No, this is just blatantly wrong
THE first dishonest ad for the marriage equality campaign “no” vote has shown the deceptive lengths to which these discriminatory people will go.
The grossly misleading ad links boys being encouraged to cross-dress at school with the granting of basic rights to non-heterosexual couples.
It is a blatant act of scaremongering and fake news.
The ad opens with Cella White the Frankston mother who called being transgender an “affliction” on Q&A.
She recounts how her son was allegedly told he could wear a dress at school if he wanted to, then reappears reminding viewers they “can say no” to marriage equality.
This is a clear attempt to create a fallacious link between granting same-sex couples fairness and her child being encouraged to dress as a girl.
As if that is not insulting enough to the intelligence of viewers, a woman appearing directly after Ms White suggests “when same-sex marriage passes as law overseas, this type of program become (sic) widespread and compulsory”.
No actual facts are provided to substantiate this ridiculous suggestion, no detail is given about what “type of program” she is referring to, or what “becomes compulsory”.
Viewers are led to the inescapable conclusion that when same-sex marriage is recognised, boys’ minds will be at risk of some kind of institutionalised psychological interference.
One line suggests parents “will lose the right to choose” – the implication being the right to choose their child’s gender identity – if same-sex couples are allowed to marry.
This kind of scare campaign is ridiculous, but poisonous. It is potentially extremely harmful to real children going through the treacherous journey to expressing who they are, right now.
Magda Szubanski made the powerful point on TV last week that it can be so life-threateningly hard already for non-heterosexual young people (due to the fear of discrimination and stigma) that she “barely made it through childhood”.
Not only are the makers of this manipulative ad happy to mislead and misinform, they are apparently content to accept the risk of traumatising young (and older) people already marginalised and potentially struggling.
It is nothing short of cruel and dishonest to suggest bringing same-sex couples to the same status as the rest of us risks corrupting our children. Its makers should be deeply ashamed.
And to clarify, Cella White’s son attended Frankston High School and its principal has denied boys, including Ms White’s son, were told they could wear dresses if they felt like it.
“We checked with all the teachers, it never happened,” John Albiston told media.