DON’T meddle with marriage”, is an ongoing theme in National Marriage Day rallies and Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has again given his strong support to the initiative.
Archbishop Coleridge called next Tuesday’s rally at Parliament House in Canberra “a welcome initiative at a time when pressures are mounting to introduce into Australian law a radical redefinition of marriage”.
He also questioned claims made by supporters of “gender-free marriage” that it was “a fight for justice”.
Archbishop Coleridge, who has attended the rally regularly since its inception and was a keynote speaker in 2009, said he was unable to attend this year “but offered his support from afar”.
“I speak not only on my own behalf but on behalf of many in the Archdiocese of Brisbane who believe that marriage is solely between a man and a woman,” he said.
Australian Family Association committee member Luke McCormack, one of two of the organisation’s members from Queensland attending the rally, said the changing of Australia’s marriage laws would have a severe impact on children.
He said this would come not only from “destroying natural biological bonds” but also from the likelihood that the concept of same-sex marriage would be taught as a normal part of the school curriculum.
Mr McCormack said the date of the rally was particularly significant as it marked the anniversary of the passage in 2004 of amendments to Australia’s Marriage Act 1961.
“These amendments, agreed to by both major parties, clearly defined marriage as between a man and a woman,” he said.
August 14 is also the first sitting day of the Spring Session of Federal Parliament.
Those taking part in the National Marriage Day rally will gather on the lawns of the Authorised Assembly Area at Parliament House.
Ruby and gold are the colours of National Marriage Day, representing a gold rose on a ruby ribbon to be worn as a symbol of love, fidelity, endurance and hope.
Balloons, also in red and gold, will bear messages including: Husband+Wife=Life, Children’s Rights Come First, Children Need A Mother & A Father.
Keynote speaker is Don Feder, a pro-marriage and family activist, journalist and lawyer from the United States.
Other speakers include members of Parliament from the Liberal Party, the National Party, the Australian Labor Party and the Democratic Labor Party, showing cross-party support.
Archbishop Coleridge said marriage could never be “gender-free”.
“The push for gender-free marriage presents itself as a fight for justice,” he said.
“Yet the legal introduction of gender-free marriage would be unjust to married couples, whose marriage would thereby be reduced to one among many equally valid options.
It would also be unjust to society as a whole, which depends for its flourishing upon support for the marriage bond between man and woman and the families which come from this.”
Archbishop Coleridge said there were many ways already available in law to ensure that justice for de facto couples, whether heterosexual or homosexual.
“However, justice does not demand the radical step of introducing gender-free marriage,” he said.
“Heterosexual and homosexual people are certainly equal, but they are not equivalent when it comes to marriage.
“To claim that they are would be to drain meaning not just from the word but from the institution of marriage.”
Mr McCormack said the most interesting aspect of the current debate was, despite occasional polls to the contrary, “the traditional view of marriage is still largely favoured”.
Among possible reasons for this was the understanding “that children will be harmed if we trash and redefine marriage”, he said.
“There’s an awareness that changing the law would be the beginning of a long and drawn-out battle between the Commonwealth and the family, and the Commonwealth and the Church,” he said.
“Then there’s the matter of gay marriage being taught as normal in schools – this would inevitably happen as it has in other countries where governments passed laws normalising such relationships.”
Mr McCormack said he would like to see parents visiting their local MPs with their children to make the point about the potential impact on school curriculums.
“We don’t want our children being taught this in schools,” he said.
Debate on two Marriage Equality bills before the House of Representatives is finished.
Observers said the vote could take place on the day of the rally. If not it was expected to be soon after.
Media reports said the bills were expected to be voted on this month or September instead of being delayed indefinitely.
Greens MP Adam Bandt, who moved one of the bills, wanted more time allocated for debate because of the lack of numbers in support and Federal Opposition Tony Abbott’s decision that the Coalition would vote in accordance with Coalition policy which was that marriage is between one man and one woman.
An observer said consequently this year’s National Marriage Day Rally was taking place at a significant point in the debate.
