Australian Bishop says children of gay couples next ‘Stolen Generation’
A Catholic Bishop in South Australia has compared children of gay couples to children forcibly removed from Aboriginal families.
In the ongoing debate around same-sex marriage in Australia, Bishop Greg O’Kelly said that it was likely children of same-sex couples would consider themselves the next “Stolen Generation”.
The Stolen Generation refers to Aboriginal children who were removed from their families by the Australian government, from 1909 up until the 1970s. The children were taken into state care for often spurious reasons, under the guise of their own protection.
It is considered to be a dark and shameful event in Australian history.
Bishop O’Kelly said: “Can’t you imagine a situation that when there’s a falling-out between a child and a parent, as can happen, that’ll be one of the lines they use? – ‘You deliberately intervened so that I would not have a father present in my upbringing, or not have a mother present in my upbringing. And that was a deliberate intervention by you, it wasn’t an accident, it wasn’t illness or anything like that.’.”
Rodney Crome of Marriage Equality Australia told abc: “Many same-sex couples and their children will be deeply offended by the Catholic bishop’s drawing a link between their loving families and the Stolen Generation, such a traumatic episode in Australian history.
“There is no legal link between marriage and children. But I understand that in many people’s mind there is a cultural link.
“Marriage can be good for children, because it provides them with a greater sense of security and stability in their lives.
“If that is the case, then why would we deny the children being raised by same-sex couples the opportunity to have married parents?”
An Australian Catholic bishop has come under fire for sending parents anti-same-sex marriage booklets.
