Earlier this week I appeared on Channel Nine’s TODAY show Perth News broadcast. The morning that Labor leader Bill Shorten was due to introduce his marriage equality bill into parliamment, it was one of the top stories of the day.

OPINION

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Appearing on television is something I have very little experience at, a few years ago I appeared on ‘Wake Up Perth!’, a community television program. The television experience is nerve wracking.

After getting some make up applied I was lead through to the Nine newsroom. A microphone was clipped to my collar and an audio pack clipped to my belt, an earpiece allowed me to hear what was going on in the studio.

I was appearing from the Newsroom, surrounded by reporters desks, ringing telephones and a bank of television screens behind me. Host Emmy Kubainski would be asking me questions, I can hear her, but I can’t see her. I’ll appear in front of her on a giant screen, I’ll have to look straight down the barrel of the camera – something my previous TV adventure didn’t require.

As we wait to go to air I can hear the newsroom team getting ready. They check each video cross is going to work.

Labor’s Michelle Roberts is appearing in front of Parliament house for another story.

There are reporters out on the streets ready to report on the latest crime stories from around the city.

Before we go to air I’m shown the four questions that I’ll be asked. We only have about a minute and a half for the segment, so I’m reminded to keep my answers succinct.

The bulletin begins and while I can hear the stories through my ear piece live from the studio, I can also hear them four seconds later when they play out the TV in the newsroom – something I’ll have to block out when we go to air.

Before we go to air I try to consider what points I’d like to get across the most during the short exchange, I keep going over statistics I might use or people to refer to, I worry that in the moment I might completely forget everything I know.

As we move through the mornings news the producer’s voice in my ear gives me updates on how far away we are, two minutes, one minute, ten seconds…

The interview is over in a flash.

Afterwards we head outside and record a second interview. This was used on air half an hour later when Southern River MLA Peter Abetz appeared to argue that marriage should remain as an institution solely for the combination of one man and one woman.

You can see Mr Abetz’s appearance in the clip below.

Well, at least I didn’t compare serious longstanding relationships to traffic.

Marriage equality is something I believe in and support, and naturally we give a lot of coverage to this issue at OUTinPerth. Not everyone is the LGBTIQ community is a believer in marriage equality, and we’ve given these opinions a platform as well.

We also believe in listening carefully to what the opponents of marriage equality are concerned about. That’s why we speak directly to people who disagree with allowing people of the same gender to wed.

At OUTinPerth we’ve interviewed Lyle Shelton and Wendy Francis from the Australian Christian Lobby, we’ve spoken to Peter Abetz, and Daniel Naliah from Rise Up Australia. We’ve interviewed conservative commentator Bernard Gaynor and many other opponents of marriage equality.

While we disagree with their beliefs and the positions they hold, we also think it’s important to listen to them so we can understand their concerns and ultimately convince them that they are unwarranted. We talk to them so they can get a better understanding of why this issue is one of great importance to people of diverse sexuality and gender.

All of the people we have spoken to have always been polite and friendly. Their professional in their approach and courteous. While we disagree about many things – not just marriage equality – there are shared values we hold too.

Recently the Australian Christian Lobby has highlighted that they are often being called names and insults by supporters of marriage equality.  They highlight that Dr David van Geld, the leader of the Australian Marriage Forum, has recently had his surgery vandalised. They suggest a more mature debate is needed.

Lyle Shelton, Director of the Australian Christian Lobby describes this as the ugly side of the pro same-sex marriage lobby.

Wendy Francis, the ACL’s Spokeperson in Queensland highlighted that she’d recently been added to a twitter list with a derogatory title, and Mr Shelton himself keeps being labeled a ‘bigot’ on social media.

“This week we have again seen the ugly side of the pro same-sex marriage lobby.” Mr Shelton said.

“I’ve got thick skin and these attacks are water off a duck’s back however there are millions of Australians who for religious and cultural reasons will never accept a redefinition of marriage.

“They would be forgiven for thinking these acts of vandalism and abuse are just a foretaste of what is to come if Australia redefines marriage.

Acts of violence and abusive name calling should not be part of the campaign, but just as much as Mr Shelton would like to see the anger and frustration of people who find his beliefs and statements offensive, there is equal abuse and outreageous comments made by both sides of this debate.

They say ‘never read the comments’ but if you scroll through the Facebook comments for the two videos from Channel Nine you’ll come across more than one person arguing that we should all be reading Leviticus 20:13.

“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

Among those proposing that gay people should be rightly put to death is one nice lady who clarrified her death call by saying that she’s met some lovely gay people.

Also on the Australian Christian Lobby’s side of the fence is a woman sharing her belief that the phrase ‘two people’ in Bill Shorten’s marriage equality bill will open marriage up to incestuous relationships, something that some of conservative parliamentarian Cory Bernardi has been vocally concerned about. Another commentator is concered that the phrase “two people” will open marriage up to children.

Let’s not give too much air to the commentator arguing that gay people are going to cause society to end, he also attribued the fall of the Roman empire to gay and lesbians. There’s also a pastor arguing that HIV/AIDS is a punishment from God against homosexuality.

Also worried about the downfall of society is Dr Daniel Nalliah. The other day he posted a video sharing his concern that allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed each other will lead to a decline in Australias population. We need these people to be marrying the opposite sex and having children argues Nalliah. If we don’t the country will be overtaken by fast breeding Muslims who will turn Australia into an Islamic state.

Also arguing against marriage equality in the Christian right’s corner is Bill Muehlenberg. Muehlenberg visited Western Australia to speak at the Victory Life Church’s marriage conference a few years ago. The Victory Life Church is the home of Pastor Doctor Margaret Court who thinks that many people are gay becasue they were sexually abused, or they fixated about gay things too much in their “thought realm”.

On his blog ‘Culutre Watch’ Muehenberg refers to those advocating fo marriage equality as the ‘gaystapo’ – comparing people to the Third Reich. Muehlenberg is also fond of the phrase “militant homosexuals” and refers to transgender people as “gender bender moonbattery”.

Mr Shelton calls for a civilised and mature debate. I think if he turns around and looks behind him, he’ll see that’s a challenging task he’s set for himself.

Graeme Watson

editor@outinperth.com