'Smoking healthier than gay marriage'

[Deleted07]

Hope this is the right section to post this in... In Australia the support for gay marriage is increasing and being lobbied with many politicians, but not without its opposers. Today the head of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) Jim Wallace had some sad and pathetic things to say;

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/nationa ... z25b7QlpvV

The head of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) Jim Wallace says smoking is healthier than the lifestyle that would be promoted by same-sex marriage.

Mr Wallace made the claim in a debate on marriage equality with Greens leader Christine Milne at the University of Tasmania today.

Answering a question from a student on the relevance of his views, he said health statistics among the gay community were worse than those for smokers.

"I think we're going to owe smokers a big apology when the homosexual community's own statistics for its health - which it presents when it wants more money for health - are that is has higher rates of drug-taking, of suicide, it has the life of a male reduced by up to 20 years," he told the audience.

"The life of smokers is reduced by something like seven to 10 years and yet we tell all our kids at school they shouldn't smoke."

After the debate, Mr Wallace said the figures saddened him.

"But what I'm saying is we need to be aware that the homosexual lifestyle carries these problems and ... normalising the lifestyle by the attribution of marriage, for instance, has to be considered in what it does encouraging people into it," he said.

Mr Wallace said legalising same-sex marriage in other countries had not reduced risk factors for gay people.

"Where gay marriage has been introduced, or civil unions, it hasn't changed the level of suicide," he said.

"We have to accept the unfortunate levels of suicide, the unfortunate levels of excessive drug use (are) because of the nature of the lifestyle. "I am very sorry for that. My heart goes out to those people. But it is a fact."

Mr Wallace accused the Greens of demonising churches with "hate language" and caring more for trees than children.

He described gay activism as "bullying" and said a climate had been created for "legislation by fatigue".

Tasmanian marriage equality advocates said the ACL was using outdated figures from a survey of obituaries in San Francisco newspapers at the height of the AIDS crisis.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/nationa ... z25b9CDgdy

Because as soon as it becomes legal, the kids are totally going to say 'thats so cool, I WANT a gay marriage too!" :roll: Like its the next IPad or Dance trend to be encouraged into.... :x

And poor gay people wanting rights like everyone else, are BULLYING others into it! :evil: Urgh He just makes me violently ill!!!

[Deleted07]

One upside, the comments from the *support gay marriage* facebook page it was posted on were excellent:

I wonder how smoking after gay sex rates, healthwise ;-)

I wonder if it's harmful to children in closed cars? Passive gayness or something? Homosexuality might be banned indoors. Awks

So, They would rather I bred, lived in a fake relationship and smoked in front of my children's faces in order to prevent them seeing me hold the hand of my partner...

So giving yourself a slow painful and expensive cancer related death is better for you then letting two people who love each other get married

I'm sure the guy dying of lung cancer is thinking 'at least I didn't marry another man!'

[ILoveJellybeans]

I dont get it. How is gay marriage unhealthy?

The suicide rate is higher with gay people because of the bigots, not because they are gay. If you want to lower the suicide rates, give gay people rights and try and make the bigots STFU.

When will people learn that sexuality isnt a choice, and people wont suddenly just all turn gay and extinct the world if gay marriage is legalised. The only people who will come out as gay once peoples attitudes change are the people who are already gay but denying it because of the bigotry in the world.

[Deleted07]

My thoughts exactly!

[SpeakNow]

You can be harmed by second hand smoke, not second hand gay.

[Chowder Head]

I have a few friends that are gay. The only thing they have encouraged me to do is have fun. No harm, no second hand cough.

[Patsy]

Update for non-Australians: our PM was going to be a speaker at the ACL's next big meeting (I. FUCKING. KNOW. They're a tiny group who have almost every political party sucking up to them, why?!) In direct response to this story, she's pulled out of it.

[ElphabaGalinda]

How am I gay and not having this "gay lifestyle" then? IT'S NOT A LIFESTYLE! There, I feel better. But really I find it a little strange that the guy who's commenting on the gay suicide rate is a contributing factor to that higher suicide rate.

[ilovetchotchkes]

How am I gay and not having this "gay lifestyle" then? IT'S NOT A LIFESTYLE! There, I feel better. But really I find it a little strange that the guy who's commenting on the gay suicide rate is a contributing factor to that higher suicide rate.

Maybe the suicide rate is higher because of what people say and do to them rather than WHO they are. I just don't get it. I really really don't.

I posted something about how I was supporting a friends' transition from FtM and my aunt commented with " BLAH BLAH BLAH its wrong, blah blah blah AGAINST G_DS PLAN blah blah blah unnatural blah blah blah pray away "the gay"... btw Tchotchkes, the suicide rate in post op trans people is way higher than the regular population. "

I just boggled at that. Nobody should be forced to live a lie.

[MonkeyMomma]

YES. Exactly.

And the only thing second-hand gay has led to, in my personal experience, is more awesomeness.

[Effie]

After that kind of statement, I think the Australian Christian Lobby should be demanded to watch this movie (based on the true story of the life of Bobby Griffith, a young gay man who killed himself due to his mother's and community's homophobia.).

oZT9b9xp2DU

Bobby's mother later became an advocate for gay rights in memory of her son.

[Cherokee2000]

YES. Exactly.

And the only thing second-hand gay has led to, in my personal experience, is more awesomeness.

I am honoured to be experiencing second-hand gay, courtesy of my FJ friends.

[ElphabaGalinda]

Second hand gay for everyone!!!

:banana-rainbow: :gay-imgay: :gay-gay: :gay-color: :gay-rainbow: :orcs-gayflag:

[Chowder Head]

:dance: :angry-devil: :banana-guitar:

Whooooo I need some awesomme right now.

[Anxious Girl]

I dont get it. How is gay marriage unhealthy?

The suicide rate is higher with gay people because of the bigots, not because they are gay. If you want to lower the suicide rates, give gay people rights and try and make the bigots STFU.

When will people learn that sexuality isnt a choice, and people wont suddenly just all turn gay and extinct the world if gay marriage is legalised. The only people who will come out as gay once peoples attitudes change are the people who are already gay but denying it because of the bigotry in the world.

Just ask my Jigglypuff. I'm sure she can provide you with answers that are backed with science supported by Puritanical logic; if that's even possible. :lol: Oh, and go, Australia! Take advice from your younger brother New Zealand! I'm obviously not into Hetalia. Can't you tell? ;)

[SomewhatFundy]

I have no statistics on hand to back this up, but if I had to warrant a guess I would say that the suicide rate is much higher for gay people in areas where the population is considerably more conservative. Which you would think makes obvious to others that some people who are gay kill themselves because they get treated like garbage. Not because their "lifestyle" makes them unhappy.

If people consistently treated me the way i've seen gay people treated here in the midwest, I would be pretty miserable too. No matter who I was having sex with. It has nothing to do with their orientation and everything to do with people who are jerks bullying others who are different from them.

[Patsy]

After that kind of statement, I think the Australian Christian Lobby should be demanded to watch this movie (based on the true story of the life of Bobby Griffith, a young gay man who killed himself due to his mother's and community's homophobia.).

oZT9b9xp2DU

Bobby's mother later became an advocate for gay rights in memory of her son.

A Brisbane activist met up with the QLD head of ACL for coffee a while ago: http://chadstjames.com/my-experience-ha ... ian-lobby/

At the end of their meeting, he gave her a copy of 'Prayers for Bobby' to watch.

[Vex]

Of course the suicide rate hasn't decreased in areas where gay marriages have been legalised; the majority of gay suicides are by closet cases and teenagers (who are often closeted), so gay marriage being legal has no effect on them. The gay people who commit suicide do it because of persecution and a lack of support from their families and communities, not because they're emo over not being able to marry. Gay marriage also tends to be legalised in more tolerant countries and states, where the suicide rate for gay people is already lower than in places where it hasn't yet been legalised.

He talks about how it's unhealthy for gay MEN but once again lesbians and bisexual people are ignored.

I'm glad Julia Gillard withdrew from speaking, though I'm troubled she was going to speak there in the first place. Sometimes I think we're a tolerant country and I feel lucky to be a gay woman in Australia... and then this shit happens and snaps me back to reality.

[lizziesmom]

The saddest thing to me on the whole gay issue is parents who would rather see their child dead than happily living as a homosexual. Kind of contrary to the whole right to life argument. Right up there with 'abortion = bad; death penalty = good'.

[Mela99]

Has anybody else gotten to the point where they can barely look at facebook, the news, or some parts of this blog because it is physically painful?

[Effie]

A Brisbane activist met up with the QLD head of ACL for coffee a while ago: http://chadstjames.com/my-experience-ha ... ian-lobby/

At the end of their meeting, he gave her a copy of 'Prayers for Bobby' to watch.

Wow, that is so cool! :)

The saddest thing to me on the whole gay issue is parents who would rather see their child dead than happily living as a homosexual.

Mm that is exactly what happened to Bobby Griffith. His mother didn't understand before he had killed himself how wrong she had been... :/