A NEW Zealand MP has won kudos amongst the gay community and same-sex marriage supporters worldwide after delivering a humorous yet thoughtful speech about the ludicrous ideas why not to support gay marriage
and the logical reasons why you should.
So poignant is National Party MP Maurice Williamson’s speech, some are hailing it as “one of the greatest speeches ever delivered at a marriage equality debate”.
“You learn to deflect all of the dreadful fire and brimstone accusations that are going to happen,” he said in support of MP Louisa Wall’s Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, which was voted 77 to 44 in favour on its third and final reading last night.
“I’ve had a reverend in my local electorate call, ‘The gay onslaught will start the day this law is passed.’ Sir, we are really struggling to know what the gay onslaught will look like?
“We don’t know if it will come down the Pakuranga Highway as a series of troops or whether it will be a gas that flows in over the electorate or blocks us all in.
“I also had a leader telling me I would burn in the fires of hell for eternity, and that was a bad mistake, because I’ve got a degree in physics.”
After a raucous round of laughter from his fellow members of Parliament, Williams moved onto a more emotional side of the politics, describing some more of the “disgusting claims”, including what adoption would look like with same-sex parents as “bullying tactics” and “really evil”.
His speech concluded with some of the most powerful words spoken in favour of marriage equality.
“A huge amount of the opposition was from moderates, from people who were concerned, who were seriously worried what this might do to the fabric of our society. I respect their concern. I respect their worry. They were worried about what it might do to their families, and so on.
“Let me repeat to them now: All we are doing with this bill is allowing two people who love each other to have that love recognized by way of marriage.
“That is all we are doing. We are not declaring nuclear war on a foreign state. We are not bringing a virus in that could wipe out our agricultural sector forever. We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognized, and I can’t see what’s wrong with that for love nor money.
“I give a promise to those people who are opposed to this bill right now. I give you a watertight guaranteed promise; the sun will still rise tomorrow, your teenage daughter will still argue back with you as if she knows everything, your mortgage will not grow, you will not have skin diseases or rashes or toads in your bed. The world will just carry on.”
It seems the representative of the people Pakuranga was inspired by “the most enormous big gay rainbow” in his electorate earlier in the morning.
“It has to be sign.”
Author: Matt Young
Publication: news.com.au
Publication Date: April 18 2013