Letter writing time

After reading a few articles in the Age about Wendy Francis I wrote her a letter.  For my international readers (if I have any), the Australian Federal Election is around the corner (less than 2 weeks away) and Wendy Francis is a candidate for the Senate with Family First, a Christian right-win political party who accidentally gained a Federal Senator at 6 years ago or so and who have a few seats in various State Parliaments.

Dear Ms Francis,

I am horrified to have read your comments today regarding equal marriage and LGBTIQ parentage.  You seem to believe that such would be a “social experiment with unproven results”.  It is not a social experiment Ms Francis, no more than any other individual who wants children is a social experiment.  A recent US longitudinal study showed that children of lesbian parents were, “rated significantly higher in social, school/academic, and total competence and significantly lower in social problems, rule-breaking, aggressive, and externalizing problem behavior than their age-matched counterparts in Achenbach’s normative sample of American youth”.

To suggest that LGBTIQ parents are lesser parents that heterosexuals parents really fails to understand parentage and how it has worked for so may people.  How many single-parent households are there in Australia?  Are those children growing up “parentless” because their parent’s relationship ended?  What solution do you have for those children in such cases?

Are the children whose parents either abandon them into care of have the children removed “parentless” if they are fostered or cared for by queer or straight people?

Are there really any studies that genuinely demonstrate the beliefs you hold outside the bible – a book that a large number of Australians do not subscribe to?

To compare the stolen generations to the issue of LBGTIQ parentage is incredibly offensive, as it is to suggest that legalising equal marriage is equivalent to legalising child abuse.

You are, as you have said, or been suggested to have said, allowed to have an opinion and to hold forth on it, provided it does not vilify or encourage violence against any particular group.  But before you hold forth on what you believe to be true, think about what harm you may be doing to others.  You may think that you are right on the basis of your religion, but for those of us who do not follow your religion, why should your religion impact on us?  Why should your words which I would suggest come from a deep seated fear and hate, be allowed to harm us?

You have said that homosexual community only represents a tiny percentage of Australia.  I’d personally argue that 10% is not a tiny percentage, but regardless of how small a percentage of the population is queer, why should they not have full equal rights with every heterosexual Australian?  Why cannot queer Australians participate fully in society as everyone else does?  Why can’t we ask for the same rights that you have?

Next time you think about discussing the rights of the LGBTIQ community, regardless of your religious blinkers, please sit down with a few of us and find out WHY we want equal rights, and think about how what you say may harm others, and try not to push your religion onto those who do not follow it.

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