Australia is now in the middle of voting on same sex marriage. We have a month or thereabouts to vote in a farcical and non-binding survey, answering the question "Should the law be changed to allow same sex marriage?"
Skies above central Sydney were assaulted by sky writing yesterday and the message "Vote No" was quickly pilloried all over social media.
Today it was revealed that the sky writing campaign was crowd funded but the crowd funding company refuses to release the funds, leaving the "no" campaign in an embarrassing pickle.
I am a yes voter but I uphold the right of the "no" people to write it anywhere they legally can. I don't care if all of Australia is covered in propaganda for the no side. The crude censorship the "no" side are facing is small minded, undemocratic and pathetic. It's the thin end of a fascist wedge.
I am not an Australian citizen but I agree with your stance. I would say the same if it were to happen here in India.
ReplyDeleteFreedom has to be for everyone :)
DeleteSuppression of speech is a sticky wicket.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are using a cricket metaphor!
DeleteI too am a yes voter and because my choice is based on equality then the no sayers are indeed also entitled to their view.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to talk about it in the post but I was appalled at the AMA threatening de-registration for a member who supports the no campaign.
DeleteWe seem to be trying harder and harder to silence people we dont agree with and it's unhealthy
It's also ignorance. I couldn't tell you how long we've had same sex marriage.
ReplyDeleteyes, it's an embarassment
DeleteOf course the No campaign should be able to put their case. There seems to be a general increase in attempts at censorship and silencing people with different opinions. The social media in Britain is teeming with abuse and threats against public figures whose opinions offend someone or other. The silencing of anyone who criticises transgender orthodoxy is just one example.
ReplyDeleteI am confident we will have same sex marriage in this country when people are mature enough but I'm starting to wonder if we really have free speech
DeleteIt's amazing how they managed to write "Vote No" in the sky. They must have had a damned big ladder.
ReplyDeleteyes, they must have and it must have fallen over before they managed to put the punctuation in!
DeleteHoly crap! The USA is more progressive than OZ on gay rights? Well slap me silly and call me Spanky.
ReplyDeleteOdd, the site that gets its chops from crowdfunding not releasing the funds sent in to support a position them who run the site obviously don't agree with. Maybe all the public, vocal gay activists should write letters and demand they release the opposition funds. No hell with maybe, they should.
Up until 2004 we had equal marriage rights by default because the definition of marriage was not very specific but then, seeing that gay marriage would become an issue, good old John Howard defined marriage as "between a man and a woman"
DeleteIt's an embarrassment and even with the survey, which will cost millions, there is no guarantee of a change because the survey is a toothless tiger.
The gay rights activists might actually campaign for release of funds: they know what injustice feels like!
It's not so progressive when it comes to racism though.
DeleteIf freedom of speech on such a matter is proscribed then heaven help us all.
ReplyDeletemy thoughts, exactly!
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