Same-sex marriage advocates have launched a television campaign to hit back at “dishonest” ads warning gay marriage could impact what children are taught in schools.
The Equality Campaign comes just 24 hours after the Coalition for Marriage launched its ad which pushed the message “you can say no”, in relation to a same-sex marriage survey.
The ‘No’ ad featured Australian mothers who argued they could lose control of gender programs taught to their children in schools under the proposed legislation.
But last night Equality Campaign, the organisation behind the ‘Yes’ movement, challenged the ‘No' advertisement's claims.
Former Australian Medical Association president Dr Kerryn Phelps, who features in the TV ad, described the ‘No’ campaign as “dishonest ... misleading claims made by opponents of equality”.
She said it was about “dividing the nation” while the ‘Yes’ campaign was about “uniting Australians”.
“Over the coming weeks we’ll be hearing a lot about whether our family and friends who are gay and lesbian can get married,” Dr Phelps said in the ad after watching some of the ‘No’ clip.
“Sadly, some are trying to mislead us, like this ad does, by saying marriage equality will have a negative impact, including on young people.
“The only young people affected by marriage equality are young gay people who, for the first time, will have the same dignity as everyone else in our country and they deserve that.”
The ‘Yes’ advertisement will roll out nationally over coming days.
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