National Palliative Care Week is a good time to start thinking about death …

So, I went to Queensland Palliative Care’s Your Death, Your Choice community forum last weekend and, to tell the truth, for the first half of the morning I was a bit ‘pissed’ that the speakers all seemed to be skirting around the subject of voluntary euthanasia. That’s what I’d come to hear people talk about!

During the lunch break I had a friendly, but fairly intense chat with Dr Mark Deuble.  As our conversation progressed, I could tell he was incredibly irritated that I wanted to focus on VE, when he wanted to focus on the immediate, pressing needs of the palliative care sector.

To be honest, I was like some really annoying mosquito prattling on about what I saw as THE MOST IMPORTANT THING while he was trying to explain why (at least to him) it wasn’t.

I don’t think I made a very good impression. I’m sure the words, “What an incredibly annoying woman!” were muttered under his breath as I went back to my seat.

I told him I’d be writing an article on the forum. I imagine him thinking, “God, help us!”

Well, I may be annoying, but I’m not stupid or intractable.

During the afternoon session and long into the night I thought very carefully about Dr Deuble’s argument.

I can’t say I agree that VE shouldn’t be an issue until we’ve addressed the parlous state of palliative care in this country; but I can see his point. My argument would be that in those countries and jurisdictions where VE has been legalized, it helped shine a spotlight on palliative care and forced governments to pay far more attention to it than they had in the past. VE is good for palliative care.

But, I’ve already had my rant about euthanasia this week. So, when I sat down to write a less ranty article about palliative care and the Your Death, Your Choice forum, Dr Deuble was very much on my mind.

We may disagree on VE, but what absolutely shone through was that he was a caring and dedicated physician with an absolute burning passion to advocate for better end-of-life care for his patients. Dr Deuble spoke eloquently and from the heart and he made me take a broader view of the whole VE debate.

Don’t worry! I haven’t gone soft on VE. But it’s as if I’d been focused on Sydney and someone took me up in a plane and showed me New South Wales.  After I got over the fact that Dr Deuble didn’t agree with every single word I uttered, I kind of went, “Wow! I’ve actually never looked at it from that perspective!”  I thank him for that.

What Dr Deuble and the folks at Palliative Care Queensland need  (and I, suspect, Palliative Care advocacy groups in other states as well) is public support. They need us to contact our state pollies and say, “What are YOU doing to improve palliative care in this state?”

My article on the Your Death, Your Choice forum  was published on ABC’s Religion and Ethics portal today. I really hope Dr Deuble will like it and maybe think of me as somewhat less annoying.

I’ve sent a copy of my article to my local state member today and I’ve made an appointment to talk to him about it (and a few other things that are making me ranty) on Monday.

So, let me ask you a favour.  Read my article, and if you think Dr Deuble and I have made a fair case, think about forwarding the link to your local state member and asking what they’re doing to fix the problem.

National Palliative Care Week is a good time to start thinking about death …

Chrys Stevenson

As I went to bed last night, I couldn’t help wondering what might have happened if Brigadier Jim Wallace applied the same logic to his military career as he does to assessing mainstream academic literature and writing submissions on same-sex marriage to the Australian Senate.  I’m not suggesting he did, of course – by all accounts Wallace was an excellent military commander.

Sadly, the intellectual rigour that must surely be required of an SAS commander seems to be entirely absent in Wallace’s assessment of expert analysis on issues relating to abortion, same-sex marriage, voluntary euthanasia and other issues of public morality.

As I drifted off to sleep, I began to imagine what if – what IF – Wallace had applied the same quality of reasoning to his military decisions as he applies to his work with the Australian Christian Lobby.  The following scenario came to mind:

The scene:  Australian troops are in a war zone. The enemy is somewhere ‘out there’ but, where? At command HQ, the Brigadier has already decided where the enemy attack will come from and has deployed his troops. Meanwhile, intelligence arrives …

“The intelligence is in, Sir – the enemy are encamped in a cave, just over that hill to the north and they’re advancing in this direction.”

“Impossible!”

“Impossible?”

“Yes. It’s impossible. The enemy is hiding in the jungle, just over that river to the south.”

“Yes, sir, I’m sure that’s a very good assumption, but, actually the intelligence tells us otherwise.”

“Nonsense!”

“Sir! It’s been confirmed!”

“No it hasn’t.”

“Sir, I am sorry to argue with a superior officer, but I have reports from a number of very credible sources that the enemy is to the north and advancing in this direction.”

“What ‘credible sources’?”

“French intelligence, the UN, US surveillance, the British … there’s a very broad expert consensus on this, sir!”

“They’re all wrong. They’re just making it up, because they don’t want me to win.“

“But … sir! There’s a huge amount of evidence that you’re … er …. wrong.”

“I can’t be wrong, soldier. I know what I know.”

“But … sir!”

“Oh, for pity’s sake. Give me those documents – I’ll show you why they’re wrong!”

The soldier hands over the intelligence.

“See?  See here?  It says, “It seems impossible that the enemy would be to the north …”.  Just as I told you! It’s impossible. Even the so-called ‘experts’ agree!”

“Um … but sir, that’s only HALF the sentence. The other half says, “but, here are the photographs which prove it.”

“Those photographs could have been taken anywhere!”

“But, sir, why would all these agencies make it up?”

“It’s a conspiracy. They’re all against me. They’re just biased.”

“And you have evidence to prove that the enemy is to our south, Sir?”

“Of course I have evidence you miserable little soldier!  Look! Here!  Just this morning I received this document from Ramsbottom and Fitch confirming the enemy is definitely to the south. Absolutely no doubt about it.”

“Ramsbottom and Fitch? Aren’t they the ones who told us the enemy was in the west that time we got clobbered from the east?”

“Well, yes. But it doesn’t mean they were wrong! It just means the enemy must have snuck up from the west and then sneakily scaled that impassable mountain range in order to make us look stupid. It certainly doesn’t mean I’m relying on false intelligence.”

“Oh. I see.”

“And sir – forgive me for being impertinent – but aren’t Ramsbottom and Fitch those guys who the leading expert on covert surveillance said (and I’m quoting from memory here), “… couldn’t find an enemy if one leapt up and hit them on the head?”

“He’s biased.”

“Ah. OK.”

“Look son, it’s not just Ramsbottom and Fitch. You don’t think I’m so stupid I’d risk my soldiers’ lives based on just one source of intelligence, do you?”

“Well, um … sir, I was hoping you wouldn’t!”

“Well, rest assured, son. I know what I’m doing.  Look!  I have this army manual written in the 2^nd century BC  which says that the enemy always attacks from the south or the west, never from the north or the east – and it’s never wrong! Military strategy never changes, son. It’s timeless. You can’t argue with this book, let me tell you!”

“Yes, sir, but times have changed. People have changed. Our ideas about war have changed. And we have much better information about military strategy now than they had nearly 3,000 years ago!”

“Son, this book served my grandfather and my father and it has served me all my life. I’m not interested in any of that new-fangled crapola! This book is army tradition and I’ll rely on it until the day I die.”

“So, sir, let me get this straight.  All the information we have from the world’s leading sources of intelligence are wrong. All these experts, whose techniques are considered rigorous and whose opinions are considered highly credible by the vast majority of the military, are, in your opinion, just plain wrong. And you’re placing your faith in two completely discredited informants and a 3000 year old book.”

“Yep, that just about sums it up.”

“Because, all sources of modern, mainstream military information are biased?”

“Obviously! Except the ones that agree with me, of course. They’re all right.”

“So, it’s a conspiracy.”

“Transparently.”

“And, sir – forgive me, I’m having a little trouble working this out. You say you’re right, because there are bits of their intelligence which, taken out of context, seem to support what you’re saying (until you actually read the full reports) and because YOUR experts, Ramsbottom and Fitch who are considered completely clueless by most recognized experts hold a different view.”

“There you go, soldier! It’s a pretty simple concept, really, isn’t it? Good man!”

“But, sir … if you’re wrong, and the enemy is actually approaching from the north and not from the south, there’s going to be a massacre here when the enemy turns up! You’ve deployed everyone to defend the southern boundary! Think of all the needless suffering your stubborn refusal to accept mainstream intelligence might cause …”

“Poppycock. I can’t possibly be wrong. It’s inconceivable.  Look … see in this manual, chapter 32, paragraph 12 – it says I’m right!”

“Sir, I know I’m risking a charge of insubordination here, but I’ve actually read that paragraph and I don’t think it means what you think it means. In fact, I’ve read a lot of opinions from people who also think that’s a pretty good book who think you may have interpreted it wrong.”

“Ridiculous! I’ll let you into a secret, son. A ghost of a 2000 year old soldier whispers in my ear and tells me how to interpret that book. He’s always right, which means I’m always right.”

“So, you’re not even prepared to consider how much damage might be caused if you ignore all the experts?”

“No. What is important is that he’s right and I’m right.”

The conversation is interrupted by a terrible din as the enemy arrives from the north and begins killing indiscriminately.

“Sir! Sir! The enemy is here!  They’ve come in from the north and they’re killing everyone! We have no protection! You sent all our defences south!”

The commander, speaking from beneath his desk, replies, “Yes, yes, I know! We’re losing comprehensively, son, but what matters is that I was right – the enemy attacked from the south! I knew it all along. I was right!”

Hitchens, it seems was right. Religion poisons everything.

You know what? I take back the title of this blog post. Wallace’s ignorance is not ‘safe’ confined within the Australian Christian Lobby.  Here are just some of the casualties of the kind of unreasoned prejudice displayed by Wallace and the ACL in respect of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. Make no mistake, this is a war and people are suffering and dying.

Chrys Stevenson

“Oh, rooly?”

When I debunked the Doctors for the Family Senate submission on same-sex marriage yesterday, a large section was removed in the final edit.  I knew I’d regret it.

That section began, “No doubt, Jim Wallace of the Australian Christian Lobby will now come out to defend this tripe by citing Lerner and Nagai – as the ACL did so shamelessly in their own Senate submission.  So, let’s deal with that here …”

Oh, that I had left it in!

Today I’m in Brisbane helping an elderly aunt and not at my own desk. But, I’ve just received an email alert with a link to a Media Release from the ACL and I have had to drop everything and commandeer a computer – such is the bullshit contained within it.

It reads, in part:

 “Mr Wallace said so-called research used yesterday to build the case against Professor George and his colleagues’ pro man-woman marriage submission to the Senate was badly flawed in what was the usual public circus used to confuse and deny fact in this debate … Quantitative analysis experts Lerner and Nagai reviewed 49 studies supporting same-sex parenting, many of which were used by Dr Riggs, and found that all 49 contained serious methodological flaws.”

As Steve Martin’s Ruprecht says so eloquently in the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, “Oh, rooly???”

First Wallace defends a submission that was so full of academic FAIL  it wouldn’t have merited a pass for a second year undergraduate.

And now, he tries to pass off Lerner and Nagai as credible academics? Puh-leeze!

Robert Lerner and Althea Nagai are well known in America as conservative ‘guns for hire’. They have no credibility whatsoever in the mainstream academic community.  Just like David Barton rewrites history for conservative tastes, Lerner and Nagai have found a nice littler earner in spinning statistics to prop up the rantings of the religious right.

When George Bush Jr. was busy stacking government advisory bodies with fundamentalists, who did he turn to to head the National Center for Education Statistics? Robert Lerner.

In 1995 Lerner wrote a book which criticized the ‘over emphasis’ on race, ethnicity and gender in the American history curriculum. He was particularly put out that, in an apparent sop to feminists, the curriculum highlighted the achievements of so many women when (obviously) the achievements of males had been far more significant.

In 1997 Lerner and Nagai were commissioned to write another right-wing conservative book.  Subsequently, American Elites was reviewed as follows in the prestigious American Journal of Sociology, September 1997:

“The samples can only be described as conceptually dubious and methodologically unsound … The methodology could not pass a first-year research methods course. No standard set of procedures were used in drawing the 12 elite samples. Something approaching stratified random sampling was used to draw several of the elite samples, but the business sample was drawn exclusively from seven corporations. Top-ranking bureaucrats were purposely sampled to draw equal numbers from “activist” and “traditional” agencies. The sample of religious leaders was collected using snowball methods, which somehow failed to qualify any Jews or Muslims as religious leaders.”

After the OJ Simpson trial, Lerner did a ‘study’ that purported to show that juries treated rape by African-Americans much more lightly than rape by caucasians. As someone who likes to criticize the methodological weaknesses of others’ research, it’s incredible that Lerner’s questionable conclusion was based on a mere five jury trials. Lerner’s paper, which was never published in a peer-reviewed journal, was nevertheless widely derided and criticized by mainstream reviewers as ‘junk science’. Ironic, isn’t it, that Lerner and Nagai have criticized studies of same-sex parenting of having ‘unrepresentative’ samples?

In 2001 Lerner and Nagai were commissioned by (anti-gay marriage) The Marriage Law Project to write a book. The result was  No Basis: What the Studies Don’t Tell Us About Same-Sex Parenting. In the book, as Wallace has pointed out,Lerner and Nagi argue  that not one conclusion from any of the dozens of studies on same-sex parenting are reliable. Not one.

Again, “Oh rooly?”

Research into same-sex parenting has been undertaken for at least two decades. The peer-reviewed journals in which academic papers are published require exceptionally high standards.  Methodology is one area which is closely examined before papers are published. This doesn’t mean, of course, there may not be methodological weaknesses in some studies – but it is highly unlikely – in fact, I would suggest, impossible – that this warrants dismissing all of them out of hand!

And, as the ACL point out in their own submission, it is not that this research has lacked scrutiny.

Steven Nock, from the University of Virginia, for instance, was highly critical of the literature on same-sex parenting, saying that it did not yet constitute a solid body of evidence. But, that was 10 years ago. Also, without being critical of Professor Nock, it is also worth noting that this statement was made within the context of a court case.

Yet, as Meezan and Rauch note, respected scholars, Judith Stacey and Timothy Biblarz, vigorously disputed Nock’s analysis, saying:

“. . . If the Court were to accept Professor Nock’s primary criticisms of these studies, it would have to dismiss virtually the entire Discipline of psychology.”

It would take more than Nock and Lerner and Nagai to discredit the whole existing body of academic literature on same-sex parenting.

Significantly, William Meezan and Jonathan Rauch, two gay academics, have also questioned whether there are flaws in the methodology relating to same-sex parenting. They conclude, that, ‘yes’, it appears there are some demographic gaps but – and this is important – their critical research supports the conclusion that:

“There is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents on the basis of their sexual orientation. . . . On the contrary, results of research suggest that lesbian and gay parents are as likely as heterosexual parents to provide supportive and healthy environments for their children. . . . Overall, results of research suggest that the development, adjustment, and well-being of children with lesbian and gay parents do not differ markedly from that of children with heterosexual parents.“

Meezan and Rauch don’t shy away from criticizing the flaws in studies into same-sex parenting. But, they note that research techniques are improving all the time – and their paper was written seven years ago, in 2005.  Even then, they noted:

“More studies now use standardized instruments with acceptable reliability and validity. Recent studies are much more likely to match comparison groups closely and are also more likely to use statistical methods to control for differences both within and between the study groups.

We identified four studies-—all comparatively recent (dating from 1997)-—that we believe represent the state of the art, studies that are as rigorous as such research could today reasonably be expected to be. Their conclusions do not differ from those of the main body of research [Emphasis added.]

The ACL seems to accept Meezan and Rauch as credible, given that they quoted their research in their own submission. Strangely, they didn’t mention that despite accepting the imperfections in some of the existing research, they believe it is still sufficiently strong to support the mainstream consensus – that children with same-sex parents suffer no disadvantage.

Certainly, as in any area of scholarship, there is always room for improvement and it is only right that methodology in particular should come under close scrutiny – and it does.

But that scrutiny is provided through on-going peer review. And, despite this on-going process of peer-review the consensus remains the same – there is no danger or disadvantage to children from same-sex parents.

Wallace and his merry band of homophobes can argue until they’re blue in the face about ‘so-called’ research but as they have already admitted, they are ‘comprehensively losing’ the battle. And there’s a good reason for that; they’re wrong.

Mainstream science is on the side of same-sex marriage; not because mainstream science is ideologically biased towards homosexuals, but because that’s what the studies show – even after extensive scrutiny and peer-review.

Wallace, on the other hand, can only drag up a couple of mangy, discredited hacks for hire  like Lerner and Nagai to support his fast failing argument.

I call “bullshit”, Mr Wallace.

Chrys Stevenson

In a short but virulent Senate submission on same-sex marriage, the covert Christian group, Doctors for the Family, argues against same-sex marriage. Their objections can be reduced to two key points.

• Children fare better when brought up by their two biological parents.
• The ‘normalisation’ of homosexuality poses a risk to community health.

In support of the first contention, the submission cites Professor Patrick Parkinson’s “For Kid’s Sake” report and a scholarly article by Wendy Manning and Kathleen Lamb, “Adolescent well-being in co-habiting, married, and single-parent families”.  Defending the submission today on Radio National, Dunjey also cited the opinion of the American College of Pediatricians that same-sex parenting is detrimental to children and society.

Let us deal, first, with Professor Parkinson’s report.  Commissioned by the Australian Christian Lobby, “For Kid’s Sake” was released late last year. Immediately, Catholic Archbishop Barry Hickey, Beyond Blue’s Jeff Kennett and Catholic commentator, Angela Shanahan rushed to use  ‘evidence’ from the report in their tirades against same-sex marriage.

There was but one problem – the report says nothing about same-sex parenting.

Parkinson, clearly irritated by this misrepresentation of his work, pointed out that his report does not engage in any criticism about same-sex relationships of any kind.  In fact, the report recommends that government sponsored parent and marriage counselling be extended to gay couples.

Parkinson further confirmed that  reference to the high risk of child abuse from men living in family situations in which they share no biological relationship to the children, refers to the heterosexual male partners of women not homosexual couples.

In an article in the National Times, Parkinson clearly makes the point that the key risk factors for children are family breakdown, financial stress, domestic violence and sexual abuse from defacto [heterosexual] male partners living in the family home. He makes no mention whatsoever of same-sex marriage as a risk factor for children.

The crux of Parkinson’s argument is that children do best in stable, peaceful family environments with two married parents. The ‘problem’ with children living apart from one or more of their biological parents is that this is often associated with family breakdown, instability, economic pressures and strangers moving into the household.  This is not in the least bit equivalent to a same-sex couple in a committed relationship deciding to have a child.

The problem, as anyone who reads Parkinson’s report or similar studies will find, is not the lack of a ‘biological’ link between parent and child, but the circumstances which both precede and follow the breakdown of a heterosexual relationship.

As Rodney Croome has pointed out, those who are genuinely concerned about the welfare of children should consider Parkinson’s report an endorsement for same-sex marriage.  Parkinson clearly states that marriage is good for children. Marriage tends to create stability and economic security. He says  “the likelihood that a non-marital relationship with children will break down is many times higher than for marriages”. Given that homosexual couples already have children – and will continue to do so whether Doctors for the Family like it or not – it seems that the very best thing that can be done to ensure their welfare is to encourage same-sex parents to marry.

Parkinson has made it clear that his report should not be used as an attack on same-sex marriage. Is it not dishonest in the extreme for Doctors for the Family to suggest otherwise?

It’s ironic that, in their feigned  ‘concern’ for the children of gay partnerships, Doctors for the Family cite studies which raise concerns about the fidelity within and the longevity of same-sex relationships; yet, according to Parkinson – their own source –  the best way to address this is to encourage couples to marry; not make it impossible for them to do so!

Let me just hammer home the point  here; Parkinson’s “For Kid’s Sake” is about heterosexual parenting – he says so, himself. It says nothing about homosexual parenting (other than that gay couples and parents should be supported in the same way as heterosexuals). Using a reference to the report to support an argument against same-sex marriage is both unethical and intellectually dishonest.

The same can be said of Doctors for the Family’s reference to Manning and Lamb’s paper from the Journal of Marriage and Family. Doctors for the Family gives us half a sentence from this article in support of their argument against same-sex marriage:

“Adolescents in married, two-biological-parent families generally fare better…”  

But what does the article really say about same-sex parenting? Thanks to the State Library of Queensland’s database search and JStor I was able to access an online copy.

Manning and Lamb’s study focuses on a comparison between the children of heterosexual, married, biological parents living together and children in married (heterosexual) step-families and single mother families.  There is no mention whatsoever of homosexual parents.

Manning and Lamb found that children living in two-biological-parent families generally fare better, but, importantly, they concluded that  “most of these differences are explained by socioeconomic circumstances”.

Like Parkinson, Manning and Lamb identify a number of ‘risk factors’ for children. These include economic status, family stability, and the quality of parenting. Curiously, they find that the increasing social acceptability of [heterosexual] cohabitation has made for easier parenting and that ‘legal and social recognition’ of parental relationships is important for the stability and well-being of children.

Like Parkinson’s, Manning’s and Lamb’s findings appear to support the notion that children of same-sex parents will fare better if a) same-sex parenting becomes socially acceptable and b) same-sex couples are permitted to marry.  Yet, these are the very things to which Doctors for the Family are opposed.  One has to ask if their concern is genuinely with the children of these partnerships, or whether their opposition is based purely on their ideological bias.

There are two things to be said of Doctors for the Family’s use of Manning and Lamb’s research.

First, it is clearly a case of cynical and dishonest quote-mining. Like Parkinson’s study, Manning and Lamb say nothing abut same-sex parents; they did not include same-sex parents in their research.

Second, Manning and Lamb’s conclusion is not as simplistic as Doctors for the Family suggest with their half-sentence quotation. Being raised by two biological parents is not the determining factor for a child’s welfare; rather, it is the tendency for [heterosexual] step-parent families and single-mother families to be financially stressed.

I’m aware of no evidence which suggests that same-sex parents are subject to the same economic stressors as single parent or step-families. In fact, given the high cost of having a child via IVF or surrogacy, and the fact that the children of same-sex parents are more likely to be planned, it seems reasonable to assume that same-sex parents would generally be in a better financial position to raise children than many heterosexual couples.

And now, to Dr Dunjey’s use of ‘evidence’ from the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) on Radio National this morning.  It sounds convincing, doesn’t it? The average reader – or perhaps the average politician – may be misled into believing that this is the peak body of pediatricians in the USA. That would be wrong – but you didn’t hear this clarification from Dr Dunjey.

The peak body of American pediatricians is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The American College of Pediatricians is a break-away group, founded by religious conservatives in 2002 as a protest against the AAP’s support for adoption by gay couples.

Yes, that’s right, America’s mainstream group of 60,000 credible pediatricians support same-sex marriage. It is only a small, break-away group, driven by religious ideology, who oppose it. There’s is not the consensus view as Dr Dunjey dishonestly suggests – it is the minority view.

Let me repeat that. ACPeds’ religiously motivated view is contrary to  the position of the 60,000 pediatricians represented by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other mainstream medical and child welfare authorities, including the National Association of Social Workers. Indeed, as Dr Kerryn Phelps pointed out on Radio National this morning, the mainstream medical, psychological and scientific consensus is that “sexual orientation has no correlation with the ability to be a good parent and to raise healthy and well-adjusted children.^”

There’s an old saying which I like very much:  When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. In this respect, Dr Dunjey should really have considered the shady reputation of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) before aligning with them.

Like it’s ideological counterpart, NARTH (the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality), ACPeds is notorious for mischaracterising and misrepresenting the work of legitimate researchers to advance their own agenda.

For example, in 2010, Dr Gary Remafedi from the University of Minnesota was shocked to find ACPeds citing his research to argue that schools should provide no support for gay students as they were likely to ‘grow out of it’.

“Most adolescents who experience same-sex attraction…no longer experience such attractions at age 25,” said ACPeds, quoting a 1992 study by Remafedi.

Except that’s not what Remafedi’s study said at all!:

“[Remafedi’s] work showed that kids who are confused about their sexuality eventually sort it out—meaning many of them accept being gay.

“What was so troubling was that these were fellow doctors, fellow pediatricians,” Remafedi says. “They knew better, and they have the same ethical responsibilities to their patients that I do, but they deliberately distorted my research for malicious purposes.”

“It’s obvious that they didn’t even read my research,” Remafedi says.” [Emphasis added.]

I might say the same of Doctors for the Family cherry-picking a quote from Manning’s and Lamb’s paper – a study not even remotely associated with homosexuality. Did they even bother to read it?

Remafedi is not the only researcher whose work has been “cherry-picked, manipulated, and misstated” by ACPeds.

In 2010, Francis S Collins, a Christian, and one of America’s most respected scientists, issued the following statement:

“It is disturbing for me to see special interest groups distort my scientific observations to make a point against homosexuality.  The American College of Pediatricians pulled language out of context from a book I wrote in 2006 to support an ideology that can cause unnecessary anguish and encourage prejudice. The information they present is misleading and incorrect, and it is particularly troubling that they are distributing it in a way that will confuse school children and their parents.” [Emphasis added.]

The paucity of Dunjey’s ‘evidence’ against same-sex marriage is only magnified when he resorts to using the discredited American College of Pediatrics in support of his argument!

Again, let me pause to make my point. By misrepresenting the work of Dr Patrick Parkinson and Manning and Lamb, in an apparent attempt to mislead the Australian Senate, Dr Dunjey and his Doctors for the Family follow in the fine tradition of the American College of Pediatricians – a similarly covert group of religious zealots. No wonder Dunjey appears to be so familiar with their work!

And now, let’s turn to the second point raised in Doctors for the Family’s easily debunked piece of political propaganda.

Quoting from an article from America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Infectious Disease News, the Doctors for the Family submission suggests that ‘normalising’ homosexuality is likely to lead to increased rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/Aids and syphilis.

Yes, they’re stretching.

According to the vast majority of medical experts, homosexuality is not ‘a choice’. It follows, then, that recognising homosexuality as part of the normal spectrum of human sexuality will not lead to more people ‘choosing’ to become homosexual. It’s an argument built on an entirely false and unproven premise. But don’t just take my word for it!

In 1994, The American Psychological Association, which represents over 132,000 mental health professionals, released a “Statement on Homosexuality” which says, in part:

“Nor is homosexuality a matter of individual choice. Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. It is found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different moral values and standards of a particular culture.

Contrary to what some imply, the incidence of homosexuality in a population does not appear to change with new moral codes or social mores. Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accoutrements.” [Emphasis added.]

Similarly, the Australian Psychological Society’s website insists that homosexuality is neither a ‘choice’ nor a mental disorder.

In Born Gay: The Psychobiology of Sex Orientation (2005),  Glenn Wilson, a reader in personality at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, and Qazi Rahman, a psychobiologist at the University of East London state unequivocally that ‘the existing body of academic research leaves absolutely no room for parental or societal influence on this intimate trait’. [Emphasis added.]

In other words, social acceptance of homosexuality will have no effect whatsoever on the number of homosexuals.

Regardless of Dr Dunjey’s ill-informed and ideologically inspired idiocy, this is the consensus opinion of legitimate researchers and experts.

While Doctors for the Family cynically try to incite homophobia by referring to the high rates of HIV and syphilis in homosexuals who participate in male to male sex, they fail to cite the reason provided in the report from which they quote.  Dr Kevin Fenton, director of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention explains:

“It is clear that we will not be able to stop the U.S. HIV epidemic until every affected community, along with health officials nationwide, prioritize the needs of gay and bisexual men with HIV prevention efforts.”

The problem he identifies is a lack of education and support. Given their very real concern about sexual health, are Doctors for the Family advocating sexual health programs for gay teens in Australian schools?

No? I wonder why not.

Promiscuity (whether heterosexual or gay) is obviously a factor which leads to the spread of STDs.  While it is obviously no guarantee, studies seem to suggest that marriage leads to greater relationship stability and fidelity. So, surely anyone who is genuinely concerned about stemming the spread of STDs in the homosexual community would be vigorously  promoting same-sex marriage!

Doctors for the Family have failed every academic protocol in promoting their fatally flawed submission to the Australian Senate. They have misrepresented the work of credible researchers, they have cherry-picked quotes to support their argument. They have failed to consider or disclose that the papers they cite are not relevant to their case and/or do not support their contentions. In a cynical attempt to convince Radio National listeners that the consensus of medical opinion is against same-sex marriage, Doctors for the Family convenor, Dr Lachlan Dunjey misleadingly quoted the opinion of the extremist right-wing American College of Pediatrics; while completely failing to mention the contrary majority view of the peak representative group, the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Further, as I showed in my previous post, Dunjey and his compatriots comprehensively failed to disclose the religious motives which underpin their opposition to same-sex marriage.  Dunjey, in particular, is culpable as he has a history of setting up Christian lobby groups, composed of fundamentalists and evangelists, while deceptively denying any religious agenda.

Trying to mislead the Australian Senate is a serious ethical matter. So is misrepresenting academic research and dissembling (if not outright lying) on national radio. Add to this the hypocrisy of exploiting the public’s trust in doctors in order to misrepresent a fundamentalist religious prejudice as a matter of scientific consensus. It’s a classic case of a tradition which is becoming all to routine in fundamentalist circles – lying for Jesus. I spoke about this at length in my recent address to Dying with Dignity (NSW).

The Australian Senate would be well advised to disregard this shameful piece of holy hogwash and make a note that, in future, any organisation headed by Dr Dunjey should be treated with extreme distrust.

Dr Dunjey, and those who are foolish or dishonest enough to add their names to his petitions, are a disgrace to academia, to the medical profession and to Christianity. They really should be ashamed.

Chrys Stevenson

The internet is all a-twitter tonight with news that 150 Australian doctors, operating under the moniker Doctors for the Family  [Senate submission 229], oppose same-sex marriage on the basis that it would be detrimental, both to children and community health.

It all sounds so credible when this kind of nonsense comes from doctors; so credible and, regrettably, so familiar.

The fact is, I’ve exposed this lot of mendacious medicos before and there’s a certain sense of deja vu at having to front up and do it all again.

These people may have medical degrees but they are not speaking as scientists or medics; they are religious bigots using their professional credentials as a smokescreen for their despicable, discriminatory dogma.

So, here we go again.

Dr Lachlan Dunjey is the leader of the pack. Dunjey has priors. According to Dunjey, his anti-abortion ‘Liberty of Conscience in Medicine’ website and associated group, ‘Medicine with Morality’ have  “no religious or faith component”.

Bullshit.

As I showed in a previous blog post, “In Good Conscience?” the list of signatories at Liberty of Conscience in Medicine is chock-a-block with religious fundamentalists and evangelists.

Dunjey fails to disclose on both his Liberty of Conscience in Medicine website and his Doctors for the Family senate submission that he was Western Australia’s Christian Democratic Party candidate for the senate in 2004, along with his co-signatory, Dr Norman Gage. When not pretending to be ‘non-religious’ Dunjey describes himself as ‘a church musician of 40+ years’  and a ‘church elder’ at Morley Baptist Church, Western Australia.

Dunjey is also the former president of the Baptist Churches of Western Australia.

Strange, he considers none of this relevant as he rails against abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage.

Dr Kuruvilla George has also been in the news for appending his signature to this pestilent piece of pusillanimous propaganda. Dr George is Victoria’s deputy chief psychiatrist and (for now) a member of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

After completing his medical training, Kuruvilla George worked in India as a missionary.

Dr George is known for arguing that psychiatrists should discuss their own spiritual beliefs with their patients.  To me, that seems dangerously close to exploiting a position of influence to evangelise emotionally vulnerable patients.

Psychologist, Dr John Mathai similarly argues for a ‘Biblio-centred model of therapy’. Yes, really. Psychiatric therapy based on scripture.

Dr Mathai’s ‘Christian perspective’ leads him to tout the benefits of ‘revelational therapy’.

“‘Revelational Therapy’, he says, “applies to the revelational gifts – the gifts of knowledge, wisdom and discernment as described in one of the books of the Bible, 1 Corinthians chapter 12. These are spiritual gifts that are imparted by the Holy Spirit as the need arises.”

But, of course, it is science, not the Holy Spirit which tells Dr Mathai that homosexuals should be treated as second-class citizens.  Who could doubt it?

Another signatory to the Doctors for the Family submission is Dr Teem-Wing (TW) Yip, a member of Kwatja-Etatha Lutheran Church in Central Australia. Helpfully, Dr Yip assists Pastor Basil Schild in the congregation’s ministry with Aboriginal people.

I wonder if Dr Yip knows her co-signatory, Dr Robert Pollnitz. Curiously enough, he’s the chairman of the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Commission on Social & Bioethical Questions and another signatory on Dr Dunjey’s senate submission against same-sex marriage. Quelle suprise!

Signatory, Dr Murray James-Wallace,  appears to be under the thrall of the notorious Danny Nalliah of Catch the Fire Ministries. You remember, Pastor Danny – he’s the guy who said the Black Saturday bushfires were God’s retribution for Victoria’s pro-choice abortion laws.

In a ‘confession’ that will horrify everyone but the religiously deluded, Dr James-Wallace writes of an incident which occurred while he was travelling with Nalliah in Israel.  As they left their hotel one morning,  a woman travelling with them exhibited all the symptoms of a heart attack.

Dr James-Wallace takes up the story:

“We are on the outskirts of Tiberius, I explain that clinically she requires a hospital. She could have had a heart attack, asystole or otherarrythmia, hypoglycaemia or a stroke or seizure. Danny says this is spiritual and has generational links to Freemasonry. John receives a word that this is an attack from Satan to end her life in Israel and that if she can get to Jordan the Lord will heal her.

I have 2 choices, professionally to pull rank and as the only qualified medical practitioner ‘order’ the bus to a hospital in Tiberius. Having witnessed the miraculous recovery of the lady from death to life in that she responded to a verbal command. I explained that this lady is very sick, she ought to go to hospital but ‘I place myself under the authority of the pastor and the Lord Jesus Christ.’

Yes, folks. You heard it right. Instead of honouring his medical training and getting this woman to a hospital, he defers to Pastor Danny Nalliah.

But, of course, we are meant to believe that Dr James-Wallace’s opposition to same-sex marriage is based entirely on scientific evidence – and has nothing whatsoever to do with his religious fundamentalism.

Bullshit!

Writing in Sight Magazine (a website covering local and global news from a Christian perspective), Senate submission signatory, Dr Yoke Mei Neoh, tells of being called to a double medical emergency on board a cruise ship.

“Of all times, it had to be now, God, is there a lesson here for me?” she wonders as she struggles to cope.

I remember signatory Dr Lucas (Luke) McLindon from my post on Liberty of Conscience in Medicine. It is rather alarming, but sadly not surprising, to hear that, “As a committed Catholic, at the end of the day” Dr McLindon’s “loyalties must lie with Scripture first and foremost …”

So, when it comes to science or religious propaganda which rules, Dr McLindon? No need to answer. I think we all get the picture.

Dr Elvis Seman is a member of the Catholic Medical Guild of St Luke. Dr Lucia Migliore explains their creed:

“As Catholic doctors, we should be foremost inviting Christ into our work, which completely changes the nature of what you are doing.” 

It certainly seems to change the nature of interpreting the medical and sociological research on homosexuality!

Catholic, Dr Joseph Santamaria is one of the signatories to the Canberra Declaration, a conservative Christian document inspired by the theocratic Manhattan Declaration.

Dr John Muirden is on the bioethics committee of the Uniting Church.

Dr Tanuja Martin and her husband Wayne were called as missionaries to Nepal because, “People are dying daily in countries without ever having had the opportunity to hear the gospel.”

(Some of us might think good nutrition and proper medical care were greater priorities.)

As with my post on Dr Dunjey’s Liberty of Conscience in Medicine I could go on and on, but I think I’ve made my point.

The submission from Doctors for the Family is no more than religious propaganda masquerading as medical knowledge.

I am delighted to see that the Australian Medical Association has rejected the specious claims made in the Doctors for the Family submission.  They are certainly far more qualified to do so than me.

The simple fact is, that the claims made in this deceptive piece of poorly disguised religious propaganda simply don’t hold up under academic scrutiny.

Of course, this group of homophobic medicos has as much right as anyone to state their views in a Senate submission – even if those views are fundamentally false. My objection is that, just like Medicine with Morality and Liberty in Conscience in Medicine, Doctors for the Family fails to disclose the religious agenda behind its propaganda.

If their Senate submission bore the name Christian Doctors for the Family, that, at least would be an honest representation.

I can’t help thinking that Dunjey’s proclivity for setting up Christian lobby groups which deny any link to religion reeks of Peter’s denial of Jesus.

Medicine with Morality, Liberty of Conscience in Medicine and now Doctors for the Family – three times they have denied Him.

It’s not a good look, Dr Dunjey. Not only are you and your cronies deceiving the Senate and the Australian people with your lack of transparency, your denialism fundamentally dishonours the tenets of the religion you purport to follow.

Chrys Stevenson

See also:  

Who are Doctors for the Family? – The Conscience Vote blog

The Doctors for the Family Senate Submission, Translated – Mike Stuchbery

Drs 4 Family “disingenuous” about their religious beliefs says critic – Dr Jennifer Wilson, No Place for Sheep

Ersatz science does not help inform debate about social policy – Dr Michael Vagg, The Conversation

Herald Sun falsely implies that “doctors” think gay marriage a “risk to kids” – Jeremy Sear, Pure Poison on Crikey

When I briefly reviewed Australian comedian Catherine Deveny’s gig at the Global Atheist Convention, I suggested that her story about confronting Cardinal George Pell at the Sydney Opera House in 2010 was getting a bit old, and that she should ‘let it go’ and look for some new material. It seems she took me at my word! I’ve just heard that one of Dev’s recent tweets has upset George so much he threatened her with a defamation suit – a threat which he has, today, withdrawn.

Nevertheless, there is all too much of this bullying-by-defamation going on and, although the threat has now been withdrawn, Deveny was moved to apologise to Pell (when, in my opinion, no apology was warranted) and no doubt she spent some very anxious hours worrying about her financial future and her chances of battling an organisation as cashed up as the Holy Church of Rome.

So here’s the story. It appears that, having recently made an absolute bumbling fool of himself on national television, George was less than impressed when Dev tweeted a photo which did little else but  illustrate a gaffe of his own making.

In case you’ve been living in a cave in Siberia for the last couple of months, let me explain.

George foolishly signed up to a one-on-one debate with Richard Dawkins on ABC’s Q and A. Now, if I had been the media consultant to the Catholic church of Australia when that invite came in, the corridors would still be reverberating with the sound of me screaming “NOOOOOOOO!  DON’T DO IT GEORGE!!!!!!”

But, clerical hubris being what it is, George turned up in all his silly regalia and predictably, Dawkins annihilated him.  Jetlagged Dawkins, in fact, achieved it effortlessly with one hand effectively tied behind his back. Dawkins soon twigged to the fact that if he just shut up, George would hang himself with his own cincture – which is exactly what happened.  You can see the whole thing here:

Or you can just watch here to see the particular section of George’s inarticulate stumbling that tickled Dev’s funnybone:

Recalling a time when he was preparing some young English boys for holy communion, George made an unfortunately long pause after the word ‘boys’. The audience tittered and laughed at the obvious implication and even Dawkins couldn’t hide a broad grin.  It was, quite frankly, comedy gold.

It’s not surprising that Deveny seized on it and tweeted a photo of Pell captioned with his hanging half-sentence, “When in England, we were preparing some young English boys”.

Pell alleged that the image and caption was defamatory because it suggests that he is associated with the sexual abuse of young boys.

Well, imagine that!  In this day and age, how bizarre that someone might look at the image of a leader of the Catholic church and – with or without a droll caption – reach the conclusion that, in some way, they are associated with the sexual abuse scandals which riddle that vile institution.

And, if this is the case – as it most certainly is – who is at fault for that association? Certainly not Deveny!

If the Catholic church and its leaders were squeaky clean on the issue of sexual abuse of children, there would have been no titters and laughs from the Q and A audience as Pell spoke of his dealings with young English boys – and Deveny would have had nothing to tweet about.  The association made by the audience, by Dawkins, by the twitter-sphere and by Deveny is entirely due to the actions of the church itself. It’s no use pinning the blame on the messenger!

As a Cardinal, George Pell accepts the many benefits that flow from being a ‘prince’ of the church. One would think that, celibate or not, he would not be so lacking in testicular fortitude as to go into a major funk when some of the church’s sins came back to bite him on the bum.

Like it or not, George, your church has been and still is riddled with child rapists. You are a leader of that church. Members of your church have covered up multiple instances of child rape and protected the perpetrators rather than the victims. When brought to account, members of your church have lied, dissembled, prevaricated and been generally uncooperative. You are a leader of the church and you must shoulder some responsibility for its sins. It is  not only inevitable, but just, that you should be associated with the rapes perpetrated by the clergy within it.

If you only wanted to bask in the glory of being a Cardinal, George, you shouldn’t have taken the job.

This is not to say that George Pell has personally abused children. Not at all. And I don’t believe Deveny’s captioned photo suggests that either.

But, perhaps it should be noted that Pell has been accused of sexually abusing a 12 year old boy at a Catholic youth camp in 1961.  Ultimately, no action was taken due to insufficient evidence and the questionable character of his accuser. It does seem feasible, though, that a man who alleges that he was raped as a child by someone he trusted might well, as a result, have turned to a life of crime. Wouldn’t it be ironic, if this were true, if this was exactly what ruined his credibility and may well (if his allegations had any basis in fact) have denied him justice!

Ultimately, the QC who headed the inquiry concluded:

“I accept as correct the submissions of Mr Tovey [for the complainant] that the complainant, when giving evidence of molesting, gave the impression that he was speaking honestly from an actual recollection. However, the respondent, also, gave me the impression that he was speaking the truth. … In the end, and notwithstanding that impression of the complainant, bearing in mind the forensic difficulties of the defence occasioned by the very long delay, some valid criticism of the complainant’s credibility, the lack of corroborative evidence and the sworn denial of the respondent, I find I am not ‘satisfied that the complaint has been established …”

Father Ridsdale (with his features obscured by dark glasses and a cap) walked to the Melbourne Magistrates Court with his support person, Bishop Pell (wearing clerical garb) – Source: Broken Rites.

But this allegation is not the only direct association between Pell and child rape. In 1993 when Father Gerald Ridsdale was brought before the Melbourne Magistrates Court, charged with 30 incidents of indecent assault, involving nine boys  aged between 12 and 16 he was supported by (then) Bishop Pell.

Interesting, isn’t it, that neither Pell, nor any other member of his church, turned up to support the victims of Ridsdale’s assaults – only the perpetrator (who pleaded guilty).

In 2010, Pell again came under scrutiny for his ham-fisted handling of complaints against Father Terence Goodall for ‘sexualising his pastoral relationships’ with a 10 year old altar boy and a religious instruction teacher, Anthony Jones, who had come to him for guidance.

Remarkably, although an independent investigator found both cases established, Pell reversed the investigator’s finding in respect to Jones, rejected his allegations of sexual abuse and implied that the sexualised ‘relationship’ was consensual (despite Goodall having admitted otherwise). Pell later apologised that his letter to Jones was  ‘poorly drafted’ – an apology rejected by Jones as ‘not genuine’.

Let’s put aside, for a moment, the worldwide scandal of institutionalised child rape within the Catholic church – of which Cardinal Pell is a leader. Instead, let’s focus only on the small part of the globe with which he is most intimately associated – the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

Here are just some of the cases against Catholic priests on Pell’s home turf:

• Michael Charles Glennon: former diocesan priest, sentenced to at least 15 years in jail for sexually abusing four Aboriginal boys between 1984 and 1991.

• Gerry Francis Ridsdale: convicted in 1994, he pled guilty on 46 sexual offenses.

• Wilfred James Baker: sentenced to four years in prison (parole after 2 years) for crimes involving eight boys.

• David Daniel: sentenced to six years jail, with parole after 4.5 years, for molesting four boys, a girl and an adult male.

• Rex Elmer: sentenced in 1998 to five years jail (with parole after 3 years 4 months) for molesting 12 boys at St Vincent’s orphanage in South Melbourne.

• Paul Pavlou: convicted on 29 June 2009 of committing an indecent act with a child under 16 and of being knowingly in possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to an 18 month jail sentence suspended for 24 months and to a two-year community based order. He was registered on the Sex Offenders Register for 15 years. These offences occurred in 2005-2006 while he was the priest at Healesville in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

• John Ayres SDB: The Salesian Order is alleged to have had an Australian victim sign a secrecy agreement and paid him compensation in 2000 in regard to allegations about Ayer’s actions.

• Francis Klep SDB: convicted of indecent assault in 1994, and charged with an additional five counts. He moved to Samoa, but in 2004 the Samoan government made moves to deport him from the country after becoming aware of the previous conviction and charges.

It should surprise no-one then, least of all Pell, that, in the collective imagination of the Australian public,  his name is inextricably connected with the issue of child rape. Pell leads a church in which this is an on-going problem, he is the Archbishop of a diocese in which child rape and sexual abuse has been prevalent, he has personally supported a child rapist who plead guilty and was subsequently convicted, he has been criticised for his handling of sex abuse cases within the church and he has, himself, been accused (but not convicted) of sexual abuse in a case in which the accuser’s testimony ‘gave the impression’, at least, that he was speaking honestly.

And now, here is the important point.

I have met Catherine Deveny. I follow her on Facebook and on Twitter. While I can’t claim a personal friendship with Dev, some of her friends are my friends. We frequent the same circles. And yet, until today, I was completely ignorant of her offending tweet about George Pell. Yep, somehow I missed it.

The only reason it came to my attention was because Pell decided to make an issue of it.  This afternoon, his threat to sue Deveny for defamation did reach my inbox.

Because, and only because, of this threat did I decide to dig into old George’s past associations with sexual abuse cases. If he hadn’t threatened to sue Deveny, I wouldn’t have bothered and I wouldn’t have known that he was once accused of being a sexual abuser himself.

Futher, I wouldn’t have bothered writing this blog post which brings issues he would probably rather put behind him back into the public spotlight.

You see, George, even threatening defamation sets the Streisand effect into action. Deveny didn’t call you a paedophile and I’m absolutely sure that no-one would have read her tweet that way. What we read in it is that, as a Cardinal, you are the personification of a church which is intimately and scandalously embroiled in the institutional abuse of children in its care over decades (or, more correctly, centuries).  You made the gaffe that exposed you to public ridicule. Your church’s failings (and some of your own) have put you into the position where the mention of ‘preparing boys’ inevitably comes with sexual connotations. That is your fault and the fault of your church – it is no fault of Deveny or anyone else.

I am glad that you have decided not to pursue legal action against Catherine Deveny, although I suspect it’s  probably because you were told you didn’t have a case, rather than Christian compassion. What I am not glad about is that these kind of bullying tactics function to try to silence bloggers, comedians, writers, even victims who fear that speaking out against the Catholic church may ruin them financially.

I support the right of any person to defend themselves in a genuine case of defamation. But when defamation threats are used to bully and silence, I feel compelled to speak out.

Perhaps next time (and there will be a next time), George, you might just consider taking some personal responsibility for the tarnished reputation of your church, its leadership and its clergy before thuggishly threatening to shoot the messenger.

Chrys Stevenson

* It is worth noting that Catherine Deveny was not the originator of the ‘meme’ to which Pell took offence, nor was she the only person to retweet it. In fact, it has just been brought to my attention that there is a record of this meme being retweeted under my name, although I did not initiate any such tweet. Amber Jamieson’s Crikey article “Devamation: George Pell pursues legal action over a Deveny tweet” provides a good account of the whole misguided mess.

For another perspective, see Gregory Storer’s “Free Speech, Catherine Deveny and George Pell” – “I can’t help but draw a comparison between the hatred and bigotry that is thrown out by the church with regards to gay people… Religions such as christianity have perpetrated the myth that if you’re gay you’re a pedophile … Do you have any idea how offensive I find such remarks?” – Gregory Storer.

See also: “Pell vs Morality” by Hilton T – aka The Outspoken Wookie

“Hilarious letter (by Phil Degenhardt) to George Pell’s Lawyers” – classic!

A story on the Ellen DeGeneres show today showed a variety of heterosexual couples getting married in Las Vegas.

One couple said their vows in front of a comedian – newly-ordained by paying $39 to some company he found by googling. Apparently, in some states of America, this is entirely legal.  Same-sex marriage, however, is not.

Another couple,  sitting in the back seat of a convertible, were married by an Elvis impersonator as they passed through a ‘drive through’ – “Do you want fries with that?”

Apparently this does not demean marriage. Same-sex marriage between long-term committed partners, however, does.

The world watched mesmerised as famous-for-being-famous Kim Kardashian went through a sham,  made-for-tv wedding and divorced 72 days later.  Within the space of a year, I hear, she’s now thinking of marrying rapper Kanye West. All perfectly legal and socially acceptable.

Poorly matched heterosexual couples routinely enter into ill-advised marriages and, it seems, that’s perfectly okay.  Even divorced couples can remarry in most churches these days, so if at first you don’t succeed – try, try try again.

It seems that as long as the couple walking up the aisle – or passing through the drive-through – are one of each sex, the ‘dignity’ of marriage is preserved.

And, really, even if we might think some of these unions are a bit ‘strange’, ill-advised or just plain nutty – who would be so churlish as to directly sneer at any of these couples on the happiest day of their lives (so far)?  We might quietly raise an eyebrow, or have a private titter, but most of us are not so crass as to try to ruin someone’s wedding by being intentionally mean to them.

I once MC’d at a wedding I knew was destined for disaster. The bride was a friend. She was happy and excited, so I kept my own counsel.

Years later, she rang to tell me it had been all been a huge mistake.

“But you knew that, didn’t you?” she said.

“Yup.” I answered.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“Would it have made any difference?”

“No.”

“There ya go.”

As it happens, she’s stuck it out – but it was not the life she wanted for herself and she lives a life of quiet desperation. How much value does that marriage really have? A trapped wife and a husband who, whether he knows it or not, doesn’t make her happy?

Today, I heard the happy news that Alex Greenwich, head of Australian Marriage Equality, is in Argentina preparing to wed his long-term partner, Victor Hoeld. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Australia, hence the need to travel to the opposite side of the world.

Alex and Victor must be so happy and excited, just like any couple in the days preceeding their wedding.

Of course there are those who think their marriage is ill-advised – not because they know them – but because they happen to be two people of the same sex. They will raise their eyebrows and titter amongst themselves – and that’s perfectly okay, they don’t have to agree to the nuptials any more than I have to agree that Kim Kardashian marrying Kanye West is a brilliant idea.

But being privately vituperative just wasn’t enough for the Australian Christian Lobby’s Lyle Shelton. With his organisation already forced to admit they are ‘comprehensively losing’ the marriage equality debate, he decided to ‘seize the day’ and take the opportunity to score some cheap political points.

Shelton tweeted today:

“Alex Greenwich not at Senate Inquiry because today he is in Argentina getting ‘married’ — coincidental or emotional leverage?”

Even in far-off Argentina on private business, it seems, Alex Greenwich is not free of the sneering, carping, petty, hateful, bigoted voice of the Australian Christian Lobby.

The fact that the ACL is reduced to this kind of gutter politics speaks volumes.

Yes, they are comprehensively losing the same-sex marriage debate because the vast majority of Australians are fair-minded and compassionate. Some Aussies might think two blokes ‘doing it’ is a bit ‘icky’ or that two sheilas ‘getting it on’ is OK to fantasise about, but a bit much in ‘real life’ – but, generally, Australians just want to mind their own business and have others stay out of theirs. Same-sex marriage doesn’t effect anyone else.  Study after study shows the children of same-sex parents are perfectly safe and not in the least disadvantaged.  There is simply no reason to oppose it other than anachronistic wowserism and religious bigotry; the two things for which the ACL so proudly stands.

Lost for arguments, and their argument lost, the Australian Christian Lobby now slink furtively on the fringes of polite society, slinging nasty barbs at gays and Muslims and anyone else who doesn’t conform to their narrow idea of morality.

“Nyah, nyah – your wedding’s just a political stunt!”

“Loser! It’s not a real marriage!  See, I’ve put ‘married’ in inverted commas! Take that!”

 It reeks of the ACL’s Jim Wallace’s 2011 ANZAC Day tweet in which he managed to insult just about everyone in Australia by suggesting that the ANZACS didn’t fight for gays or Muslims.

In a way, I’m delighted to see the Australian Christian Lobby reduced to this. No longer a respected religious lobby group, they are at last widely recognized as a privately funded boys’ club of religious extremists. Politicians who might once have entertained them are now refusing to meet with them. Their views, exposed as being exactly contrary to the majority of the Australian population, are as rancid as last week’s dog food.  So, with their political capital in tatters, what do they do? They stand on the sidelines hurling epithets. Classy!

Justice Michael Kirby recently wrote that despite his position as a High Court Justice he has always felt like a second class citizen because the law will not allow him to marry his long-term partner, Johan van Vloten.

“A loving relationship of tenderness, of gentleness and affection, and fidelity and support is a beautiful thing and anyone who would disrespect it is not a kind person,” he said.

He’s right.  Lyle Shelton, Jim Wallace and their cronies at the Australian Christian Lobby are not ‘kind people’. They are bigoted bullies of the worst sort.

Really, what kind of person taunts someone on twitter about their forthcoming nuptials?

How would Alex’s marriage or a marriage between Michael Kirby and his partner of over four decades ‘demean’ marriage? How can love ever be demeaning?

Surely the job of demeaning marriage has already been comprehensively achieved by heterosexuals?

And, if we’re talking about trashy, how demeaning is it to take to Twitter to try to undermine someone else’s wedding?

Chrys Stevenson

See also:  Rodney Croome, Eclipsing the Religious Right, Online Opinion 4/5/12

“The hundreds of thousands of Australians who have engaged with the marriage equality campaign, and now feel part of a movement for positive change, will keep an eye on who supports equality and who doesn’t, right up until they mark their ballot papers.

This is probably why Australian Christian Lobby spokesperson, Jim Wallace, is so angry.

Suddenly, the conservative Christian constituency which federal politicians have kowtowed to at every opportunity and which Wallace purports to speak for has been eclipsed.

Seeing what is afoot, Wallace has dissed the result of the marriage equality inquiries as “simplistic polling” that “cheapens” democracy, even though he crowed about how “the people have spoken” when a 2009 marriage equality inquiry received more submissions from his side.

He has attacked advocates for being deceitful, and has manufactured marriage equality bogeys out of thin air, even though he regularly complains about the low quality of the marriage equality debate.

No wonder a number of religious leaders have distanced themselves from him.

The current marriage equality inquiries have shifted the debate on that issue, confirming its place at the centre of Australian politics and identity.

Just as importantly, the inquiries have seen a shift in the balance of power in our political system away from the religious right toward the sensible, pragmatic centre.”

What was it that Jesus said? Oh yes, it was, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

And of course there was this:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

“… judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment,” says James 2:12-13

And to those who think themselves such paragons of virtue that they can put themselves in place of God by setting themselves up as judge, jury and executioner, Paul says in Romans 2:1:

“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.”

Not since arch-bigot Jim Wallace of the Australian Christian Lobby supported the expulsion of ‘openly gay’ children from religious schools have I been so disgusted by the blatant hypocrisy of Christians who purport to follow a religion of love, mercy and forgiveness but, instead, practice one of narrow-minded, judgmental, bloody-minded persecution.

At Caloundra [un]Christian College, a kindergarten teacher,  Jess Davidson, has been sacked because she is pregnant and not married to the father of her unborn child. Ummm, excuse me, but isn’t Christianity built upon the story of a woman who became pregnant to someone other than her husband?

Apparently Ms Davidson is subject to the school’s “Lifestyle Agreement”  which allows the school to salaciously inquire into the private lives of its employees and dismiss them if they do not meet the ‘Christian values’ expected by the school.

Now, of course, no secular employer would be able to sack a woman for being pregnant and unmarried. There would be widespread public outrage. Such discrimination is rightly considered illegal in our community and prohibited by anti-discrimination laws. But religious institutions and schools are exempt.  Why? You tell me!

Why, if our community judges something to be so outrageously wrong that there is legislation to prohibit it, do we allow a section of our society to continue the persecution simply because they are ‘religious’?

As one of the parents who is supporting Ms Davidson said, her personal life “should not be an issue as long as she is performing her duties and being a good employee”.

The fact is that, legally, the school is within its rights. But this is an anomaly in our legal system that every Australian should be protesting against.

Consider also that this school is almost certainly receiving taxpayer funds. Should schools that don’t follow the same employment regulations as every other Australian company receive government funding?  Are YOU happy to be funding this kind of blatant discrimination?

Then, of course, there is the issue of the hypocrisy of the school in relation to the supposed tenets of its faith.

As one wit observed in a comment on the local paper’s website:

“I trust the school is urgently reviewing their school uniforms. As Cotton/polyester blends are in breach of the bible teachings (Leviticus), they must be burned, and the Uniform Committee sacked if they approved such outrageous behaviour. 

I also trust all sport on Saturdays will now be ceased (Exodus), and any children caught playing it expelled.

All staff are of course banned from shaving under the bible, which includes women as well as men, so it should be easy to spot their staff members in a crowd (Leviticus).

I am glad the school lets all female staff have a week or so off every month, as they would not condone women with periods mixing with anyone else (Leviticus).

And I hope the tuckshop convenor is also sacked if any of the sausage rolls that are sold had pork in them (Leviticus).”

Of course, as we know, the school will only reply that under the ‘New Covenant’, they are not subject to all the laws of the Old Testament – although that doesn’t seem to stop them referring to Leviticus when homosexuals are in their sights!

Another commenter shrewdly observed that male teachers at the CCC may well be breathing a sigh of relief that their sexual indiscretions are not so visible. I wonder how many of them will be offering to resign for having committed the same sin?

Judging by the comments on the Sunshine Coast Daily article, public opinion is firmly against the school. In a way, this kind of thing helps the cause of secularism by highlighting just how unjust, inequitable and out of touch religion is with the values of the majority of Australians. As Paul Keating may have phrased it, those who run organisations like the Australian Christian Lobby and the Caloundra Christian College are ‘unrepresentative swill’. They are an affront to Australian values and they are an affront to the central tenets of their own religion.

If religion is dying in the West, we have people like the administrators of the Caloundra Christian College to thank for it. These bigots and hypocrites do far more to kill their own religion than we atheists ever can.

If there was ever a cause which should have liberal Christians protesting against the actions of their extremist cousins, this is it. But, I doubt we’ll hear a peep from them.

But while we might revel in religion exposing, once again, its dark underbelly, we cannot forget the human cost of these religious zealots’ angry extremism.

A Facebook page has been set up to support Jess Davidson.  I’d like to ask my readers to ‘Like’ the page and spread this story amongst your own networks. Let us show Jess Davidson that her school may have rejected her, but the majority of right-thinking Australians have not.

Chrys Stevenson

Please ‘like’: I support Miss Jess

Update – Thursday, 3 May 2012:  The “I support Miss Jess” page has been removed from Facebook. I suspect this may have been a request from Ms Davidson’s legal representatives in anticipation of a law suit against the school. I am seeking more information and will post here if I receive any.

In the meantime, if you still wish to voice your displeasure at this decision you can contact Mark Hodges the Principal of Caloundra Christian College at markh@calcc.qld.edu.au .  Please be polite in your correspondence.

If you’re local to the Sunshine Coast region, non-religious (and not into ‘new age’ woo, homophobia, racism or sexism) and you’re outraged by this story, you might like to consider joining the Sunshine Coast Atheists.  Email:  sunshinecoastatheists@gmail.com