Martine Delaney has taken Archbishop Julian Porteous to the anti-discrimination commission of Tasmania for the Catholic booklet, "Don't Mess with Marriage".
Rodney Croome "must apologise to the Catholic Church" over marriage smear
Re: Tasmanian Anti-Discrimination case over same-sex ‘marriage’
"Australian Marriage Equality’s director, Rodney Croome, must apologise to the Catholic Church for misrepresenting their Don’t Mess with Marriage booklet on ABC radio," according to Dr David van Gend, President of the Australian Marriage Forum.
BACKGROUND:
Tasmanian transgender Green, Martine Delaney (pictured above), yesterday lodged an anti-discrimination complaint against the Archbishop of Tasmania, Julian Porteous, for distributing a booklet entitled Don’t Mess with Marriage, teaching Catholic doctrine on marriage to students of Catholic schools.
The director of Australian Marriage Equality, Rodney Croome, called for people to complain about the booklet in an AME media release in June:
“I urge everyone who finds [the Catholic booklet] offensive and inappropriate, including teachers, parents and students, to complain to the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.”
COMMENT:
“This vexatious complaint achieves the PR goal of falsely smearing defenders of natural marriage as ‘hateful’ and trying to silence one side of this important public debate”, said Dr David van Gend, president of the Australian Marriage Forum.
“The main offender in this unworthy episode is Rodney Croome of Australian Marriage Equality, who not only rabble-roused for people to lodge complaints about this booklet but then made an inflammatory claim on ABC radio about what was in the booklet.
“In a debate I had with Mr Croome on ABC Radio Hobart, 30 August, he made a false and misleading statement about what the Catholic booklet says, and when corrected he did not apologise or retract”, Dr van Gend said.
"Now that this matter has been formally lodged with the Tasmanian anti-discrimination commissioner, the media should hold Mr Croome to account for this fabricated smear and require him to correct the public record", Dr van Gend said today.
In explaining why he wanted Archbishop Porteous taken to the anti-discrimination commission, Mr Croome accused the Catholic booklet of saying that homosexual people “are a grave threat to others”. (audio at 31.40)
Dr van Gend replied to Mr Croome:
"I've read that booklet and nowhere does it say that homosexuals are a grave threat to others. That is simply false; it's not in the booklet. So that’s not fair.” (audio at 32.35)
“Mr Croome should have retracted and apologised, but he did not. His false smear of the Catholic booklet was broadcast throughout Tasmania on the ABC radio Statewide programme and has been listened to thousands of times online", Dr van Gend said.
“Mr Croome must acknowledge that what he claimed on ABC radio was false, and apologise publicly for misrepresenting the Catholic Church booklet”, Dr van Gend said.
"And his side of the marriage debate must stop using the big stick of anti-discrimination law to try to intimidate and silence the other side of the debate.
As Dr van Gend said to Mr Croome: "You don’t set government lawyers onto people that you disagree with, Rodney. You don’t take the Archbishop to the Thought Police because you don’t like his tone in his book. That is not how men in a free society settle disputes. This is part of the culture of harassment and silencing..." (audio at 32.50)
END.
TRANSCRIPT OF EXCERPT ABC HOBART
https://soundcloud.com/936-abc-hobart/for-and-against-the-same-sex-marriage-debate
Croome at 31.40 "I believe that [the booklet] was deeply humiliating because it said that homosexual people are not whole people. It said that we are a grave threat to others. That is insulting and that is humiliating and the law says that that should not happen.
I think if Archbishop Porteous genuinely believes that his booklet is respectful then he will welcome the fact that people want to take cases against him… as a chance to vindicate himself, to say, "I believe that this is not against the law". And if it isn't, then he will be vindicated."
van Gend at 32.35 "I've read that booklet and nowhere does it say that homosexuals are a grave threat to others. That is simply false; it's not in the booklet. So that’s not fair.
The whole point is, we are meant to be free men in a free society. If we disagree with each other we should argue our case. You don’t set government lawyers onto people that you disagree with, Rodney. You don’t take the Archbishop to the Thought Police because you don’t like his tone in his book. That is not how men in a free society settle disputes. This is part of the culture of harassment and silencing that is already happening because of stupid laws like the Anti-Discrimination laws -
(Croome): - it is the Law, David, it is the Law –
(van Gend): - Yeah, it’s the law, and it’s a toxic law that should be gone: it’s unworthy of a free society.”
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