This brilliant parody of an Australian anti-same-sex marriage advert has gone viral
A parody of a horribly regressive anti-same-sex marriage advert is going viral – and it’s brilliant.
The first anti-same-sex marriage advert to air on Australian TV ahead of the national postal vote sparked outrage with its backwards-facing messages.
The 30-second message, created by the Coalition for Marriage, used scaremongering techniques around children to urge viewers to oppose equal marriage.
Kids could be encouraged to cross-dress or – heaven forbid – told to roleplay as same-sex couples, mothers tell the audience, before the slogan “you can say no” flashes on the screen.
Channel Ten show The Project has created a new video, splicing original footage with responses from comedians, which has now been watched more than 400,000 times.
The anti-equal marriage campaign shows a mother saying: “School told my son he can wear a dress next year if he felt like it.”
To which an excited actress responds: “Really? How progressive! Which school? My Timmy’s going to school next year.”
The second scaremongering mother tells the camera that “when same-sex marriage passes as law overseas this type of programme become [sic] widespread and compulsory.”
The phrase “this type of programme” seemed to refer to the previous statement that children could choose whether or not to wear a dress, which is of course completely harmless.
A Channel Ten actress replies to the statement incredulously, asking: “Where? North Korea?
“Have you checked Snopes? Because that sounds like bulls***.”
The advert then tells viewers: “In countries with gay marriage, parents have lost their rights to choose.”
The Project insightfully adds: “What? To be homophobic?”
When a third mother complains that “kids in year seven are being asked to role play being in a same-sex relationship,” The Project has the perfect response.
“What was the school play? Brokeback Mountain?
“Because that’s a huge ask to expect anyone to top Heath Ledger’s performance,” the actress adds.
The video then ends with the message “you can say no” – with one important addition.
“Yeah, you can say no – but why would you?” a voiceover tells Channel Ten’s audience.
Labour Party leader Bill Shorten condemned the original ad, accusing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of “giving the green light to this rubbish,” according to The Guardian.
The ad displayed a “freedom to hurt…not freedom of speech,” Shorten continued.
Last month, an Australian comedian on The Project got the better of Prime Minister Turnbull in a live TV interview – with a jibe about equal marriage.
