Obama 'can't change biological truth'

10 May 2012, 7:34 pm   -   Source: Lisa Zilberpriver, SBS
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Obama's support for gay marriage doesn't reflect his nation's beliefs, says the Australian Christian Lobby, as GetUp slams PM Gillard for not following his lead. 

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US President Barack Obama's announcement that he supports marriage rights for non-heterosexual couples has sparked a row over numbers in Australia.

Community advocacy group GetUp says a US Gallup poll showed that 49 per cent of American voters support marriage rights for non-heterosexual couples, compared to 62 per cent in Australia.

"There's more support here in Australiafor marriage equality than there is in the US," said GetUp's national director Simon Sheikh.

"The PM needs to shift her position into line with the broader public," he added.

"It's only parliament we're waiting for," he said, stressing that British Prime Minister David Cameron had also declared his support for the cause.

Those numbers were incorrect, according to head of the Australian Christian Lobby Jim Wallace.

"This is typical GetUp nonsense," he said, adding that there were only 10 countries around the world where gay marriage was recognised.

A referendum this week in North Carolina had fallen 61-39 against allowing non-heterosexual couples to marry, he said.

"Every time this has been voted on the US it's been defeated," Mr Wallace said.

"That's 32 times," he added.

"And that's because the average person doesn't believe that a marriage is other than between a man and a woman.  It's a biological truth," he said.

Mr Wallace did not think President Obama's announcement that LGBT people should be treated equally with regards to marriage would have any effect on Australian politics.

"The reality is this is the opinion of the President of the United States, and even the President of the United States can't change biolgical reality," he said.
 

Gay Marriage , Marriage Equality

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Your Comments

Jedi

Mick - from Sydney, 1 year

This is a 1990's issue for Scandinavians and the majority of Western Europe is rather progressive in terms of legal. Nice to see the new world catching up to outdated values. And why is a superstitious spokesman for some religion airing his views on SBS?

These God Botherers make me sick to my stomach

Christopher - from Melbourne, 1 year

Ah the bloody god botherers. All I can say is that I was raised Catholic and the god that I grew up believing in says love thy neighbour and that ALL people were made in gods image. Who the hell are these filthy dirty predjudice god bothering christians to tell the world that god made them in his image but made a mistake when he made others. How dare they. The only ones I believe that god are ashamed of are these Christians who do not ecept others for who they are.

Advance Australia Fair, for the gays too

Lewis - from Sydney, 1 year

Why can’t Gillard support marriage equality? After all she changed her mind in other instances, and is always so very worried about the fairness, the justice and the rights to SLIPPER and THOMSON… so why cant she apply the same standards to, say, Penny Wong’s rights? A Majority o Australians support marriage equality. ACL/Wallace should use their money, energy time to spread love, not bigotry. ACL lobby claims a monopoly on truth and a direct line with god, but most Christians support equality

Equality.

Jody - from Mango Hill, 1 year

When the S.A, parliament allowed women the vote, they were the first. Your argument that no one else is doing it is a simple minded. Being the first, or 11th to do the right thing should be a position of pride, not a reason to refrain from action.

Logical phallusy

mike j - from , 1 year

Just like the gay marriage lobby uses the Christian lobby as a convenient straw man, Shaun? What's good for the gander is good for the gander, champ.

.....

Scott L - from Tampere, 1 year

''there were only 10 countries around the world where gay marriage was recognised.'' Wow, so. To quote that only ten countries have this law is some basis for an argument? How many other times in history have only few nations supported an idea which sets the trend for the future?

Stone age

Kate - from Gold Coast, 1 year

The biological "truth" ay. At some point in history the biological "truth" dictated that people of any ethnicity other than Caucasian were biologically inferior. At that time huge racial discriminations were happening. Its these type of people that are continually setting society back from making progressions in the way of social justice. This is a CLEAR example of discrimination. Biological truth? HA I think there's a real truth here the Australian Christian Lobbyists aren't facing.

The science of it

Shaun - from Brisbane, 1 year

So this Christian lobby group will use biology (incorrectly) to slam gay marriage but will completely ignore it when it comes to evolution? Now come on, you can not pick and choose when science will suit you. And when it comes down to it, biology shows that being gay is completely normal.

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