By Alistair Webster
“…same-sex attracted people are still not afforded legal recognition for their relationships in the same way as heterosexuals. The exclusion of gays and lesbians from the institution of marriage sends a strong message that it is OK to discriminate on the basis of sexuality.
But the introduction of same-sex marriage itself will not solve all the problems.
It won’t make the streets safer at night. It won’t decrease the extraordinary high levels of bullying in the schoolyard. It won’t stop young men (particularly) from taking their lives in rural and remote areas because of fear of discrimination. It won’t stop gays and lesbians from continuing to feel threatened by the popular use of the term ‘gay’ in a pejorative sense; as a synonym for ‘shit’, ‘crap’ or worse.
Overcoming these things is about more than just obliterating prejudice from our political and social institutions. It’s about obliterating it from our behaviour, our language and from our hearts and our minds. We cannot rely on government to do this. We must do it ourselves.”
