With the issue of gay marriage back on the national agenda – and with pressure mounting for Federal MPs to go to a conscience vote on the bill for gay marriage – rising opposition is coming from church leaders in Australia.
Earlier this week, 50 church leaders got together and signed a letter to parliament asking them not to change the Marriage Act. A spokesperson from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese told Neos Kosmos that the church were not consulted to sign this appeal and subsequently were not part of the 50 church leaders to sign this. Even though the Greek Orthodox religion opposes gay marriage, they did say that they love everybody equally.
Cathy, spokesperson, Greek and Gay told Neos Kosmos that “there is nothing written in our bible that doesn’t accept being gay, same way there is no mention of it in the Qur’an.”
“They tell you that you’ve sinned, so if I want to go for Holy Communion I need to confess first and I don’t think that’s right.”
Cathy came out as a gay woman four years ago to her friends and family but said it was a very difficult thing to do in the Greek community because of the their “old ideals, mentality, culture and traditions”. She said that Greeks aren’t very accepting of gay people, particularly because of religion.
When asked whether or not she is a practicing Greek Orthodox follower she answered “unfortunately, yes”.
“I used to go (to church) every Sunday but now I go when I feel like going. My priest knows that I am gay and he tells me that I have not sinned so that’s okay,” said Cathy.
Outspoken Greens MP Adam Bandt feels that the although the church may have represented the views of Australia some time ago, they do not anymore. He believes that as part of a democracy, the church has a right to express their views but thinks that their view “is increasingly out of step with the majority of people in Australia” and that the Marriage Act should be changed to include same-sex couples.
“I think the definition of marriage has changed over time. It used to be that a wife was a husband’s property and the husband could control what the wife did,” said Bandt.
Bandt who is an advocate for same-sex marriage, has asked all MPs to consult their constituents to see if they support gay marriage as he believes many people living in Australia do, even Christians.
“If you believe in equality then that should be equality for everyone and you can’t have two classes of people some of whom they’re love is treated as a different class, and if you believe in an individuals freedom of choice and their right to do what they like as long as it doesn’t harm someone else then they should have the individual right to get married to the person they love.”