community,

Two weeks ago Macarthur MP Russell Matheson was — as he has always been — vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage. But the MP says he may shift his position and defy the majority of his Liberal Party colleagues who don’t support the concept. In the Advertiser’s May 13 edition, the local MP said the ‘‘overwhelming majority’’ of his constituents opposed same-sex marriage and he would represent their views. However it was revealed that Mr Matheson had only spoken to less than 1.5 percent — about 1300 of his 92,000 plus constituents — regarding the topic. Those revelations triggered an angry outburst from many Macarthur constituents who took to the Advertiser’s Facebook page to voice their frustrations. A Marriage Equality in Macarthur Facebook page was also formed late last week and has almost attracted 2000 likes. As a result of the backlash, Mr Matheson said he would reconsider his position. Asked if he now sat on the fence, Mr Matheson said: ‘‘Yeah, that’s right.’’ ‘‘As a result of the articles being in the paper, I’m quite prepared to have an open and frank conversation with the people of Macarthur,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m an open book. ‘‘Opinions evolve and at the end of the day I have to have a conversation with everyone. ‘‘If it comes down to a vote, it will be the community’s opinion that I reflect.’’ Asked whether he would prepared to go against the majority of his Liberal Party colleagues who are opposed to same-sex marriage, Mr Matheson said: ‘‘As a politician you can’t make everyone happy.’’ ‘‘[My role] is to bring the people in the community together.’’ Macarthur’s best-known lawyer and ‘‘mate’’ of Mr Matheson, Jim Marsden, penned a letter to the Advertiser urging the MP to change his position. ‘‘Russell, as a mate, I call on you not only to represent your electorate but to lead your electorate,’’ he said. ‘‘Russell Matheson is a mate of mine. ‘‘He is an intelligent person and a compassionate person. ‘‘However, like many others in our community, it has been difficult for him to move from the rather narrow and even blind position of the intolerant to the understanding that to be gay is acceptable and to be gay is to be no different in the eyes of your fellow human beings than to be heterosexual. ‘‘Russell is, I hope, moving to this position.’’ Kristy Millers who has become the not-so reluctant face of same-sex marriage in Macarthur, married her partner Rachelle in Thailand in 2011. She said was pleased Mr Matheson had reconsidered his position. ‘‘I think that’s fantastic,’’ she said. ‘‘It is good to see he is prepared to have an open mind. ‘‘Hopefully he will be sitting on the right side of the fence and the right side of history. Mrs Millers said she would welcome Mr Matheson’s offer for a meeting with her partner Rachelle and son Nixon, who is almost two years old. ‘‘I’ll bring my family and he can bring his and we can show [him] that we are not worlds apart,’’ she said.

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