The AGE argues that a fear-mongering campaign about the safety of children is an attempt to muddy the waters by making the postal plebiscite about issues that go beyond the basic human right to marry the person you love.
The AGE argues that postal opinion poll on marriage equality is one of the most divisive, dangerous and wasteful policies in recent Australian history and the events of the past two weeks have confirmed its worst fears.
It explains that religious groups and some politicians have quickly moved to turn the debate into a fear-mongering campaign about the safety of children, although the issue is about equality of legal and human rights for same-sex couples.
In the past fortnight there have been claims about "another stolen generation" if marriage equality laws were passed.
Stop the Fags posters appeared in parts of Melbourne, falsely claiming most children with gay parents are victims of abuse: 92 per cent of children raised by gay parents are abused. 51 per cent have depression. 72 per cent are obese.
The paper says Victorian Human Rights Commissioner Kristen Hilton has described the posters as both deeply offensive and inaccurate.
The AGE argues that the scaremongering aimed at these families is offensive, potentially damaging and deliberately misleading.
