Quote of the Day

Christians who oppose marriage equality (or LGBTQ rights of any kind) are ignoring Jesus’ command to love their neighbors as themselves.

They are choosing to revoke the freedoms from others that they already enjoy: the right to marry the person they love, the right to adopt children, the right to body autonomy, the right to define their identity, the right to spousal benefits.

Their incessant persecution of people whose relationships, families, and healthcare decisions do not affect them in the slightest isn’t just a lousy thing to do on a human level; it’s also a willful act of rebellion against Jesus.

– John Pavlovitz
Excerpted from “The Sin of Denying Someone’s Joy”
The Beautiful Mess
August 12, 2025

Related Off-site Links:
Who is Kim Davis? Ex-Kentucky Clerk Wants Supreme Court to Overturn Gay Marriage Ruling – Marina Johnson and Maureen Groppe (Louisville Courier Journal, August 12, 2025).
Kim Davis Supreme Court Showdown: Could This Be the End of Gay Marriage in America? – Marie Joy Toledo (International Business Times, August 12, 2025).
U.S. Supreme Court Formally Asked to Overturn Landmark Same-sex Marriage Ruling – Devin Dwyer (ABC News, August 11, 2025).


See also the following Wild Reed posts:
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Marriage Equality Ruling
• Mariam Williams: Quote of the Day – July 13, 2015
• Tim Wise: Quote of the Day – June 26, 2015
• Ian Reifowitz: Quote of the Day – February 2, 2015
• On the First Anniversary of Marriage Equality in Minnesota, a Celebratory Look Back at the Important Role Played by Catholics (2014)

Francis DeBernardo on the Pope’s “Early Christmas Gift” to LGBTQ+ Catholics

I share this evening a statement released earlier today by Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director of New Ways Ministry.

This statement is in response to the Vatican announcement of a new declaration approved by Pope Francis that opens the path for LGBTQ+ people’s relationships to be blessed in the Roman Catholic church.

_______________

Pope Francis gave LGBTQ+ Catholics an early Christmas gift this year by approving blessings for same-gender couples. The Vatican doctrinal office’s previous claim that “God does not bless sin” has been uprooted by the new exhortation, “God never turns away anyone who approaches him!”

It cannot be overstated how significant the Vatican’s new declaration is. Approving blessings for same-gender couples is certainly monumental. But Pope Francis goes further than that by stating that people should not be subjected to “an exhaustive moral analysis” to receive a sign of God’s love and mercy. Such a declaration is one more step Pope Francis has taken to overturn the harsh policing of pastoral care all too common under his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

In contrast, Pope Francis desires pastoral care in which, in the declaration’s words, “every brother and every sister will be able to feel that, in the Church, they are always pilgrims, always beggars, always loved, and, despite everything, always blessed.” By opening blessings to same-gender couples, the institutional church now expands the ways that LGBTQ+ Catholics can know God’s love. And this declaration benefits not only the couples blessed, but every queer person and ally who has had a difficult relationship with the church.

This declaration is proof that church teaching can – and does – change. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has now overturned in full its 2021 statement prohibiting queer blessings because, it claimed, “God does not bless sin.” And how does change happen? Formal approval in teaching often recognizes what people are already doing pastorally and theologically. Practice precedes teaching. So, too, with LGBTQ+ blessings.

For decades, the laity, joined by some religious and clergy, have called for greater inclusion of same-gender couples. In the past few years, this call has become louder in places like Germany, where the Synodal Way process approved such blessings earlier this year. The question of blessings has been a contentious point in Germany, sparking criticism from the Vatican and even Pope Francis. His decision now to approve blessings shows the pope is willing to listen, learn, and respond meaningfully to God’s people, something every church leader should be doing.

When I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis this past October, one of his statements that most impressed me was that a thing he is most upset about in the church is priests who chastise people in the confessional. That time, he said, should be a time of welcome, love, and mercy, not a punishment. This new declaration about blessing same-gender couples is an example of that kind of pastoral attitude.

LGBTQ+ Catholics worldwide welcome this early Christmas gift, which brings them much closer to being full and equal members of the Church they love so dearly.

– Francis DeBernardo
New Ways Ministry
December 18, 2023

Related Off-site Links:
In Major Doctrinal Shift, Vatican Officially OKs Catholic Blessings for Gay Couples – Christopher White (National Catholic Reporter, December 18, 2023).
Pope Francis Allows Blessings of Couples in Same-sex Relationships – Gerard O’Connell (America, December 18, 2023).
Pope Francis Allows Priests to Bless Same-Sex Couples – Jason Horowitz (The New York Times, December 18, 2023).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• A Church of Both Roots and Branches
• A Church That Can and Cannot Change
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Marriage Equality Ruling
• Acknowledging, Celebrating, and Learning from Marriage Equality's “Triumphs of Faith”
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the Legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
• Beyond the Hierarchy: The Blossoming of Liberating Catholic Insights on Sexuality – Part I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII
• Joseph O’Leary: Quote of the Day – May 31, 2014
• Knowing What to Do, Knowing Why to Stay
• The Catholic Church and Gays: An Excellent Historical Overview
• Be Not Afraid: You Can Be Happy and Gay
• The Many Manifestationsof God’s Loving Embrace
• Trusting God’s Generous Invitation

Image: Peggy Collins.

In Australia, "Love Has Had a Landslide Victory"

Good news from the country of my birth: Australians have voted in favour of allowing same-sex couples to marry in a landmark national survey.

The Yes vote triumphed with 61.6 percent of the vote, while 38.4 percent voted No.

I take this opportunity to thank all my family and friends in Australia who voted Yes in the survey. And an especially big thank you to my Mum who, after Mass one Sunday evening, gently yet firmly challenged her parish priest over the Catholic hierarchy's support of the No campaign (despite the fact that Catholics themselves comprise one of the largest groups in Australia supportive of same-sex marriage). Of course, my mother's support isn't that surprising given my parents' loving and proactive support over the years of me and of gay people in general. (See, for example, here and here.)

Following, with added images and links, is Michael Koziol's report in The Sydney Morning Herald on this "landslide victory."

Australians have emphatically voted in favour of legalising same-sex marriage, saying "yes" to the historic social change by a substantial margin of 61.6 per cent to 38.4 per cent.

After years of political stagnation, the public has now tasked the Turnbull government with changing the law before Christmas to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Almost 80 per cent of eligible voters participated in the unprecedented voluntary postal survey, giving the verdict an authority unmatched by most elections globally. It means Australia is poised to join 25 other countries that have granted marriage equality to gay couples, including the US, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

At street parties across the country, gay and lesbian Australians cheered, danced and embraced as the results were announced by the chief statistician on Wednesday.

Above: People celebrate in Melbourne on Wednesday after Australians approved same-sex marriage. (Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

It is a landmark moment in Australia's mixed civil rights record: it was one of the first countries to give women the vote, but still struggles with Indigenous reconciliation and is one of the last English-speaking democracies to legalise same-sex marriage.

The result is also a significant victory for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, of the ruling centre-right Coalition, who is a longstanding supporter of same-sex marriage and firmly believed the "yes" vote would prevail.

"Love has had a landslide victory," declared Alex Greenwich, co-chair of the Equality Campaign, from a public gathering in Sydney, where John Paul Young's classic "Love Is In The Air" was played. "Getting to this point has not been easy, but rarely in your life can you celebrate with such pride overcoming adversity to make history." Mr Greenwich said the campaign's support and momentum had exceeded all expectations, and the result had delivered "an unequivocal mandate" for politicians to vote through the change by the end of the year.

Every state and territory voted "yes" by more than 60 per cent except for NSW, where the "yes" vote was 57.8 per cent, and the "no" vote was 42.2 per cent. The ACT had the highest "yes" vote in the country at 74 per cent, followed by Victoria at 64.9 per cent. Participation in the survey exceeded 70 per cent across all age groups, including younger voters. Almost 80 per cent of 18- and 19-year-olds voted, the ABS revealed, with the lowest turnout (71.9 per cent) among 25- to 29-year-olds.

Mr Turnbull, speaking shortly after the results were announced, heralded the "overwhelming" support Australians had expressed for same-sex marriage. "They voted 'yes' for fairness, commitment, love," he said. "It is unequivocal, it is overwhelming. "And now it is up to us, here in the Parliament of Australia, to get on with it - to get on with the job the Australian people have tasked us to do, and get this done this year, before Christmas. That must be our commitment." The PM's electorate of Wentworth, in inner-city Sydney, recorded one of the highest "yes" votes in the country at 80.8 per cent.

The results surpassed the expectations of many "yes" advocates in the government, who were eyeing a figure of 55 to 60 per cent. It almost matched the 62 per cent recorded at the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage in 2015.

Gay Liberal senator Dean Smith, who spearheaded action for same-sex marriage within the Coalition but opposed the public vote, declared it "the most important electoral mandate" Australia had ever seen. "This is by any and every measure a huge democratic achievement for our country," he said. "I have never been more proud to stand up and represent Australian people than I was this morning when I listened to that result."

Gay Labor frontbencher Penny Wong, who pushed her own party to change its position on same-sex marriage, was hugged by colleagues in a room in Parliament House as they watched the results announcement. Later, she thanked Australians for their "resounding" verdict and spoke of how difficult the public vote had been for the LGBTI community. "I hope from this you can take a message of solidarity, of support, of decency from your fellow Australians," Senator Wong said.

Above: Labor senator Penny Wong, one of the most prominent advocates of the Yes campaign, breaks down after the announcement of the same-sex marriage survey result on Wednesday morning. (Photo: Mike Bowers for The Guardian)

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, speaking to a jubilant crowd in Melbourne, said the emphatic verdict was "not just good for marriage equality" but showed "Australians have voted for a generous view of themselves, for a modern Australia, where diversity is accepted, supported and respected. "Today we celebrate, tomorrow we legislate."

The de facto leader of the "no" campaign, Australian Christian Lobby director Lyle Shelton, conceded defeat and said he accepted the democratic decision of the Australian people. But he said "in a democracy, no question is ever completely closed", and held out hope of one day changing Australians' minds and redefining marriage as being between a man and a woman. "There may be a time in the future when we can persuade our fellow Australians to that position once again," Mr Shelton said.

Debate inside and outside Parliament will now turn to the legislation to enact the change. A bill by Senator Smith, endorsed by Mr Turnbull, will be introduced into the Senate this week, and fierce argument is expected over religious exemptions in the coming parliamentary fortnight.

The PM said he expected a "very lively debate" that would showcase "Parliament at its best".

– Michael Koziol
"Same-sex Marriage Postal Survey:
'Love Has Had a Landslide Victory' as 'Yes' Wins"
The Sydney Morning Herald
November 15, 2017

Related Off-site Links:
"They Voted Yes for Love": Turnbull Vows to Legalise Same-sex Marriage by Christmas – James Elton-Pym (SBS News, November 15, 2017).
Australia Says Yes to Same-sex Marriage in Historic Postal Survey – Paul Karp (The Guardian, November 15, 2017).
Australia Votes for Gay Marriage, Clearing Path to Legalization – Adam Baidawi and Damien Cave (The New York Times, November 15, 2017).
Australian Catholics Welcome "Yes" Victory in Marriage Equality Survey – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, November 16, 2017).
Casey Conway: "It's a Yes, But the Survey Did More Harm Than Good" – Yahoo! 7 (November 15, 2017).
Same-sex Marriage Victory: What Happens Next? – Michael Koziol (The Sydney Morning Herald, November 15, 2017).

UPDATES: Underlying the Celebrations There Is an Immense Feeling of Hurt and Pain – Simon Copland (The Guardian, November 17, 2017).
Australia and the Global Spread of Same-Sex Marriage – Yasmeen Serhan (The Atlantic via SBS News, November 28, 2017).
Same-sex Marriage Bill Passes in Australian Senate – Paul Karp (The Guardian, November 28, 2017).
Gay Couples' Weddings Officially Mark Dawning of Australian Marriage Equality – Paul Karp (The Guardian, January 8, 2018).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Saying "Yes" to Marriage Equality in Australia
• Thank You, Frank!
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 1)
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 2)
• Thoughts on the Australian Catholic Bishops' Latest Ploy in Their "Struggle for the Very Soul of Marriage"
• From Australia, "Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality"
• Lanae Erickson on Taking a Lesson from Down Under
• The (Same-Love) Dance Goes On

Opening image: An outline of Australia with both the Australian Aboriginal Flag and the Rainbow Flag.

Saying "Yes" to Marriage Equality in Australia

.

Above: Rikki Mason and Waangenga Blanco of the
Bangarra Dance Theatre. (Photo: Tiffany Parker)

In Australia today the same-sex marriage postal survey officially closes.

You may recall that I previously wrote about how the conservative Coalition government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced in August a $122 million postal vote (or plebiscite) on the issue of marriage equality. Ballots were sent out to every registered voter in September, with a final decision set to be announced next Wednesday, November 15. According to SBS News, close to 80% of Australians chose to vote in the survey.

How exactly will the plebiscite work? Well, if marriage equality is supported (by a "yes" vote) by a majority of registered voters, the government will facilitate a parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage before December 7. Such a vote is expected to be in favour of marriage equality. If a majority of voters oppose marriage equality, there will be no parliamentary vote and civil marriage rights and benefits will continue to be denied to same-sex couples in Australia.

Right: The Sydney Opera House, lit up with rainbow colors to mark the November 6, 2017 launch of the city’s 40th Mardi Gras celebrations in 2018. I also think it's no coincidence that rainbow colors grace this landmark building in the lead up to the December 7 announcement of the marriage equality postal vote result.

On this last day of voting, here is how SBS Australia's Chloe Sargeant sums up her feelings and the feelings of many LGBTQIA+ Australians and their loved ones.

Australia's $122 million, non-binding, non-compulsory postal survey on same-sex marriage . . . [was] was completely unprecedented, and I know that personally, I felt mentally unprepared for the onslaught of campaigning, social media posts, rallies, attacks, homophobia – and much more. It was unrelenting, and I felt emotionally drained within days of it beginning.

Today, the voting period for the postal survey officially, and finally closed. On one hand, I feel like a weight has lifted from my shoulders. "It can only get better from here, surely," I said, internally. But then, the realisation set in that this was just the first hurdle: the announcement of the results will occur on November 15, at 10 a.m.

If the result is 'no', it will break the hearts of millions of Australians – both the LGBTQIA+ community, and the people that love us, our allies. If it's 'yes' – then we will cry tears of joy, we will dance, we will ask our partners to marry us, we will set dates, and we will hold one another in our arms, silently thanking some higher power that we were not lost in the hatred, and promising one another that our queer joy will return ten-fold.

An Essential poll released today told us that the 'Yes' campaign looks set for victory, with 64 per cent of respondents saying they voted for same-sex couples to be allowed to marry. However, that also means that nearly 40 per cent voted for us to remain second-class citizens.

– Chloe Sargeant
Excerpted from "The Postal Survey is Officially Closed:
How Are LGBTQIA+ People Feeling?
SBS
November 7, 2017

Although I was in Australia when the postal vote was announced, I returned to the U.S. soon afterwards. Accordingly, I did not witness nor was I exposed to the contentious debate around marriage equality that has been playing out in Australia for the past two months. I am aware, however, of some really erroneous, misleading, and downright ugly things said by the "No" campaign. But I'm also aware of some really beautiful and powerful sentiments and statements expressed by the "Yes" campaign.

One of my favorite statements from a supporting organization of the "Yes" campaign was from the Bangarra Dance Theatre, whose powerful and mesmerizing production of Bennelong I saw in Canberra when I was back in Australia in August. When this statement was shared on Bangarra's Facebook page, it was accompanied by the image that opens this post, one showing dancers Rikki Mason and Waangenga Blanco. Following is the Bangarra Dance Theatre's YES to Marriage Equality statement in its entirety.

Bangarra Dance Theatre was founded on values of kinship, cultural integrity and respect. These values are embedded within our artists, our Board, and our executive and administrative team.

Collectively, we must make it known that as a company, we fully support the marriage equality vote and are urging our incredible audiences to vote YES.

To stay silent on this issue would be a great disservice to the legacy of the many LBGTQI artists, collaborators and staff who have made such an extraordinary contribution to Bangarra over 28 years.

It would also contravene the spirit of reconciliation and togetherness that is the foundation of this inclusive and diverse company.

The motion to support marriage equality is unanimously endorsed by Bangarra Chair Michael McDaniel, Artistic Director Stephen Page, and Executive Director Philippe Magid; and the entire Board and staff.

Love is love.

I close with some photos taken at Sydney's Tamarama Beach during the October 8 event known as the Rainbow Walk – Bondi to Bronte – Supporting the "YES" Vote.

Related Off-site Links:
Same-sex Marriage Postal Survey Returns Hit 12.6 Million as Voting Closes – Natasha Christian (SBS, November 7, 2017).
Yes Vote on Top as Marriage Survey Closes – Katharine Murphy (The Guardian, November 6, 2017).
Australian Same-sex Couples Waiting to Get Married Tell Their Stories – Chloe Sargeant (SBS, November 14, 2017).
Two Australian Bishops: Respect Consciences in Vote Over Marriage Equality – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, September 25, 2017).
Stirred by Same-sex Marriage Vote, Australia's Youth Gets Serious – Colin Packham (Reuters, October 5, 2017).
Students Resist Catholic School’s Anti-Marriage Equality Program – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, September 15, 2017).
Churches Who Campaigned for 'No' Must Apologise to Gay Community – Keith Mascord (Sydney Morning Herald, November 7, 2017).
As Australian Vote Concludes, Catholics Should "Vote Yes" on Reconciliation and the Common Good – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, November 8, 2017).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 1)
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 2)
• Thank You, Frank!
• Thoughts on the Australian Catholic Bishops' Latest Ploy in Their "Struggle for the Very Soul of Marriage"
• From Australia, "Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality"
• Lanae Erickson on Taking a Lesson from Down Under
• The (Same-Love) Dance Goes On

11/15/17 UPDATE:
In Australia, "Love Has Had a Landslide Victory"

Thank You, Frank!

In the increasingly contentious debate over marriage equality in Australia, Frank Brennan, a prominent Catholic priest and scholar, speaks out for what the issue is fundamentally all about: justice and compassion – the "common good."

Back in 2011 I offered a critique of Australian Roman Catholic cleric Frank Brennan's endorsement of the "gay civil unions" approach in advocating for the civil rights of partnered same-sex couples.

Here's what I wrote at the time:

[The "gay civil unions" approach] actively avoids applying the word "marriage" to loving and committed same-sex relationships. Under no circumstances, it seems, can a gay relationship be considered on par with a straight one. I take issue with this, as the meaning of "marriage" in the civil arena should not be something that the Roman Catholic hierarchy gets to dictate and control. For instance, if an opposite-sex couple that cannot or choose not to have children are still able to call their union a marriage, why can't a same-sex couple – many of whom are raising children? The Roman Catholic hierarchy's fixation on biological procreation as the defining characteristic of "marriage" lacks both reason and compassion. People recognize this. Indeed, it's a major reason why the hierarchy's anti-marriage equality efforts are being met with such resistance and hostility.

It's important to note that increasing numbers of people in civil society (including Catholics) have no problem with viewing same-sex unions as marriages, hence the emphasis on marriage equality. All this "gay civil unions" talk by a few clerics within the church comes across as a type of concession. This makes it difficult for many to applaud these clerics. Yet they at least are offering something, as opposed to the majority of bishops who want absolutely nothing in terms of recognition of gay relationships. Yet, truth be told, most people perceive the civil unions approach as being too little, too late.

Well, it's six years on and I'm happy to report that Frank Brennan has had a change of heart. Yes, he is now very publicly saying that, for the sake of the "common good," same-sex marriage should be legalized in Australia. He's also insisting that civil marriage should not be understood as an instrument of the church.

News of Breenan's support for marriage equality comes on the heels of reports that a number of elite Catholic high schools in Australia are defying church hierarchy leaders on same-sex marriage.

Why is marriage equality such a hot topic in Australia at the moment? Well, as I've reported previously, Australians will soon be receiving a postal ballot to share their opinion on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized. If a majority of voters support marriage equality (by a "yes" vote), the government will facilitate a parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage before December 7. Such a vote is expected to be in favour of marriage equality. If a majority of voters oppose marriage equality, there will be no parliamentary vote and same-sex couples in Australia will continue to be denied the rights and benefits of civil marriage. Both sides of the campaign have mobilized with advertising and media strategies to get their messages out. (Some of the strategies on the "no" side have been truly horrendous.)

Brennan's change of heart on same-sex civil marriage is the focus of an article by Michael Koziol in today's Sydney Morning Herald. Following is an excerpt.

In a marked departure from other Catholic leaders and many Coalition conservatives, Jesuit priest Frank Brennan said any concerns about religious freedom should be set aside until after a successful "yes" vote in the postal survey.

And he turned opponents' fears on their head, saying the increasing prevalence of same-sex couples with children was an argument in favour of marriage equality, not an argument against.

"We've got to factor that in to the common good argument about what's necessary," Father Brennan told Sky News on Friday, following his delivery of the Lionel Bowen Lecture this week in which he declared he would vote "yes".

The legalisation of same-sex marriage in like-minded countries such as Britain and New Zealand was also a reason to support change, he said, to provide consistency for couples who moved around the world.

He imagined the example of a married Canadian same-sex couple, where same-sex marriage is legal, who are in Australia. If one person were dying in hospital, their partner's spousal rights may not be recognised.

"That's a common good argument you've got to look at," said Father Brennan, who runs Catholic Social Services Australia and is a professor of law at the Australian Catholic University.

"They're the sort of arguments which have me saying 'yes'. We are now in a society very different from what it was a decade ago."

Father Brennan said he continued to espouse the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage - that it is between a man and a woman - but this had to be separated from civil marriage, which was the question before the Australian people.

"It's a very different institution from what is marriage in the Catholic Church," he told Sky News. He said concerns about religious freedom were valid, but should be dealt with by Parliament in the advent of a "yes" vote, and not "during the hubbub of a publicity campaign".

The comments underline a split among leading Australian Catholics, following an ardent defence of traditional marriage by the Sydney and Melbourne archbishops, Anthony Fisher and Denis Hart.

I appreciate and am heartened by the comments of Frank Brennan. I hope and pray that other members of the Roman Catholic clerical caste will seek and find within themselves the courage and humility to follow his example and be open to the reality of gay people's lives and relationships -- including the presence of the Sacred in their lives and relationships. It's been my experience that such openness and recognition leads people to seek justice and compassion wherever and whenever it is lacking. And that, ultimately, is what marriage equality is all about: justice and compassion, or in Frank Brennan's words, "the common good."

Lay Catholics have long been in the vanguard of the struggle for marriage equality, indeed the fundamental social justice and moral tenets of the Catholic faith mandate such participation. Whenever a member of the hierarchy joins us in this holy endeavor it is a cause of hope and celebration. Thank you, Frank!

____________________________

9/2/17 UPDATE: On the question of civil unions, Pope Francis is now where Fr. Brennan was six years ago!

In a new book entitled Politics and Society, Pope Francis endorses civil unions for same-sex couples. Crux first broke this story in its sharing of excerpts from this forthcoming book, one which is actually a compilation of transcripts of a series of twelve conversations between the pope and the French sociologist Dominique Wolton. For the purposes of this update, however, it's Francis DeBernardo's analysis at Bondings 2.0 that I draw my readers' attention to. Writes DeBernardo:

Although many church leaders have suggested supporting such an arrangement in recent years, Pope Francis has never, as pontiff, stated his endorsement of civil unions so flatly. (He did support civil unions as a compromise to his opposition towards marriage equality when he was an archbishop in Argentina. As pontiff, he did make an ambiguous statement about civil unions, which inspired more questions than certainty about his position.) This new statement of support from him is a giant step forward. What is significant here is that he is agreeing to the importance of some sort of legal recognition of civil unions for lesbian and gay couples. I don’t think he will be campaigning for such legislation, but it sure sounds like he is comfortable with them and that he won’t be blocking them.

One can only hope that, like Frank Brennan, Pope Francis' thinking will continue to evolve so that in a few years he too will go beyond endorsing civil unions to calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the civil sphere.


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The "Gay Civil Unions" Approach of Some Within the Catholic Hierarchy: Too Little, Too Late
• Beyond Respectful Tolerance to Celebratory Acceptance
• Marriage: Part of What Is Best in Human
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 1)
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 2)
• A Catholic Statement of Support for Marriage Equality

Related Off-site Link:
Hate Speech in Australia Marriage Debate a Moment for Catholic Reflection – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, August 28, 2017).

Image: Australian Catholics for Marriage Equality.

The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 2)

While reading the paper on the train from Sydney to Port Macquarie last Sunday, I came across an interesting and insightful op-ed by Nick O'Malley, a a senior Fairfax Media journalist. O'Malley's piece makes for a good follow-up to my August 10 post on the state of marriage equality in Australia.

In his op-ed, O'Malley (pictured at right) explains how former prime minister and longtime opponent of marriage equality Tony Abbott draws from the playbook of well-known U.S. anti-marriage equality activist Frank Schubert. In exploring the similarities between Abbott and Schubert, O'Malley shares the experiences and insights of Evan Wolfson, founder and president of the U.S. group Freedom to Marry. Wolfson and his organization played a key role in the campaign to legalize gay marriage in the United States, an effort that culminated with a Supreme Court decision two years ago that made marriage equality the law of the land.

In many ways, Frank Schubert was Wolfson's nemesis during the struggle for marriage equality in the U.S. No wonder, then, that anti-marriage equality activists in Australia such as Tony Abbott and Australian Christian Lobby director Lyle Shelton are attempting to emulate Schubert's strategies. This despite the fact that such strategies ultimately failed in the U.S.

Writes O'Malley: "Like Abbott, Frank Schubert is a deeply religious man of powerful conviction. Like Abbott he is intensely disliked by gay marriage activists. In another weird parallel, like Abbott, Schubert has a politically engaged gay sister with a partner and family who does not share his views. . . . [Opponents of marriage equality know] they cannot win on the merits of their argument, so they have to make the debate about something else."

And that, explains O'Malley, is why Abbott announced last week that the Australian government's upcoming plebiscite on marriage equality was about "political correctness and freedom of speech rather than gay marriage."

I have absolutely no doubt that this ploy will fail in Australia . . . just as it failed in the U.S. Marriage equality will be won in Australia. It is just a matter of time.

Following, with added images and links, is O'Malley's op-ed in its entirety.

_______________________________

Tony Abbott Is Ripping
His Anti-gay Marriage Strategy
Out of the U.S. Playbook

By Nick O'Malley

Sydney Morning Herald
August 12-13, 2017

One person who was not surprised by Tony Abbott's hoarse declaration of a general culture war at the doors of Parliament House on Wednesday morning was the American activist Evan Wolfson.

You'll remember that Abbott [right], perhaps suffering from a winter bug, fronted the cameras and announced the same-sex marriage plebiscite was about far more than simply blocking one group of Australians from marrying.

"I say to you if you don't like same-sex marriage, vote no," said Abbott. "If you're worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no, and if you don't like political correctness, vote no because voting no will help to stop political correctness in its tracks."

Later that day the director of the Australian Christian Lobby, Lyle Shelton, wrote that "the marriage plebiscite is a referendum on freedom of speech and 'safe schools'". He has lamented the "stolen generation" that are the children of Australian gays.

Wolfson [left], a lawyer and professor who was founder and president of the group Freedom to Marry, was the architect of the campaign to legalise gay marriage in the United States, an effort that culminated with a Supreme Court decision two years ago that found in part that one group of Americans did not get to hold a vote to decide upon the basic human rights of another. He has been named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in the world.

Wolfson's victory might have looked sudden from the outside, but it was the culmination of years of campaigning in which Wolfson and supporters battled anti-gay-marriage activists in a series of state legislatures, where, as in Australia, conservative politicians introduced ballot measures in an effort to block gay marriage.

In many of these states Wolfson's key opponent was a bloke called Frank Schubert, a Republican staffer turned freelance campaign consultant. Like Abbott, Frank Schubert is a deeply religious man of powerful conviction. Like Abbott he is intensely disliked by gay marriage activists. In another weird parallel, like Abbott, Schubert has a politically engaged gay sister with a partner and family who does not share his views.

This week, says Wolfson, Abbott played straight out of Schubert's campaign playbook.

"He knows they cannot win on the merits of their argument," explains Wolfson, noting that Australians already overwhelmingly back gay marriage, "so they have to make the debate about something else." That's why Abbott announced that this was about political correctness and freedom of speech rather than gay marriage.

Wolfson is not speaking figuratively. After Schubert won an unlikely battle to have a ban on gay marriage added to the California constitution in 2008 via a ballot measure, Schubert wrote a memo detailing his winning strategy. Wolfson can see its echoes in Abbott's opening salvo.

The now notorious document was an article for Political Magazine in February 2009, in which Schubert and his co-author explain how they won despite Californians supporting gay marriage at the start of the campaign by about 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

"We needed to convince voters that gay marriage was not simply "live and let live" – that there would be consequences if gay marriage were to be permanently legalised," Schubert wrote.

"We reconfirmed in our early focus groups our own views that Californians had a tolerant opinion of gays. But there were limits to the degree of tolerance that Californians would afford the gay community. They would entertain allowing gay marriage, but not if doing so had significant implications for the rest of society."

In the US those "significant implications" became the arguments that "gay propaganda" would spread into schools, that once gay marriage was the norm other aberrant forms of marriage would follow, that religious groups would be victimised.

It became the fraught concern for the wellbeing of bakers and marriage celebrants and wedding caterers. It was about anything but the right of a committed couple to marry.

All of this is already in play in Australia, and was neatly summed up by Abbott on Wednesday morning.

But according to Wolfson there was a parallel campaign fought too. While mainstream politicians kept their hands clean, aware that outright homophobia doesn't wash anymore, a subterranean poison of invective followed the overt campaign, and this too will now by foisted upon Australian gays and their families.

You can see it already if you care to dip your toe into online sewers, and elements of it have crept onto cable TV. On Tuesday night Bronwyn Bishop was on Sky News warning of bestiality and the killing of newborn babies.

Of course, in the years since gay marriage was legalised in America, the only impact to society has been that some gays got married, and many who once feared the outcome have now changed their views.

Today even a plurality of Republicans support gay marriage, 48 to 47 per cent, while 64 percent of Americans back gay marriage, up from 62 per cent.

"This is not some sort of experiment Australia is being asked to make," Wolfson says. "Around the world 1.1 billion people now live in 22 countries where gay marriage is legal."

In none of those countries have any of the dire warnings of those who would see it banned come true, despite Bronwyn Bishop's nightmares.

– Nick O/Malley
Sydney Morning Herald
August 12-13, 2017

Related Off-site Links:
Turnbull Government to Hold Public Vote on Same-sex Marriage by November – Michael Koziol (Sydney Morning Herald, August 8, 2017).
"We Love Our Children": Penny Wong's Senate Speech About Marriage Plebiscite – Sydney Morning Herald (August 10, 2017).
Hope and Frustration in Australia as Gay Marriage Debate Nears – Tacey Rychter (SBS, November 6, 2015).
The Equality Campaign

UPDATES: Catholics Central in Debate on Australia’s Upcoming Marriage Equality Vote – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, August 16, 2017).
Religious Freedom Is an Important Right. Once Same-sex Marriage Is Legal, It Must Be Protected – Frank Brennan (The Guardian, August 17, 2017).
This So-called Plebiscite Is a Sham – Andrew Wilkie (The Mercury, August 24, 2017).
Who Are the Australian Christian Lobby? – Judith Ireland (The Sydney Morning Herald, February 19, 2016).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The State of Marriage Equality in Australia (Part 1)
• Thoughts on the Australian Catholic Bishops' Latest Ploy in Their "Struggle for the Very Soul of Marriage"
• From Australia, "Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality"
• Lanae Erickson on Taking a Lesson from Down Under
• Evan Wolfson on the "Basic Biology" Argument Against Marriage Equality

Image: Getty Images.

The State of Marriage Equality in Australia

Back in the U.S., I'm always embarrassed when friends ask about the state of same-sex marriage in Australia. More often than not they assume marriage equality is a reality.

It's not.

Indeed, even though polls consistently show that over two-thirds of Australians support granting civil marriage rights to same-sex couples, the state of marriage equality in Australia is pathetically behind much of the rest of the world.

Ireland, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Portugal, Malta, and a host of other countries all have marriage equality.

Alas, the "Great South Land" does not.

This fact has been in the news recently with the conservative Coalition government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announcing a $122 million postal vote (or plebiscite) on the issue of marriage equality. Ballots will be sent to all registered voters in five weeks, starting September 12, with a final decision by November 15.

So, in short, marriage equality in Australia is to be put to a public vote.

Turnbull, who has previously said that a postal vote on the issue "flies in the face of Australian democracy," now insists that the poll would be legitimate and also consistent with the Coalition's election commitment.

How will the plebiscite work? Well, if marriage equality is supported (by a "yes" vote) by a majority of registered voters, the government will facilitate a parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage before December 7. Such a vote is expected to be in favour of marriage equality. If a majority of voters oppose marriage equality, there will be no parliamentary vote.

Following is an erudite and insightful commentary on the political history of rather messy matter by Mark Kenny, national affairs editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.

_________________________

The Truth is, Both Sides
Have Struggled with Marriage Equality

By Mark Kenny

Sydney Morning Herald
August 10, 2017

The brouhaha over marriage equality has seen Malcolm Turnbull's Coalition trying to look modern while putting as many barriers as it can think of in the way of change.

It is a process driven primarily by internal considerations within the conservative base and Turnbull's assessment that his pushing through would imperil his leadership.

Such dualism is not unique to the Liberal and Nationals parties. Labor MPs are hypersensitive to criticism of their mediocre performance when faced with the same question while in office.

Many Labor MPs who now back reform and stand strongly with same-sex couples arguing for equality as a human right, would rather forget past equivocations.

As they strafe Turnbull's unwillingness to impose his will, they bristle when reminded that just five years ago, their prime minister Julia Gillard, deputy PM Wayne Swan, and a slew of influential frontbenchers, voted "No", as they danced to the tune of the Catholic right wing.

Even now, if this issue makes it to the Senate, it is expected half a dozen Labor senators aligned to the shoppies' union, the SDA, will either oppose or abstain.

Indeed, a parliamentary vote, cannot be guaranteed to deliver marriage reform as the numbers in both houses are closer than many realise.

In any event, now that the compulsory attendance plebiscite has been scotched, the government is proceeding with plan B, the voluntary participation, postal survey.

Two points about where this leads.

First, there's the franchise question about the postal plebiscite and the expectation that the returns will strongly lean towards the older demographic and therefore the "No" case. The last voluntary postal ballot was conducted in 1997, to determine the members of the constitutional convention. Analysis of that does indeed show a strong linear relationship between age and participation.

The older you were – and remember this was before the Facebook generation and before commerce, and personal administration were shifted from the physical world to online – the greater the likelihood of returning a ballot paper.

Indeed, those aged 56 and above were 75 per cent more likely to lick the stamp than those aged 18 to 25 years.

The rate of return lifts in every category from 18-25 where it was 33.86 per cent, to 56 plus where it levelled out at 59.19 per cent.

You can see how this might skew the outcome on marriage reform in particular, especially bearing in mind the trajectory of opinion on this issue.

In political-speak, Labor MPs say their opinions have "evolved". Others might just admit to being wrong in the past.

Second, the government cites as precedent the Australian statistician's conduct of a 60,000-strong phone survey in 1974 to approve a switch from God Save the Queen to Advance Australia Fair.

The "Yes" case prevailed with just 51.4 per cent support.

More than four decades later, we are going back to technology that pre-dated the phone even, in a bid to delay an "advance" whose denial would be anything but "fair."

– Mark Kenny
Sydney Morning Herald
August 10, 2017

NEXT: The State of Marriage Equality in Australia – Part 2

Related Off-site Links:
Turnbull Government to Hold Public Vote on Same-sex Marriage by November – Michael Koziol (Sydney Morning Herald, August 8, 2017).
"We Love Our Children": Penny Wong's Senate Speech About Marriage Plebiscite – Sydney Morning Herald (August 10, 2017).
Rules Against Malicious Campaign Material Will Not Apply to Same-sex Marriage Postal Vote – Michael Koziol (Sydney Morning Herald, August 10, 2017).
"Worst Type of Research You Can Do Apart from Robopolls": Pollsters Rubbish Postal Vote – Judith Ireland (Sydney Morning Herald, August 10, 2017).
Why a Plebiscite for Marriage Equality Is a Not a Great Thing – Deirdre Fidge (The New York Times, August 2, 2017).
Hope and Frustration in Australia as Gay Marriage Debate Nears – Tacey Rychter (SBS, November 6, 2015).
The Equality Campaign

UPDATES: Catholics Central in Debate on Australia’s Upcoming Marriage Equality Vote – Robert Shine (Bondings 2.0, August 16, 2017).
Here's How One of Australia's Oldest Anti-Gay Campaigners Is Arguing Against Same-Sex Marriage – Lane Sainty (BuzzFeed News, August 17, 2017).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Thoughts on the Australian Catholic Bishops' Latest Ploy in Their "Struggle for the Very Soul of Marriage"
• From Australia, "Possibly the Most Beautiful Ad for Marriage Equality"
• Lanae Erickson on Taking a Lesson from Down Under
• Quote of the Day – July 13, 2015
• A Catholic Statement of Support for Marriage Equality
• Tips on Speaking as a Catholic in Support of Marriage Equality
• Marriage: "Part of What is Best in Human Nature"
• Responding to Bishop Tobin's Remarks on Gay Marriage
• The "Gay Civil Unions" Approach of Some Within the Catholic Hierarchy: Too Little, Too Late
• New Studies: Gay Couples as Committed as Straight Couples
• Competent Parenting Doesn't Require "Traditional Marriage"
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Marriage Equality Ruling

Image: Retired Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer Ian Thorpe and his partner Ryan Channing, advocates for marriage equality.

Quote of the Day

How will we as a church live with our gay, lesbian and transgender brothers and sisters? We are past the time of "love the sinner" platitudes.

. . . [Greg] Bourke and [Michael] DeLeon [right] are emblematic of this major challenge facing the church today, because they force us to ask not how will we live out a hypothetical situ­ation, but how will we live with Greg and Michael. They give flesh to an abstraction.

The answers [that members of] the church [hierarchy are] giving . . . are con­fused, uneven and often cruel. Greg and Michael – and countless gay, lesbian and transgender Catholics – deserve better.

For their historic roles as plaintiffs in Obergefell v. Hodges [which found same-sex marriage a con­stitutional right] and for their faithful public witness as gay Catholics, we name Greg Bourke and Michael DeLe­on NCR's persons of the year for 2015.

– National Catholic Reporter Editorial Staff
Excerpted from "Our Persons of the Year for 2015
National Catholic Reporter
December 28, 2015

Related Off-site Links:
Catholic Newspaper Names Same-Sex Marriage Plaintiffs "Persons Of The Year" – Amanda Terkel (HuffPost Gay Voices, December 28, 2015).
National Catholic Reporter Editorializes: "How Will We As a Church Live with Our Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Brothers and Sisters?" – William D. Lindsey (Bilgrimage, December 28, 2015).
Married Gay Catholics Chosen as “Persons of the Year” – Bob Shine (Bondings 2.0, December 29, 2015).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• U.S. Supreme Court Legalizes Marriage for Same-Sex Couples Across the Nation
• Progressive Catholic Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Marriage Equality Ruling
• Quote of the Day – June 26, 2015
• Something to Celebrate – June 27, 2015
• Questions for Archbishop Kurtz re. the U.S. Bishops' Response to the Supreme Court's Marriage Equality Ruling

Image: Michael DeLeon, left, and Greg Bourke, April 28, 2015, Washington, D.C. (Newscom/UPI/Pete Marovich)

DignityUSA Responds to News of Meeting Between Pope Francis and Kim Davis

A statement released earlier today by DignityUSA is one of the most succinct responses yet to news of the secret September 25 meeting between Pope Francis and Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who briefly went to jail for refusing to issue civil marriage licenses to same-sex couples and thus attempting to force her religious beliefs onto others.

Following is DignityUSA's media release in its entirety.

DignityUSA, the leading organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Catholics, responded to the Vatican’s confirmation that Pope Francis had met with Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis with dismay.

“The news that Pope Francis met with Kim Davis while failing to respond to repeated requests for dialogue with LGBT Catholics and their families will be deeply disappointing to many Catholics, gay, trans, and straight alike,” said DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke. “It may be seen as putting the weight of the Vatican behind the U.S. Catholic bishops’ claims of victimization, and to support those who want to make it more difficult for same-sex couples to exercise their civil right to marriage. This encounter could, in many people’s minds, transform the Pope’s US trip from a largely successful pastoral visit to the endorsement of an exclusionary political agenda.

“I fear that this meeting and claims that the Pope told Ms. Davis to ‘stand strong’ will embolden the many US bishops and others who continue to try to turn back support for LGBT people. It will make even more of us feel like the Pope’s message of mercy and love was not meant for LGBT people and families. It points again to the deep divide between Catholics who affirm and support their LGBT family members and friends, and the hierarchy, which is tragically out of touch,” continued Duddy-Burke.

"It would be helpful for the Vatican to be more forthcoming about the circumstances that led to this meeting, and what the Pope hoped to convey in his discussions with Ms. Davis,” said Duddy-Burke.

In July 2015, DignityUSA, GLAAD and over 30 endorsing organizations sent a letter to Pope Francis, urging him to meet with LGBT Catholics and their families during his U.S. visit. The letter cited the “enormous pastoral crisis” with regard to LGBT people and the grave damage being done to LGBT youth as compelling reasons for this dialogue. The letter was followed by several petitions urging that such a meeting take place. No response was received from the Vatican.

“We still believe that for the Pope to hear the stories of LGBT Catholics and our families would be a key step in reversing the official Church teachings that damage so many people,” said Duddy-Burke. “In fact, his meeting with Ms. Davis makes this even more urgent. We have people in Rome right now, on the eve of the Synod of the Family reconvening, who would be happy to talk with the Pope if he’s willing to take a small step towards righting this injustice.

10/2/15 UPDATE: Quote (and Reality Check) of the Day

Related Off-site Links:
How Pope Francis Undermined the Goodwill of His Trip and Proved to Be a Coward – Michelangelo Signorile (HuffPost Gay Voices, September 30, 2015).
Kim Davis Recounts Secret Meeting With Pope Francis – ABC News (September 30, 2015).
Pope Francis’ Meeting With Kim Davis Raises a Red Flag – Francis DeBernardo (Bondings 2.0, September 30, 2015).
What We Don't Know About Francis' Kim Davis Meeting – Joshua J. McElwee (National Catholic Reporter, October 1, 2015).
The Pope and Kim Davis: Seven Points to Keep in Mind – James Martin, SJ (America, September 30, 2015).
Why the Pope's Meeting with Kim Davis is the Last Straw for Me: With Commentary on Father James Martin's "Points to Keep in Mind" About the Meeting – William D. Lindsey (Bilgrimage, October 1, 2015).
Pope Francis' Kim Davis Visit is the Dumbest Thing He's Ever Done – Charles P. Pierce (Esquire, September 30, 2015).
Responses to Pope's Meeting with Kim Davis from My Facebook Feed – William D. Lindsey (Bilgrimage, September 30, 2015).
LGBT Catholics Confused and Hurt by Pope's Visit with Kim Davis – Antonia Blumberg (HuffPost Religion, September 30, 2015).
Pope Francis's Meeting with Kim Davis Should Come as No Surprise – Trevor Martin (The Guardian, September 15, 2015).
Pope Francis Doesn’t Believe in LGBT Equality – Barbie Latza Nadeau (The Daily Beast, September 30, 2015).
Pope's Secret Meeting Reframes Historic Visit – Reuters (September 30, 2015).
Pope Francis, the Kentucky Clerk and Culture Wars Revisited – Laurie Goodstein and Jim Yardley (The New York Times, September 30, 2015).
Let's Really Talk About Religious Freedom, Pope Francis – Charles P. Pierce (Esquire, September 29, 2015).
Pope Francis' Deep Ties to Evangelicals – Jamie Manson (National Catholic Reporter, July 8, 2015).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Pope Francis in the U.S.
• Quote (and Reality Check) of the Day – September 1, 2015
• Quote (and Question) of the Day – January 22, 2015