Doug PollardThe limits of activism
July 9th 2008 10:27
How is the GLBTI community ever to achieve fair treatment in Australia.
A look at where we are now, how we got here, and how to move forward.
Part 1 – Politics.
Last week the ACE called on us all to write to the Senate enquiries that are examining proposed changes to the law which would, if passed, create more equal treatment for same-sex couples.
This is the first step in a lengthy process which is supposed to equalize the treatment of same-sex couples in federal law.
The government has come under criticism from some quarters for taking this piecemeal approach (which means around 100 laws must be audited and then amended) when the issue of same-sex couple equality could have been solved relatively simply by legalizing same-sex marriage.
Neither the government nor the opposition supports same sex marriage, claiming it would be political suicide. The Australian public is ‘not ready’ for such a move.
Polling seems show a clear majority support ‘equality’ (whatever they understand that to be), but only the barest majority support gay marriage.
Ranged against us the Catholic church, which wields enormous influence within both the Liberal and Labor parties and the Australian Christian Lobby, which has the ear of both the present and previous Prime Minister, plus most if not all Muslim clerics.
The Australian Christian Lobby is extremely well-funded, well-organized and disciplined, and their supporters are highly motivated. They can and do mount mass letter-writing campaigns in support of their viewpoint, and are currently flooding the Senate enquiries.
They have a very simple message: no gay marriage (or anything that looks like, or could lead to, gay marriage), no gay adoption, no gay ivf, which has been taken up by Brendan Nelson.
The message from the gay lobby is not so simple. We agree we want equality, but we don’t agree on what equality looks like. Some want gay marriage, some don’t. Some will accept registration, others hate the concept. This puts us at a disadvantage.
Nor do we speak with one clear voice. Instead we have a mosaic of state-based and issue-based organizations.
The message coming from Canberra says the public will accept ‘equality’ but ‘isn’t ready’ for same-sex marriage – ‘maybe in ten years time.’ Leaving aside the question of whether it’s necessary to have a majority of the public in favour – it certainly wasn’t in Spain or Canada – we seem, for the moment, to have reached the limit of what is possible through political action.
As a minority, it is always going to be difficult to secure our rights through politics alone, because we will always be in danger of being steamrollered by the tyranny of the majority.
This is a major problem in Australia, because we do not yet have a Bill of Rights.
Next:
Part 2: the legal approach and a Bill of Rights
Part 3: education and the arts
A look at where we are now, how we got here, and how to move forward.
Part 1 – Politics.
Last week the ACE called on us all to write to the Senate enquiries that are examining proposed changes to the law which would, if passed, create more equal treatment for same-sex couples.
This is the first step in a lengthy process which is supposed to equalize the treatment of same-sex couples in federal law.
The government has come under criticism from some quarters for taking this piecemeal approach (which means around 100 laws must be audited and then amended) when the issue of same-sex couple equality could have been solved relatively simply by legalizing same-sex marriage.
Neither the government nor the opposition supports same sex marriage, claiming it would be political suicide. The Australian public is ‘not ready’ for such a move.
Polling seems show a clear majority support ‘equality’ (whatever they understand that to be), but only the barest majority support gay marriage.
Ranged against us the Catholic church, which wields enormous influence within both the Liberal and Labor parties and the Australian Christian Lobby, which has the ear of both the present and previous Prime Minister, plus most if not all Muslim clerics.
The Australian Christian Lobby is extremely well-funded, well-organized and disciplined, and their supporters are highly motivated. They can and do mount mass letter-writing campaigns in support of their viewpoint, and are currently flooding the Senate enquiries.
They have a very simple message: no gay marriage (or anything that looks like, or could lead to, gay marriage), no gay adoption, no gay ivf, which has been taken up by Brendan Nelson.
The message from the gay lobby is not so simple. We agree we want equality, but we don’t agree on what equality looks like. Some want gay marriage, some don’t. Some will accept registration, others hate the concept. This puts us at a disadvantage.
Nor do we speak with one clear voice. Instead we have a mosaic of state-based and issue-based organizations.
The message coming from Canberra says the public will accept ‘equality’ but ‘isn’t ready’ for same-sex marriage – ‘maybe in ten years time.’ Leaving aside the question of whether it’s necessary to have a majority of the public in favour – it certainly wasn’t in Spain or Canada – we seem, for the moment, to have reached the limit of what is possible through political action.
As a minority, it is always going to be difficult to secure our rights through politics alone, because we will always be in danger of being steamrollered by the tyranny of the majority.
This is a major problem in Australia, because we do not yet have a Bill of Rights.
Next:
Part 2: the legal approach and a Bill of Rights
Part 3: education and the arts
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