Eric Abetz wants more reporting on gay people who enter ‘heterosexual relationships’
LIBERAL聽senator for Tasmania Eric Abetz has stated that he wants to see more聽reporting聽on people in “gay relationships” who then enter into “straight relationships”.
Sky 今日吃瓜 host Samantha Maiden asked聽Abetz, “Do you personally believe that gays and lesbians can pull up their bootstraps and show a bit of discipline and become heterosexuals?
Abetz responded,聽“The reality is, and evidence has been given to the Senate Committees, where people who have been in gay relationships have then gone into heterosexual relationships and I believe that can happen courtesy of the evidence.”
Maiden replied, “I’m asking you if you think gay people should try not to be gay?”
Abetz said, “Look, it is up to the individual as to what they want to be and how they want to express themselves. That is up to them in a free society.”
The longtime Senator used the interview to criticise media coverage of the marriage equality debate.
“I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a better balance in the reporting by Australia’s journalists of the actual evidence, the real evidence, that is given to some of these Senate committees.
“I think we all know people that have been in, if I can call it that, a straight relationship that have gone into a gay relationship, and people then doing the opposite,” he said.
“The fact that both occur within our society is established fact and why we can’t report on the two-way traffic is something that has bemused me somewhat and I think it’s indicative of certain bias in the media that they only want one side of the equation spoken about.”
The former Minister for Employment also took the chance to聽slam聽companies for聽their continued support for marriage equality.
AirBnB has featuring black rings which do not close in a full circle to symbolise the gap in marriage rights in Australia.
The campaign has the support of Qantas, ANZ, Foxtel and Fairfax, among others.
“It is the right of these companies to engage in these activities should they wish to do so.
“But along with free speech comes the right to be critical of CEOs running politically correct campaigns, in effect with shareholders’ money, in circumstances which it means the cost of their product must be that much more expensive to the consumer of Australia because these campaigns don’t come for free.
“Ultimately the Australian consumer pays in circumstances where, as you would know and your viewers would know, I personally believe that any change to the definition of marriage would not be for the benefit of the children of our nation.”
The Senator recently spoke out against .
Yesterday, Abetz also asking how much government spending was allocated for Mardi Gras floats for government departments and if staff travel costs to the event were covered by the departments.
.: there’s evidence that some people in gay relationships can also enter into straight relationships
鈥� Sky 今日吃瓜 Australia (@Sky今日吃瓜Aust)
There are so many other LGBTIQ issues, besides the annoying gay marriage! Can we just abolish marriage as an “outdated and archaic institution” and just have a couples of any sex register for formal government recognition! So over the whole gay marriage shit in Australia as a libertarian 30 year old gay man. We here in Australia are still banned from donating blood nationwide, adopting children in the NT, banned from altruistic surrogacy in WA, the gay panic defence is still in force in SA, conversion therapy is still allowed in nearly all states – except for VIC. Most places in Australia (except for SA and the ACT) trans and Intersex people forced to have a divorce and get expensive sexual reassignment surgery. Australia still has no hate crimes laws – except for VIC. We still in 2017 have religious exemptions in anti-discrimination laws, get kicked out of homes, promotions or jobs, beaten up, bullied, harassed, raped, discriminated against in rural Australia – need I say more!
Just how twee can this anti-GLBTIQ, ultra-right-wing pal of Homophobe Tony Abbott’s, Erich Abetz (yes, he dropped the ‘h” to cover up his past connections) get? “I think we all know people who have been in, if I can call it that, a straight relationship…blah..blah.blah..”
For decades, yes I am old and can remember way back, homosexual men and women got married, had children and lived Erich’s ideal life simply because they had to. Single, adult men were always suspect and if there was even the slightest hint that they might be ‘like that” their chances, no matter how qualified, intelligent, capable, loyal and honest they were they were passed over for promotion. These unfortunate men & women were forced to take up a life they were, mostly, unhappy in. Some – a very few – were lucky they found a wife/husband who knew and/or accepted the truth. Many couples had a marriage of convenience wherein both partners were GLBTIQ.
Abetz is simply spouting the old homophobic nonsense and judgements of his German forebears. He, like them, does not want Equality. he wants all who are not heterosexual to be classed as Second or Third Class Non Citizens with no Rights whatsoever.
Erich had better get used to this:
“We are Here, We are Queer and We are Here Forever”
We, Erich, WILL win.
We may have to wait until you have died of old age, as you are already in that age group we may not have to wait much longer, but you will go to your grave knowing that you will be defeated.
Just remember, Erich, WE VOTE and, even if it goes against our personal political beliefs and means changing our Votes we will vote against you and all your red-neck bigoted mates within the ALP, Liberals, One Nation, Nationals.
Many of us are not interested in getting married BUT… We want and are entitled to 100% Equality and that includes the Right to get married should we wish it.
It is said that there are between 7% to 10% of the population who are GLBTIQ, many of us live in very marginal seats across the country – seats which you need to win to stay in office. Make no mistake, Erich, we will use our power to thrash you.
Eric Abez needs to retire now. What a scum bucket!
Someone needs to tell Eric what the B stands for in the LGBTIQ etc acronym.
Or, preferably don’t bother to interact with him at all.
Also, I too am more than a bit teed off with your use of the SSM term rather than the correct term of Marriage Equality.
Eric Abetz will say anything to inflame anti -gay sentiment. Not to forget he was one of the few who sought to take on the United Nations when they condemned the Tasmanian Government back in the 80’s for their draconian anti gay laws. If he had his way we would still be criminalised. He is a boil on the bum of Australian politics and the sooner he is kicked out of the Liberal Party the better. One of the ultra-right he gives all conservatives a bad name.
You forgot to mention that Abetz’s comments are biphobic and Bi erasing.
What an absolute little toad is this Abetz man!!
Eric – gender is fluid and along the spectrum of love is something we cannot deny if we are gay, straight or lesbian…..
why do conservative politicians in this country deny anyone the right to love who they want when they want!!! FFS….
Eric Abetz is a dinosaur and always will be. His thoughts aren’t worthy of any coverage, and the sooner he’s out of Parliament the better the nation will be.
But I want to pull up this writer’s use of the term “same sex marriage”.
I expect better of the Star Observer – an LGBT platform. Please note the T in that.
“Same sex marriage” use instead of “marriage equality” walks away from transgender people.
We deserve marriage rights too. Or are you happy to just win them for gay people now, and leave trans folk to fight on by ourselves for another 30 years?
That is an insult to dinosaurs! Dinosaurs are way more advanced that that bigoted scum and homophobic cunt! I have never meet a homophobic dinosaur ever in my time machine – going back millions of years!
Helen Razer has just written a book about ending a long term same sex relationship and dating a bunch of blokes but I’m not sure if she ever identified as lesbian. So it does happen, even books get written about it, but Eric Abetz probably doesn’t pay attention to Helen.