Opponents of same-sex marriage in
Australia are planning to hold a “straight lives matter” rally on
Saturday to promote “white heteronormativity.”
The Australian government is spending
an estimated $122 million on a postal survey which asks, “Do you
support a change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry?”
Participation in the survey is non-compulsory and the results are not
binding.
Saturday's event, which is being
organized by the far-right Party for Freedom, will take place in
Darlinghurst, one of Sydney's largest and most widely recognized LGBT
villages, near a memorial dedicated to the LGBT victims of the
Holocaust. The group's leader, Nick Folkes, told news.com.au that
sexuality is a choice.
“We want to make a strong point – I
don't feel were provoking anyone. We can hold a rally anywhere,”
said
Folkes, who will lead the march.
“In most cases it's a lifestyle
people choose. My neighbor has kids and he was straight but went
gay,” he added.
Folkes, whose party mostly protests
Muslim immigration, also told news.com.au that he wasn't homophobic.
“This is not about gay marriage, it's
a Pandora's box,” he said. “Some people are talking about
polygamy and lowering the age of consent.”
In a Facebook post, Folkes explained
how immigration and same-sex marriage were connected.
“The same people who support the
multi-sexual agenda of redefining marriage support third world
immigration, global warming and restrictions on freedom of speech,”
he wrote.