At a time when South Australia and Tasmania are making headway in ending marriage discrimination, our Prime Minister has agreed to be the keynote speaker at the national conference of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) - a group who campaign consistently against ending marriage discrimination, and who have likened the campaign for marriage equality to nazism[1] and homosexuality to pedophilia.[2]
In response, Baptist Minister of ten years, Rev. Carolyn Francis started a petition on GetUp's new community campaigning initiative, CommunityRun. Rev. Carolyn Francis has joined with other Christian leaders in an effort to demonstrate to the Prime Minister that the ACL is not representative of Christian attitudes on marriage equality.
In Rev. Francis' petition to Julia Gillard, she asks her to meet with clergy who support ending discrimination. She says "I'm disappointed that the PM is ignoring the other side of this issue" and "at the very heart of my faith are values of love, compassion and inclusion. For me, that means being able to celebrate relationships based on love, no matter who is in them."
Most Australians, and most Christians, stand for equality, not discrimination. That's why Reverand Francis is asking the Prime Minister to hear both sides; so she knows that the ACL's views on marriage equality are not representative of all Christians. We can help her get the word out.
Join Rev. Francis by signing her petition to Julia Gillard:
http://www.communityrun.org/p/marriageequality
The ACL is predominantly focused on condemning same-sex attracted Australians, even though a recent poll shows that 53% of Christians support an end to marriage discrimination[3] and 40% of gay couples identify as Christian.[4] This focus has led to Christian leaders speaking out and openly distancing themselves from the group.
Between January and July this year the ACL made more than 120 statements condemning gay Australians, and said virtually nothing about poverty, homelessness or any other issue.[5] Yet Julia Gillard has agreed to be the keynote speaker at their conference this year.
Julia Gillard should hear both sides of this issue, and meet with people who represent the majority of Christians who support ending marriage discrimination. Will you ask her to meet with both sides? Sign Rev. Francis' petition:
http://www.communityrun.org/p/marriageequality
Thanks for standing up,
The GetUp team
PS - Rev. Francis' petition is not your typical GetUp petition because we didn't start it - she did. She began her campaign on GetUp's new tool, CommunityRun.org, built to allow all Australians to start their own campaigns, on the issues that matter to them. CommunityRun is new - so we're still tweaking things - but you can check it out now at: http://www.communityrun.org/
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[1] 'ACL backs gay Nazi claim', Sydney Star Observer. 15 July, 2011.
[2] 'Anger over rally to ridicule gay marriage', Sydney Morning Herald. August 16, 2011.
[3] Galaxy Poll, August 2011.
[4] 2012 Australian Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics.
[5] 'Christian Lobby analysis reveals strong gay focus', Brisbane Times. 9 June, 2012.