because the arguments in favour of it are unassailable.

http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/4015156.html?WT.svl=theDrum

joe hockey has a lot of pedalling to do...

 

 

Prompted by an audience question about why the shadow treasurer thinks he and his wife make better parents than the Finance Minister and her female partner, the segment ends with Wong quietly but firmly declaring: "I know what my family is worth".

It may only be brief but activists are calling the exchange a ''watershed moment'' in their campaign for same-sex marriage – both allowing people to understand the debate at a personal level and demonstrating its status as a mainstream political issue.

On Tuesday, Wong's response trended on Twitter and the clip has had more than 71,000 views on YouTube (up from 53,000 this time yesterday). A company has even started selling "I know what my family is worth" t-shirts and stickers.

The National Times understands that Wong and her office were overwhelmed by calls and messages of support immediately after her Q&A appearance and that the messages continued into the week – a rare occurrence as the Finance Minister does not seek to campaign publicly on the gay marriage issue.
But Wong was not expecting such a personal question on Monday night – as is clear from her look of surprise and intake of breath when the question was asked. And then from her off-the-cuff response to Hockey's answer.

 

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/wongs-affirmation-of-gay-families-a-watershed-20120518-1yv89.html#ixzz1vD2FmS8H

 

always the hypocritical lawyer .....

Julia Gillard’s most recent comments opposing gay marriage have been branded ''hurtful'' by gay marriage activists, who say her continued opposition to same-sex unions is ''embarrassing'' to Australia's international reputation.

Speaking on the ABC's Q&A program on Monday night, the Prime Minister referred to her de facto relationship and said it was possible to have a ''relationship of love and commitment and trust and understanding that doesn't need a marriage certificate associated with it''.

But a spokesman for Australian Marriage Equality, Alex Greenwich, said the statement was hurtful, as it ignored the fact that the Prime Minister was legally able to marry.

''Just because she has chosen not to marry herself should not mean other people should be prohibited from it,'' he said.

Same-Sex Activists Say 'Hurtful' Gillard Wasn't Denied Right To Marry