Australian labor politician Penny Wong gave a passionate speech decrying a people's vote on ??? ????? ??????marriage equality, saying that it would "license hate speech to those that need little encouragement."
The Australian Liberal government has said it will hold a people's vote, also known as a plebiscite, to allow the public to vote "yes" or "no" on same-sex marriage.
The conservative Liberal Party is in favor of holding the vote; Labor Party members are opposed to it, fearing that it could serve as an excuse for people to spout hate speech, and prefer a conscience vote to move to legalise gay marriage within 100 days of the election.
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Wong delivered her speech in opposition to a public vote on Tuesday at the annual Lionel Murphy Memorial Lecture.
The Labor Party has been campaigning hard against the Liberal government's plebiscite on same-sex marriage, calling it a "taxpayer-funded platform for homophobia."
The Liberal government, led by Malcolm Turnbull, plans to hold a public vote on the matter following the July 2 election. The outcome of the vote does not force the parliament to act, but members of the government have said they will implement whatever action the poll suggests.
In her speech, Wong pointed to the torrent of abuse she already receives on Twitter due to her sexuality and said that no straight politician can understand what it is like to live with casual or deliberate prejudice. She believes the public vote will give a platform to the worst voices in society.
"Mr Turnbull and many commentators on this subject don't understand that for many gay and lesbian Australians hate speech is not abstract, it is part of our every day life," Wong said. "My Twitter feed already foretells the inevitable nature of an anti-equality campaign and it does it in 140 characters or less."
The politician, who has two young children with her partner Sophie, said that she can handle the hate speech but that others cannot. She also pointed to homophobic attacks, including violent assaults, on members of the LGBT community in Australia.
"Many same sex couples don't hold hands in the street because they dont know what reaction they will get."
"Many same sex couples don;t hold hands in the street because they don't know what reaction they will get. Some hide who they are for fear of the consequences at home, at work, at school," Wong said. "Not one straight politician advocating a plebiscite on marriage equality knows what that is like; what it is like to live with the casual and deliberate prejudice that some still harbour."
Wong said at the end of the day she doesn't think her relationship deserves to be judged by the Australian public in a vote. "I oppose a plebiscite because I don't want my relationship, my family to be the subject of inquiry, of censure, of condemnation by others and I do not want other relationships, other families to be targeted either," she said.
Following the speech, Liberal politician Scott Morrison, who has conservative views and is opposed to same-sex marriage, defended the plebiscite. He said people with strong religious views, including himself, have also been subjected to "quite dreadful hate speech and bigotry."
Turnbull takes a more tempered approach. Recently, he said he believes a public discussion on marriage equality can be civil and is needed to take into account the views of the Australian public.
"I believe Australians are better than that," Turnbull said, according to The Australian. “I believe we can have a discussion about marriage equality. It can be civil, it can be respectful and we will make a decision, as a nation, and then . . . we will respect the outcome."
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