Current Affairs

Sister of former Australian PM leaves Labor over marriage equality “nonsense”

Dec 13 2011
Written by Stephen Gray

The sister of Australia’s former Prime Minister and current Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has officially left the party over what she termed the “utter nonsense” of gay marriage.

Loree Rudd told Fairfax: “I couldn’t work for a party that had endorsed homosexuals marrying.

“It is a horrible thing for them to be discriminated against and that’s why my brother introduced laws so they are not discriminated against.

“But to make that huge leap from their rights to breaking a commandment of Moses, to say homosexuals’ relationships is marriage, is utter nonsense.”

This month, the Australian Labor Party conference passed a motion to alter their platform and endorse the introduction of equal marriage rights for gay couples.

Current Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who replaced Rudd when he stepped down last year amid a lack of support from the party, does not personally support a change in the law.

Ms Rudd added that he brother “did not necessarily approve” her decision.

The story stands in contrast to the announcement last week that US presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich’s sister will support Barack Obama in the White House race, after describing her brother as being “on the wrong side of history” regarding gay rights.

This summer, Ms Rudd made reference to a “global gay Gestapo” who she said were pursuing equal marriage rights.

Speaking about the decision taken by the Labor Party, Shelley Argent, the national spokeswoman for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said: “I think what she needs to understand is that it was a fair and equal vote and it was decided to favour same-sex marriage.

“It’s just one of those really sad things when people are actively working to deny people their rights and dignity.”

Ms Argent said Ms Rudd’s decision was what she would call “religious, not Christian”.