The Education Minister Has Hit Back at that Pesky Anti-Marriage Equality Ad

The Education Minister has rubbished the first 'No' commercial in the lead up to the survey on marriage equality.

The ad, which was commissioned by the Coalition for Marriage and aired for the first time last night, features three women making some eyebrow-raising comments.

The first woman explains that her son will be allowed to wear a dress next year and she appears deeply concerned, because apparently, sons wearing dresses is the first sign of the looming apocalypse. The second woman explains that when same-sex marriage has been legalised overseas, programs that endorse this—and I am literally quoting her—"become widespread and compulsory."

Then, the third woman comes on and conflates marriage equality to kids in Year 7 being asked to role-play in same-sex relationships.

 

It's all very perplexing stuff.

But Simon Birmingham, Education Minister, has called it out, in a press conference, for what it is: a nonsensical mess. 

"It is patently ridiculous to suggest that allowing same-sex couples to marry is somehow going to see some new wave of teaching reform sweep across the country," Birmingham said in the press conference. "That's just not going to happen. This is a simple issue, and it should not be conflated with other issues."

People demolished the remnants of the ad on Twitter.

So if that's the world that marriage equality leads to, bring it on! #moreboysindresses

— Clementine Ford (@clementine_ford) August 29, 2017

One of the mothers in that anti-marriage equality ad is absolute peak 'won't somebody think of the children?' https://t.co/LP8p2EJYbP pic.twitter.com/Tby5DEuTkQ

— Will Dawson (@willegitimate) August 30, 2017

The ad comes just after two elite Catholic schools, Melbourne's Xavier College and Sydney's St. Ignatius, urged the Catholic leadership to reconsider their anti-marriage equality stance.

Xavier College's Father Middleton wrote a letter addressing the Church's reluctance to change their stance on allowing same-sex couples to marry.

"The vote relates to marriage as a civil right, and is not in essence about the Catholic sacramental understanding of marriage," he wrote. He explained that the youth "are driven by a strong emotional commitment to equality" and haven't been swayed by the Church's arguments against marriage equality.

Father Jones from St. Ignatius wrote a letter to staff and parents arguing for Catholics to keep an open mind. "Presumably, same sex-couples, who make such a commitment to each other in good conscience, do so by reflecting on experience and on what it is to be human, using their God-given reason," he wrote.

Make sure you keep an eye out for the Australian Bureau of Statistics' letter to ensure you have your vote. This survey can't be over soon enough. 

If you want to see the controversial ad for yourself, you can below.

Photo: Coalition for Marriage