Recently the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has been attempting to cast themselves as being bullied into silence by the gay activists. The suggestion being that somehow people like me, people like Michael and a whole gaggle of others, in using our voice, our free speech, somehow impinges on their rights. They manage still to get their word out. The ACL continues to spread misinformation about the reality of our lives, our families and our rights.
I think the reality is that they are the modern-day face of the bully.
Today, Michael and I, and a stack of other allies, supporters and our GLBTIQ community have been at another Equal Love Rally in Melbourne, where we stand around and people tell us that the government needs to let us get married. We all yell and cheer, boo at times. So many of these I’ve been to.
Michael has lovely eyes.
See.
He posted this to Facebook with this message:
Take a moment to think how lucky we are to be able to attend a Pride Rally and walk around with rainbow paint on our faces in Australia without fear of persecution or being sent to a concentration camp.
And he’s right. Even as we protest the government’s inaction on equality for all Australians, we live in a civil society that lets everyone get on with their life.
Today, as I stood there, a man was handing out bibles. There was also a group of muslims talking about their faith, and the Socialist Alliance were there too, milling about hoping to get a few signatures on their petitions. Such a mixed bag of people with very different views.
Among the crowds mingle the Police. Present to keep the peace and, more importantly to show their support.
And check out this Police badge on the back of a Police Officers hi-vis vest. It’s in the rainbow colours.
She even had a smaller one on the front. It’s a comforting picture.
It’s not too long ago when the GLBTIQ community could be subjected to murder, bashings and being locked up by the police.
I posted this image of the rainbow badge to Facebook and someone commented about how she’d been bashed in the last couple of years by the police.
That’s really horrible.
For some of us, being non-straight is still horrific, life threatening. The person has little respect for the police and, it would appear, no trust.
During the week the hate-group the ACL published a blog with the headline:
Now The Queensland Police Uniform Is Being Used To Promote Rainbow Politics
Here’s a copy of the page, and here’s the link. (The ACL often delete their blog posts)
Wendy Francis, leader of the Queensland branch of the hate-group, says this:
“Of course no one wants to see any member of the community bullied or discriminated against for any reason,” ACL Queensland Director Wendy Francis said.
“And of course ‘phobia’ towards other people is irrational.
“But the rainbow political flag, adapted to police uniform lanyards represents a political agenda for marriage and re-shaping society’s understanding of gender.
“Exerting soft pressure on police to identify with the rainbow political agenda for redefining marriage and teaching children their gender is fluid through so-called ‘Safe Schools’ is not appropriate,” Ms Francis said.
The point of course has flown over her head like a cowshit hitting the grass in the paddock, splattered and leaving a smelly mess.
Police have long been known as being quite intolerant of the GLBTIQ community. Even today we have stories of cover ups and bashings.
The rainbow vest badge seen today and the Queensland lanyards aren’t political statements. They are however statements. They say “Hey, you can trust me, I’m one of you, I won’t hurt you”.
It takes a modern-day bully to pretend that every time they see a rainbow that somehow it’s about gay marriage or a political statement.
Francis can talk about soft pressure, her pressure is more like she’s run her fingers through the cowshit and smeared it all over her face.
