Mark Latham: Not enough gay couples to warrant marriage equality

Mark Latham says there’s no need for marriage equality in Australia because the census shows there’s not enough gay couples to make it worthwhile.

The former Labor party leader, turned Liberal Democrat, has recently joined conservative media site Rebel Media and in his latest video he outlines his thinking on why LGBTI couples should be denied the right to marry.

Latham’s logic, there just isn’t enough of us to make it worthwhile.

“These numbers don’t lie,” Latham said, ‘The truth is in Australia we’ve got just 47,000 same-sex couples, so why the big national debate? The big national obsession in the political system with same-sex marriage?”

Latham said many important issues in Australia get sidelined because of the “dominance of the same-sex lobby in the political system and in the media”.

The former politician also argues that there is no need for anti-bullying programs like the Safe Schools program or anti-domestic violence programs like Respectful Relationships because there is only 1,300 gender diverse or gender fluid people in Australia.

Latham singles out transgender people as being the sole focus of the educational programs, despite them being aimed at all students. Latham said the programs had nothing to do with their stated outcomes.

“We have to get rid of Safe Schools in all Australian schools in all Australian states in recognition that it’s such a small issue, which such a small part of the population.” Latham said.

Latham raises concern about a part of the Respectful Relationships program that suggests how students might deal with sexual abuse within their families, the program uses a scenario of a fifteen year old boy being forced to give his uncle oral sex.

Latham said such matters should be discussed within the family, not in schools.

“What’s that got to do with schools?” Latham asks in the video, “Teachers might do a good job – sure, but they are relative strangers to us the parents. If you’re going to be talking about that with a fifteen year old boy and an uncle, that’s a matter for families. It’s not a matter for the school.”

Last week Latham claimed that all gay people in Australia work in the media and pushed an agenda that supported marriage equality.

OIP Staff


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