Culture

Scott Morrison Reckons He’s Faced The Same Bigotry As LGBTQI People, For Some Reason

He thinks he's experienced "hate speech" because he opposes same-sex marriage.

by Sinead Stubbins  22 June 2016

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Today Liberal MP Scott Morrison has dismissed accusations that a plebiscite on same-sex marriage will encourage hate speech, by claiming that he too has faced bigotry so… it’s no big deal? Speaking on ABC radio this morning, Morrison explained that the Liberals’ plebiscite was quite reasonable, and doesn’t infringe on any human rights or unfairly condemn a large portion of the population. Why? Because people discriminate against him all the time! What a sad Morrison.

“People of very strong religious views, they have also been subject to quite dreadful hate speech and bigotry as well. It is not confined to one side of this debate,” he said. “But, that said, I have a bigger view of the Australian people… we can deal with this issue as a country once and for all and move on.”

“I have an electorate where I cannot represent the view of every person on this issue. People know my view on this in my electorate, and it tends to be, it would seem, the majority view in my electorate.”

It’s well-established that Morrison’s view is that same-sex marriage shouldn’t be allowed, period (he also reckons that having a job can cure depression, but that’s another issue). Understandably, people are quite upset that a privileged, heterosexual white man is comparing his own ‘struggle’ (i.e: people disagreeing with him sometimes) to that of the institutional discrimination of the LGBTQI community.

Morrison’s nonsensical wheezing was a response to a speech that Penny Wong made yesterday, explaining that no heterosexual politician could truly understand the damaging impact that the plebiscite would have on queer Australians.

“A plebiscite designed to deny me and many other Australians a marriage certificate will instead license hate speech to those who need little encouragement,” she said. “Mr Turnbull, and many commentators on this subject, don’t understand that for gay and lesbian Australians hate speech is not abstract. It’s real. It’s part of our everyday life.”

“I oppose a plebiscite because I do not want my relationship, my family, to be the subject of inquiry, of censure, of condemnation, by others. And I don’t want other relationships, other families, to be targeted either.”

This election just keeps getting better and better!