Say No to a Plebiscite on Same-Sex Marriage.

In the most recent party leader’s debate, Prime Minister Turnbull was asked about marriage equality. His response was that he was personally in favour of it, but he would like to put the issue to a plebiscite.

For the uninitiated, this seems like a fantastic idea. Give every Australian a say on what many assume to be a contentious issue. However, I really hope to convince you otherwise. I really hope to help you understand that this is a waste of money, that it demonstrates poor leadership skills and that it puts Australia’s entire LGBTQ+ community at the risk of severe discrimination.

Imagine this: You are in a relationship that is unconventional in some way. Maybe you’re in an interracial relationship. Maybe you’re in an interfaith relationship. Now imagine an entire faction of society uniting to scrutinize your relationship. Imagine your children waking up in the morning to see ads that question the legitimacy of their parents’ relationship. Imagine having to defend why you are together in front of them at the dinner table. Imagine walking to work and passing by someone handing out flyers that say your involvement with your partner is immoral. Imagine talk radio calling you a pervert and questioning every element of your way of life. Imagine your relationship being studied by your neighbours as they ponder whether or not you are ‘moral’ enough to make a vote of ‘yes’ worth it. That is the reality that LGBTQ+ couples will face under a plebiscite. Any discussion inevitably places their lives under the microscope and their relationships for society to dissect and analyse.

Making same sex marriage illegal does not stop loving same sex relationships from forming. Having a ‘debate’ on same sex marriage means forcing same sex couples around the entire country to live their lives with an entire segment of the population seeking to delegitimise their relationships. That is mentally taxing for a minority group that already faces high levels of hatred and discrimination. The Prime Minister has dismissed my concerns repeatedly arguing that Australians are mature enough to handle this discussion. While I definitely trust the majority of Australians to handle this discussion maturely, it’s the minority that’s going to wreck it. We’re talking Pauline Hanson and her One Nation Party going on overdrive. A plebiscite opens up an avenue of hatred and bigotry. As part of a plebiscite, the yes and no factions could both receive government funding. Could you imagine a taxpaying Australian paying money to fund a campaign that actively tries to argue against the legitimacy of their own relationship?

So let’s say the same sex marriage plebiscite passes, or it doesn’t. Guess what, it’s not even binding! That’s right! Both houses of parliament are not bound by the plebiscite at all and Liberal Party Senator Eric Abetz has even stated to The Guardian that he will vote ‘no’ on the same-sex marriage bill regardless of the outcome of the plebiscite. We are spending millions of dollars to open a debate on a referendum whose outcome can (and very well might) be ignored. So even the argument that this is a democratically responsible thing to do does not make sense.

In principle, this is a bad practice. The Prime Minister’s response that he will campaign for and vote ‘yes’ in a plebiscite. He has a stronger vote: a ‘yes’ as a Prime Minister. He can call for a conscience vote where members of his own party can vote their conscience regardless of party policy. There are enough members of The Liberals, Labor, and The Greens to resoundingly pass marriage equality through both houses of parliament. To defer judgment on contentious issues as Prime Minister to a debate that opens up avenues of hatred and bigotry is not only bad policy, it is a weakness of leadership.

All recent polls show that the majority of Australians support marriage equality. Even beyond that, this is a question of legitimizing relationships that should be legitimized. The only way to stop this from happening is to not vote for the Liberal Party, who have promised this plebiscite. Yelling “democracy!” always sounds good on paper. When we dive deeper, we find that a plebiscite would be a waste of money, full of hatred and pretty useless. Don’t vote for the Liberal Party. I plea to your sense of compassion, the same compassion you and I will both conduct a sensible discussion of a plebiscite with. Please say ‘no’ to a plebiscite.