Homophobic Australian advert comparing gay people to seat belts sparks outrage
An Australian anti-same-sex marriage advert comparing people to seat belts has sparked outrage.
Next month Australians will be asked to vote on whether same-sex couples deserve the right to marriage, in a controversial public vote pushed forward by right-wing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The country has faced a tidal wave of misleading arguments from the ‘No’ campaign ahead of the vote, with a much-mocked TV advert warning about the ‘consequences’ of favouring same-sex marriage.
(Getty)
One particularly hilarious parody suggested that same-sex marriage will turn your children into birds.
The rhetoric has descended into hatred at times, especially when neo-Nazis started a poster campaign with the message: “traditional marriage must be protected”.
One ad warning that your children will be forced to wear dresses contained three people who, astoundingly, have all now been discredited.
And the latest intolerant message to be shoved in people’s mailboxes is a poster telling residents in Victoria: “A ‘No’ vote is a yes to REAL marriage”.
The picture below this heading uses imagery from a misguided tweet by Dutch airline KLM, posted in August in support of Amsterdam Pride.
“Only one of these works,” the poster reads, showing three types of seat belts: one representing straight couples, one for lesbian couples and another for gay couples.
Oh. My. God. They actually whipped out the seatbelt analogy. Received in letter boxes of Victoria this morning. Actually. Just wow. pic.twitter.com/1nOoZgT6of
— BM (@macleanbrendan) September 3, 2017
“Only one of these is a REAL seat belt,” the Australian advert explains, because it apparently thinks people and seat belts are comparable.
On the opposite page, the hate continues.
“Only one of these is a REAL marriage,” it reads, below stereotypical images of a straight couple, gay couple and lesbian couple.
“It’s biology not bigotry,” the poster concludes, seemingly unaware of its bigotry.
Thankfully, a Twitter user had the perfect response.
“All seatbelts work if you tie the knot :)” they wrote.
All seatbelts work if you tie the knot 🙂
— Lisa Westhaven (@LisaWesthaven) September 4, 2017
Hell yes.
