Gay and lesbian issues are quite popular in the Australian media right now; some would even say it’s all a bit sexy, as celebrities, politicians and a range of activists bang the drum for or against marriage equality As this debate heats up, with the ALP National Conference looming in December, folk like Miranda Devine and Jeff Kennett continue to twist the debate by spruiking the benefits of children being raised in a heterosexual home.

A clear ideological division has emerged with one camp believing that homosexuals have the same familial rights as their heterosexual counterparts whilst others believe that heterosexuals are a superior class and that only they have the right to marry and raise children. The battle lines have been drawn in a straightforward fight for equality, as gay and lesbian Australians move closer to achieving this right.

In the past few months there’s been a considerable shift in the media landscape in favour of gay and lesbian marriage rights, which has provoked passionate attempts at rebuttal. As the conservatives’ fear that same sex couples will be allowed to marry escalates, so does the force of their rejection.

Miranda Devine stated in The Daily Telegraph (August 2011) that the remedy to the problems of resulting from a fatherless society is ‘for a child is to be brought up in an intact family with a father and a mother. As a rule, what prevents social chaos and an underclass is an intact family. What keeps children safe, is an intact family, with a father in the home.’ Without evidence or the benefit of research Ms Devine mounted a claim for marriage and the rearing of children to remain only between a man and a woman.

Fair enough. Everyone has a right to freely express their thoughts and there’s a gamut of news outlets that happily publish right wing views dressed up as expert opinion.

A more recent example is Jeff Kennett, chairperson of Beyond Blue, who wrote an opinion piece for The Herald Sun which stated ‘there is no substitute for parents of both genders. Happy heterosexual marriages are the best environment for the mental health of children’.

The article is a rambling discourse in thinly veiled homophobia, extolling the virtues of heterosexual marriage and its benefits to the psychological health of children. As leverage Mr Kennett refers to a report called ‘For Kid’s Sake’ that was funded by the VOS Foundation, a strong supporter of the Australian Christian Lobby.

When he promoted a report favouring the homophobic agenda dressed up as genuine concern for kids (but only the straight ones) Kennett’s agenda was clear as was his betrayal of Beyond Blue’s endorsed research about mental health and sexuality

The majority of gays and lesbians (myself included) took umbrage at this article and a flurry of tweets and Facebook messages / pages ensued. Some called for a retraction of the article, some wanted an explanation from Beyond Blue, some called for Kennett’s resignation and others set about to vilify the man, not the content of the article. The collective outrage has resulted in a splintering of opinion in the gay and lesbian community.

So what happens when the fight for issues of equality of family become divided within the gay and lesbian community itself? When does fighting for a cause become license to make personal attacks on people in the public domain? Are we diluting the strength of our fight for marriage equality and the right to same sex families in participating in a slinging match over the characters of people in the debate?

Or does it simply paint our community as a group of individuals who stoop to the lowest common denominator to make a point: with HATE.

Mr Kennett is entitled to his opinion and whether people agree with him or not, there is need to restore balance to the discussion. The gay and lesbian community must lead the charge on this. To personally vilify this man (whose opinions I fundamentally disagree with) is unacceptable. Our job is to engage in a discussion of the facts about sexuality, marriage and mental health.

The Honourable Michael Kirby recently stated that marriage equality in Australia is inevitable but the battle is yet to be won. There has never been a more important time for the gay and lesbian community to promote a united front focusing on the issues of the day — i.e equality rights for our community.

If the gay and lesbian community wants to have a real part in the debate, our energy is best expended in taking the bigger news outlets to task on the opinion pieces they publish and endorse. In time of free speech, for every opinion piece from the conservative right, there must be a space for the opposite opinion to be aired. People like Dr Kerryn Phelps, Alex Greenwich and Bob Brown are individuals in the public domain offering solid, research driven facts about gays and lesbians. These people lead the discussion at a pragmatic and evidence based level, which provides the platform for what we hope to achieve. Our energies are best directed in supporting these people who champion our cause. Jeff Kennett and Miranda Devine and their ilk have the capacity to polarise communities with their poorly hidden bigotry. They can polarise our community too, but only if we let them.

Homosexuality has historically been a crime and something to be hidden. Whilst this is no longer the case, it’s produced a level of tolerance in the gay community that sets us apart from others. The strength of the gay community has always been its acceptance of others. If you’re a gay person, you’re part of a community so no matter what you look like, how you speak or where you live, you’ll be accepted. There will always be a place for you.

Denigrating anyone to promote a broader cause reflects badly on us all and dilutes the importance of the fight for equality. Whilst some opinion writers feel its appropriate to cast us as second class citizens based on something we can’t change any more than another person can change their eye colour, the gay and lesbian community must set an example with a solid code of conduct. Until we are equal citizens, we have to win the bigger crusade with truth, knowledge and integrity. Not malice.

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Serena Ryan is a lifestyle/current affairs writer and producer. Talks on wireless each week. Animal lover. Drinker of big reds. A Penguin at heart. Podcasts are here and you can follow her on twitter @serenaeryan

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