Australian PM campaigns for candidate who compared gay weddings to polygamy
The Australian Prime Minister went campaigning solo this week – for a local candidate who has made shocking anti-gay comments.
Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull made an appearance in Fremantle, Western Australia, to drum up support for his Liberal party ahead of the Federal election on July 2.
He made several visits around the area, touring a ship yard and speaking to local residents before holding a press conference.
However, mysteriously absent from the press conference was Fremantle’s actual Liberal candidate, Sherry Sufi – who has compared same-sex marriage to polygamy.
In a 2013 article, Sufi claimed that attempting to “redefine” marriage constitutes a “a perfidious and futile attack on language”.
In the same article he said it was an “insult” to compare the LGBT rights movement to the struggle for civil rights, claimed it’s “disingenuous” to suggest homophobia exists, and insisted that gay rights protests should have “ended gracefully in 2008” when the government granted some limited partnership rights.
Sufi also warned: “Redefining marriage comes with further implications. Doing so once on the basis of gender inevitably sets a precedent inviting the advocacy of further redefinition on the basis of quantity.
“Advocates of polygyny and polyandry could potentially seek to further redefine marriage chasing the same legal status as monogamous marriage”
“It makes no sense to obfuscate the nature of language by forcibly shoving every form of relationship under the one umbrella of ‘marriage’ regardless of gender composition and quantity of participants.”
Mr Turnbull declined to say why he was campaigning in the seat without Sufi.
He said: “I’m the Prime Minister and I hope he’s out there engaging with the people of Fremantle and doing good door-knocking.
“Very character-building. I’ve done it myself.”
Asked whether he agrees with Sufi’s views about gay people, the Australian PM would only say: “No.’’
