The Hon Malcolm Turnbull Prime Minister Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Cc: Senator The Hon Stephen Parry President of the Senate Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 16 February, 2016 Concerns in Relation to a Plebiscite on Marriage Dear Prime Minister, We, the undersigned faith leaders, urge you not to proceed with a plebiscite on the issue of allowing same-sex couples to marry. We believe such a plebiscite would be damaging to faith communities, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community, and the broader community. We believe a plebiscite has the potential to, . polarise faith communities over a highly politicised moral debate . silence and threaten LGBTI people of faith . discredit the voice of faith communities more generally on public matters . provide a platform for disparaging LGBTI Australians and their families, leading to increased incidences of anxiety, depression and suicide . severely damage relations between LGBTI and faith communities . not resolve the issue because plebiscites offer no binding or agreed outcome Division Among Faith Communities Polls have demonstrated that opinion on legalising same-sex marriage varies among people of faith. In fact most polls find that a majority favour change. Yet the negative case will be put by religious groups and leaders who claim to speak on behalf of people of faith generally, or religious institutions as a whole. The tensions this poses for faith communities are exacerbated because significant, open dialogue around LGBTI issues is often yet to occur. A volatile, public and politically-charged debate could both distance leaders from lay people, marginalise faith communities from broader society and alienate LGBTI individuals within religious communities. De-stablisation of Religion in Society In a secular society divorce, re-marriage and de facto relationships have long since been recognised in law. Various faith groups disagree theologically with these, but widely support the in-principle separation of law from confessional beliefs. By uniting a confessional doctrine (on marriage) to a specific public policy, a plebiscite threatens to undo the social consensus central to Australia’s secular-religious harmony. This poses the knock-on effect of undermining the wider contribution faith communities can make to other public matters. We also want to avoid any public perception that the resources available to faith communities for important charity and welfare work would be expended instead on a plebiscite campaign. Detrimental Effects on LGBTI Australians All sides disavow causing harm to LGBTI Australians. Nonetheless, there are grave worries about what harms a plebiscite could deliver. Such concerns cannot be put down to exaggerated imagination. High profile proponents of ‘traditional’ marriage have a track record of public statements that have been widely interpreted as disparaging LGBTI people. This includes linking same-sex relationships with odious moral behaviours such as incest and bestiality; with negative health outcomes, such as smoking and sexually transmitted diseases; and with charges that children in same-sex households suffer parental loss and a breach of their human rights. After decades of legalised discrimination, and ongoing social stigma, LGBTI Australians will face an angry, drawn-out debate, one likely to multiply existing disadvantages and stigma. The Uncertainty of a Plebiscite Some law-makers who oppose legalising same-sex marriage have stated that even if a plebiscite result was in favour of change they would not vote accordingly. This highlights that a plebiscite will not be binding and that marriage equality can only be resolved by a vote in parliament. A plebiscite creates serious risks of polarisation within faith communities, societal divisiveness and harm to vulnerable minorities. Yet the process itself lacks consensus and offers no guarantee that it will progress, or finalize, this debate. We ask that, instead of holding a plebiscite, you allow marriage equality to be resolved by a vote in parliament as soon as possible. Yours Sincerely, The Undersigned Faith Leaders Rev'd Jean Shannon Chaplain, Canberra, ACT Rev'd Ben Gilmour Superintendent Minister, Paddington Uniting Church, NSW Rev’d Dr John Squires Minister, Wauchope Uniting Church, NSW Rev’d Robert Clark Pastor, MCC Good Shepherd, Granville, NSW The Venerable Rod Bower Archdeacon, Gosford Anglican Church, NSW Rev’d Greg Smith Pastor, Metropolitan Community Church, Sydney, NSW Rev’d Clive H. Norton Priest, St Basil's Anglican Church, Artarmon, NSW Rev'd Laurie McIntyre Minister (Canon Emeritus), Bowen Mountain, NSW The Venerable Peter MacLeod-Miller Archdeacon, St Matthew's Anglican Church Albury, NSW Gregg Heathcote Shin Buddhist Priest, Newcastle, NSW Rev’d Bill Crews AM CEO & Founder Exodos Foundation, NSW Rev’d Janet Dawson Minister, Uniting Church NSW Rev’d Michael Palmer Rector, St Michael's Anglican Church, Vaucluse, NSW Rev’d Dr Keith Mascord Benjamin Oh Co-convenor, Rainbow Catholics InterAgency for Ministry, NSW Honorary Curate, Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill, NSW Father David Smith Rector, Holy Trinity Dulwich Hill, NSW Rev’d Graham Long AM CEO & Pastor, The Wayside Chapel, Sydney, NSW Rev’d Dr Margaret Mayman Minister, Pitt Street Uniting Church, NSW Rev’d Clare Brockett Minister, Uniting Church, Sydney, NSW Rev’d Dr Leigh Neighbour Pastor, Metropolitan Community Church, Brisbane, QLD Rev’d Penelope Jones Priest St Luke's Toowoomba, QLD Rev’d Dr Ray Barraclough Secretary, A Progressive Christian Voice Australia, QLD Rev’d Susan Pickering Minister, West End Uniting Church, Brisbane, QLD Rev’d Dr Noel Preston Minister, Uniting Church in Australia , QLD Rev’d Colin Gurteen Rev'd Canon John Fowler Minister, Anglican Diocese of Willochra, SA Minister, Kingston Uniting Church, TAS Rev’d Damien Stevens Co-Convenor, Uniting Network, Shepparton, VIC Rev’d David Connolly Vicar, St Stephen's Anglican Church, Richmond, VIC Prof Emeritus Rev’d Gary Bouma Minister, St John's Anglican Church, East Malvern, VIC Rev’d Angus McLeay Minister, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, VIC Rev’d Noel Whale Priest, Holy Trinity Port Melbourne, VIC Rev’d Matt Glover Counsellor, Ringwood, VIC Rev’d Nathan Nettleton Pastor, South Yarra Community Baptist Church, VIC Rev’d Peter Weeks Minister, Craigieburn & Wallan Uniting Church, VIC Rev’d Dr Paul Tonson Minister, Uniting Church Minister, VIC Rev’d Dr Avril Hannah-Jones Minister, Williamstown Uniting Church, VIC Dr Muriel Porter Anglican Lay Leader, Diocese of Melbourne, VIC Father David Moore Vicar, St John's Anglican Church, Camberwell, VIC Rev’d Cath McKinney Minister, University of Divinity, Melbourne, VIC Canon Dr Colleen O’Reilly Vicar, St George’s Anglican Church, VIC Rev’d Michelle Trebilcock Minister, St John’s Anglican Church, Camberwell, VIC Rev’d Carolyn Francis Minister, Collins Street Baptist, VIC Rev’d Tony Murray-Fiest Chaplain, Anglican Church Perth, WA .