Christine Forster, a city councillor in Sydney, is not taking her brother’s homophobia sitting down.
And she should speak out; her brother is former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Australia is one of several countries where a majority supports marriage rights for same-sex couples but has not yet legalized it. The government, which is controlled by the Liberal Party (a center-right party in Australia), is trying desperately to push a national, non-binding referendum on the issue.
Abbott, a former prime minister from the Liberal Party, urged Australians to vote “no” in the referendum. He said at a press conference:
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And I say to you if you don’t like same-sex marriage, vote no. If you’re worried about religious freedom and freedom of speech, vote no, and if you don’t like political correctness, vote no because voting no will help to stop political correctness in its tracks.
I think conservatives have complained about “political correctness” for so long that they forgot what the expression means.
Forster took to Twitter to respond to her brother.
“If you value mutual respect: vote yes,” she tweeted. “If you want all Australians to be equal: vote yes. If you believe in free speech: vote yes.”
If you value mutual respect: vote yes. If you want all Australians to be equal: vote yes. If you believe in free speech: vote yes #auspol
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) August 8, 2017
If you want the person you love to be in every sense a part of your family: vote yes #marriageequality #auspol
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) August 9, 2017
If you don't believe your relationships (or anyone else's) are second rate: vote yes #marriageequality #auspol
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) August 9, 2017
If you believe your own marriage is a good thing: vote yes! #marriageequality #auspol
— Christine Forster (@resourcefultype) August 9, 2017
Forster has been wanting to marry her fiancé for four years now. I imagine their family reunions are awkward.
