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The Coalition for Marriage have released a television advertisement arguing that marriage equality will lead to school curriculum being filled with programs where boys are encouraged to wear dresses and children are forced to role play being in a same-sex relationship.

The advertisements are online and will begin screening on television from tonight.

One of the speakers featured in the advertisement is Melbourne mother Cella White, a leading campaigner against the Safe Schools Coalition, an anti-bullying program that aims to protect LGBTI+ students in High School.

White removed her children from Frankston High School in 2016 after her son was told that it was acceptable for boys to wear dresses if they wanted to.

Alongside White, the video features two mothers arguing against education programs that recognise gender diversity and transgender students.

The advertisements have been authorised by Sophie York for the Coalition for Marriage. The group brings together several conservative and religious groups who are opposed to allowing same-sex couples to wed.

York is also the spokesperson for The Marriage Alliance, a group that came under fire for their previous advertisements that compared same-sex marriage to the iceberg that sunk The Titanic, and a campaign that featured a woman being hung by a rainbow noose. The group also released a Father’s Day advertisement in 2015 that filled with dubious statistics.

Linking the debate about marriage equality with issues such as education, religious freedom and political correctness has been the focus of the NO campaign in recent weeks.

Lyle Shelton, the Managing Director of the Australian Christian Lobby has made numberous media appearances in recent days arguing that the push to allow LGBTI couples to marry will force “radical sex education” into Australian schools.

This afternoon Shelton posted a statement to the lobby group’s website declaring that supporters of marriage same-sex marriage were hoping for a: “radical re-shaping of our nation.”

Alongside his concerns about comprehensive sex educaiton being taught in schools, Shelton also claims that if marriage equality is allowed, the laws banning commercial surrogacy will also need to be changed so that men in same-sex relationships can “acquire babies”.

Speaking to The Australian Sophie York said she also shared concerns about “radical sex education”

“Every day across the country, on social media, in coffee shops, in mothers’ groups and at BBQs, hundreds of thousands of parents are speaking to each other about the impacts of radical LGBTIQ sex and gender education programs,” York said.

Tiernan Brady from the Equality campaign told The Guardian that it was clear that opponents to marriage equality would be basing their campaign around a host of other issues.

“It’s already clear they’re not going to fight it on marriage equality at all, because they know Australian people are for that, so they’ll talk about all those other issues. They’re trying to pretend this vote is about something else.” Brady said.

OIP Staff

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