smoking healthier than homosexuality?
Justina reports that the head of the Australian Christian Lobby, Jim Wallace, has caused a stir by telling students at the
“The claim was made during a debate on same-sex marriage with Greens leader, Christine Milne,” says Justina, “and while Wallace's comments may not prevent Tasmania from becoming the first Australian state to legalise gay marriage he does shed some much needed light on dodgy official health statistics claiming that smokers have the worst health outcomes than any other community group and as such deserve to be taxed exorbitantly for their vice.”
“Wallace presented the gay community's own health statistics showing that gays have a higher rate of illicit drug taking, mental health problems suicide and shorter lives than any other community group - ostensibly because of discrimination – and because of this deserve to be given exorbitant sums of money from the public purse.”
“Bearing in mind that smokers receive far more discrimination than gays – and it’s officially sanctioned, too,” says Justina, “it does seem ridiculous that smokers are taxed for self-medicating themselves and yet gays claim health funding for illicit drug taking!”
“The most vocal critic of Wallace's comments so far is Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, who called on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to boycott the Christian Lobby 's national conference next month – but a spokesperson for the PM claimed that her attendance at the event would not be an endorsement of such comments.”
"Greenwich claimed that the Christian Lobby was basing its campaign against gay marriage on fear rather than facts and was hurting vulnerable gay people," says Justina, "and yet that’s the same argument smokers have been using for decades against those in government hell bent on demonising them – but fat lot of good it did them – the more they were stressed and denormalised, the more they smoked and the more tobacco tax they paid!”
“Wallace concluded the debate by claiming that further normalising homosexuality with the attribution of marriage is wrong because it encourages young men into a lifestyle that may reduce their lives by up to 20 years,'' says Justina, “and his clincher was a comparison with smokers whose lives may be reduced by seven to 10 years.”
“We tell all our kids at school they shouldn't smoke, and yet encourage them to embrace the homosexual lifestyle!”
Labels: Alex Greenwich, Australian Christian Lobby, Australian Marriage Equality, gay marriage, gay rights, homosexuality, Jim Wallace, Marriage Equality, smoking, tobacco, University of Tasmania
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