LNP Senator Matt Canavan has responded to a damning critique of the rhetoric surrounding the same-sex marriage postal vote by asking why people can’t just “grow a spine and grow up,” as “the debate hasn’t been that bad.”
Speaking on Sky News Australia’s The Morning Shift, Canavan sidestepped today’s comment from the government’s National Mental Health Commission co-chair Professor Allan Fels that “LGBTIQ people have been experiencing damaging behaviours in their workplaces, communities and in social and traditional media” in the lead-up to the vote.
Instead, Canavan reckoned that language from the ‘Yes’ camp has been “vile”, but those on both sides of the issue should “stop being delicate little flowers” about the whole issue.
. @mattjcan says can’t we ‘just grow a spine and grow up’ on same sex marriage debate which ‘hasn’t been that bad’ https://t.co/eHYQeJY3NN pic.twitter.com/gegL6kqibe
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 11, 2017
For what it’s worth, the Commission today expressed serious concerns over the brutal language being hurled at queer Australians in the lead-up to the survey. Professor Fels stated they’re “alarmed about the potential negative health impacts these debates are having on individuals, couples and families who face scrutiny and judgement.”
The Commission also took the time to debunk several of the arguments most frequently trotted out by ‘No’ advocates, including the alleged negative health and social impacts same-sex parenting can have on children.
Canavan’s statement comes after the emergence of truly reprehensible flyers advocating against marriage equality around the nation. It also follows a long, proven history of this kind of rhetoric being absolutely horrific for queer Australians. “Grow a spine”, indeed.
