TASMANIAN senator Eric Abetz has come under fire after demanding more recognition for homosexuals who “come out” as heterosexual.

The conservative Liberal Party senator made the bizarre comments in Hobart last week while launching a book called Stealing from a Child: The Injustice of Marriage Equality by Australian Marriage Forum president David van Gend.

According to Fairfax Media, he said the media discriminates against people who “come out of the closet” as straight.

“Ever notice how when some people go from the heterosexual to homosexual lifestyle they are able to be celebrated and honoured for their honesty and courage? They’ve come out,” the senator said.

“Ever thought why there is no celebration for those that decide to go from the homosexual to heterosexual lifestyle? Are they not honest? Are they not coming out as well? And that is just one of the examples of the one-way traffic and bias from the media.”

Wait … what? The open-ended comments have prompted their share of confusion. Is Mr Abetz talking about gay people who marry someone of the opposite sex despite there being no attraction? Or bisexual people who end up in a heterosexual relationship? Or victims of gay conversion therapy? Or those thousands of gay people you hear about every day who randomly wake up straight one day?

The backlash online was fierce and instant.

Eric Abetz: "Why don't we celebrate people who go from gay to straight?"



Everyone else: pic.twitter.com/I2QTYdKViq — Tim Christodoulou (@tim_chr) October 10, 2016

Every time I think about that goose Eric Abetz wanting to have coming out parties for heteros I convulse with laughter. Productivity in 🗑 — Samantha Maiden (@samanthamaiden) October 10, 2016

I don't know who these people are that Eric Abetz is going on about. I can honestly say I've never met anybody who 'went back in the closet' — Whiskey Houston (@RobCoco) October 10, 2016

It is not in society's interest to keep reelecting Eric Abetz. — Doc Evatt (@DocEvatt) October 10, 2016

@SenatorAbetz let go of the hate and be part of the rest of the western world. Your homophobia is so 20 years ago. — Richrad (@rbToronto) October 10, 2016

The consensus here is that straight people do not and have never needed to “come out” as anything, because they haven’t faced a history of ongoing discrimination.

But Mr Abetz seems to have failed to grasp that concept.

Speaking on ABC Radio this morning, the senator clarified he specifically objected to changing the definition of marriage from “a man and a woman” to “two people”.

He told the ABC’s Fran Kelly that he believed a plebiscite would ultimately fail.

“I have trust in the Australian people that once they are fully conversant with all the consequences of changing the definition of marriage that they would in fact vote ‘no’,” he said.

“When people get beyond the glib lines of ‘love is love’... they’ll see the consequences for the next generation and the socialisation of the next generation.”

Meanwhile, the Labor caucus has today confirmed its opposition to the proposed plebiscite.

The Opposition has argued the plebiscite would trigger a divisive public debate that could prove harmful for people struggling within the community.

Ahead of the caucus meeting, Mr Shorten said he was yet to hear a good argument in favour of the plebiscite — which he insists is a divisive waste of taxpayers’ money.

“The attorney-general has blundered again and he is now saying that the only way we can have the plebiscite is by watering down anti-discrimination laws against gay people,” he told reporters.

“The cynic would say this government doesn’t want the plebiscite either.”

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and other senior Coalition MPs have consistently said a plebiscite was the only way forward for marriage equality in Australia under the current term of government.

At the same time, a Nationals MP is threatening to withdraw support for the Turnbull government should it allow a free vote in parliament on same-sex marriage instead of a national vote.

Andrew Broad says a plebiscite is the only way to achieve marriage equality in this term of parliament, because it’s what the Coalition promised before the July election.

“My support for the government is conditional that we honour our election commitments,” he told reporters in Canberra this morning.

Mr Broad refused to reveal whether any others would follow him in withdrawing support, but noted there were many MPs who believe the Coalition should honour its election commitments.