Veteran LGBTI+ advocate Rodney Croome has released a new book that examines what he describes as “the sting in the tail” of Australia’s long battle for marriage equality.
Devil in the Detail examines new forms of discrimination against LGBTI+ people that are likely to be proposed as a condition for the passage of marriage equality as law.
“It is very likely that the final hurdle opponents of marriage equality will erect are legal loopholes allowing marrying same-sex couples to be refused services and recognition under the guise of ‘religious freedom’,” Croome said.
“The sting in the tail of the marriage equality debate will be a push to convince the LGBTI community that our choice is between half a loaf and no loaf at all. My new book seeks to show why that is a false choice, and to convince LGBTI Australians not to accept second best.”
The book’s release coincides with news that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called an emergency Liberal Party meeting to decide how to move forward with marriage equality.
“Although the current focus is rightly on a free vote, we could very quickly find ourselves in a situation where the final sticking point are exemptions entrenching discrimination into the future.”
“Most people, including myself, agree ministers of religious should be free to refuse to marry same-sex couples, but we urgently need to have a fully-fledged debate about where to draw the line beyond that.”
Croome’s new book gives a historic overview of the movement to take away LGBTI human rights under the banner of ‘religious freedom’, analyses the ethics and politics of compromise and argues for more democratic decision-making in the Australian LGBTI community.
Devil in the Detail is available online at no cost.
OIP Staff
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