Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has offended aboriginal rights groups and marriage equality advocates by saying gay marriage will create another ‘stolen generation’.

In Australia, the ‘stolen generations’ were aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families to be brought-up under white ‘Christian’ values, where many were physically and sexually abused.

‘The Prime Minister who rightly gave an apology to the stolen generation has sadly not thought through the fact that his new position on redefining marriage will create another,’ said the ACL in a statement in response to former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd’s pro-gay-marriage announcement yesterday.

A representative for the stolen generations, Pastor Ray Minniecon CEO of Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, said they are ‘deeply concerned’ by ACL’s comments.

‘The assimilation policy of forced removal of children from there homes and the subsequent abuse of those children is no way comparable to the desire of a loving couple to have a child and have their relationship recognized,’ said Minniecon.

‘It is disrespectful to the current Stolen Generations, their history and their families. It is also dehumanizing and demonizing of gay couples and their desire for marriage and family.’

ACL influence the ruling Australian Labor Party through union leader Joe De Bruyn. Although Prime Minister Julia Gillard began to distance herself from the ACL when the lobby group’s director Jim Wallace said smoking is healthier than being gay and she dropped out of an appearance at their annual conference last year.

Managing director Lyle Shelton threatened the Labor party saying ‘Mr Rudd’s announcement that he supports same sex marriage will be a huge disappointment for Christians and leaves their hopes for the preservation of marriage clearly with the coalition and Christian-based minor parties’.

Coalition leader Tony Abbott still opposes gay marriage and requires all coalition MPs to vote as a block against any marriage equality legislation.

Pastor Minniecon added that Shelton should apologize and Christians should distance themselves from his comments. ‘We call on other Christian leaders to publicly repudiate Lyle and the Australian Christian Lobby and to back our call for an apology,’ he said.