The plebiscite on ssm is important so that the argument for religious freedom can be put to the public. The consequences of legalizing ssm will be that Christian business owners will be subject to prosecution if they decline to participate in a ss wedding. Caterers, florists, photographers, etc have been successfully prosecuted in the US.
My SIL supplements her pension by making & decorating special occasion cakes - if she places a small ad in the local paper or places a sign in her front yard advertising her services, she will open herself up to prosecution if a ss couple ask her to provide a cake. She holds traditional Christian beliefs and could not provide a cake for a ss wedding.
My daughter plays in a string quartet that plays at functions including weddings - she also will be subject to prosecution if she declines to play at a ss wedding. Christians do not have the option of lying and making an excuse for not participating in a ss wedding other than their beliefs.
The question is not whether ssm will be legalized - that is a foregone conclusion - but how much religious freedom in Australia will be protected. We have already seen a Greens political candidate lodge
a complaint against Archbishop Porteous in Tasmania because of a pamphlet distributed to students of Catholic schools outlining the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage.
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