‘School Told My Son He Could Wear a Dress Next Year if He Felt Like It’

The Christian far right in Australia is just as unabashedly anti-gay as it is in America. Next month Australians will vote by mail on whether or not they think same-sex couples should be given the same rights and responsibilitiesÂ that different-sex couples automatically get simply because they are differentÂ sex couples. And the religious right is attacking in full force.

Just last week a vile poster attacking same-sex marriage, same-sex parents, and citing a discredited “study” by an American Catholic priest was found on the streets of Australia, being used by anti-gay activistsÂ to fight the country’s impending plebiscite on marriage equality.Â It read:Â “Stop the F*gs.”

Now the Coalition for Marriage has unleashed its first ad (above) attacking same-sex marriage. It’s full of baloney.

The message: “You can say ‘no.'”Â

“School told my sonÂ he could wear a dress next year if he felt like it,” a woman claims as the ad opens. (Her son probably could wear a dress this year if he felt like it too.)

“When same-sex marriage passes as law overseas, these types of programs become widespread and compulsory,” the second parent says.

The ad ties the two claims together with text stating: “In countries with gay marriage parents have lost their right to choose.”

To choose what? What is “compulsory”? The ad doesn’t say, and it means not to: it’s Fear TacticsÂ 101: short on facts and substance, long on hate and ignorance.

A third parent says kids are being asked to role-play being in a same-sex relationship.

Even if it were true, so what?

“This ad will play an important role in helping Australians understand that saying â€˜yesâ€™ to gay marriage would mean saying â€˜yesâ€™ to radical gay sex education in schools,” theÂ Coalition for Marriage says on its websiteÂ â€“ where its asking for donations. “It will cost $35,000 a day to ensure that millions of Australians hear the message about the consequences of change,” they claim.

Apparently, the anti-gay religious right in Australia has decided to not focus on actual “consequences” of marriage â€“ like love and acceptance, heightened security and health for all family members â€“Â but lies and fear about perceived “consequences” for children of orthodox Christian parents who oppose equality.

On their Facebook page, theÂ Coalition for Marriage isn’t getting many positive responses to the ad.

“Australian Labor Party and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told Fairfax Media the ad was ‘offensive and hurtful to LGBTI Australians and their families,’ News.com.au reports.

â€œThis is exactly what was predicted when Malcolm Turnbull decided to waste $122 million on a postal survey. He gave the green light to this rubbish,â€ Mr Shorten said. Equality Campaign executive director Tiernan Brady told news.com.au the â€œad is disgraceful in its dishonestyâ€. â€œThe people behind this ad know that the Australian people are for allowing all Australians the right to marry so they want to desperately pretend this simple straightforward question is about something else,â€ Mr Brady said. â€œAs they try to divide Australians will continue to campaign to unite all Australians.â€

The Coalition for Marriage says it is “comprised of more than 80 groups from across Australia, representing over 3 million people and led by the Australian Christian Lobby, Marriage Alliance, the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney and the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.”

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