Chris Miles’s pamphlets claim children raised by gay and lesbian parents may be more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, abuse drugs or suffer depression

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A former MP has threatened to print millions of copies of a pamphlet claiming children of same-sex couples may be more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, abuse drugs or suffer depression, according to reports.

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The pamphlet says it is authorised by Chris Miles, a former Liberal MP and member of the Foreign Investment Review Board. According to a Fairfax Media report Miles, who prepared and funded the pamphlets, said he could print millions of copies to distribute “throughout Australia at the grass roots”.

The pamphlet claims “married biological parents have a better record for providing safety and development of healthy, well-adjusted adult children”, including minimising abuse and neglect. It cites a US Department of Health and Human Services report to Congress for the claim.

It speculates that social outcomes for adult children raised by gay and lesbian parents could include government assistance, unemployment, sexual victimisation, sexual transmitted disease and drug use and abuse.

The pamphlet does not provide any source for these claims, despite stating there are “valid figures on several parent structures including married biological parents” and “there is a need for valid empirical data” to assess same-sex marriage.

Other outcomes of same-sex marriage listed include that sex education will teach boy-to-boy and girl-to-girl sex and children will be told they can marry a partner of the same sex.

“Advocates of same-sex marriage use the words love and equality to mask the real issue with a veneer of superficiality,” the pamphlet said. “Those who vote against same-sex marriage are not bigots or haters.”

Miles was member for Braddon in Tasmania from 1984 until 1998. He co-founded the Lyons Forum, a group of conservative Christian MPs including Kevin Andrews and Eric Abetz, which is presumed to be defunct.



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Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome said the pamphlet is “just the start of the anti-gay misinformation campaign millions of Australians will have to endure” if the government spends $160m on a marriage equality plebiscite.

“Not only is the information on this flyer wrong, it will put the lives of young gay people and the children of same-sex couples at risk by reinforcing the message that they and their families are broken,” he said.

Liz Short, who led the Australian Psychological Society review of medical literature on LGBTI-parented families, said the leaflet was factually incorrect and deeply damaging.

“The review shows the children of same-sex couples are likely to be at least as well-adjusted, socially, emotionally and academically, as other children. It also shows their mental health is vulnerable to exactly the kind of prejudice and hostility to be found in this leaflet,” Short said.

The revelation of the pamphlet comes as Labor indicated it would attempt to force debate and vote on a cross-party same-sex marriage bill in part to avoid a divisive debate on the issue.

Guardian Australia has contacted Miles for comment.