By Martin Cole-
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has been accused of hypocrisy and double standards after becoming the first Australian sitting prime minister to take part in Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade – one of the biggest events of promoting gay activity and equality of its kind in the world.
Members of the Horizon Church, affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches, the Australian branch of the Assemblies of God., which the prime minister attends, accused him of hypocrisy, for attending a march celebrating gay pride on the one hand, while attending a church which denounces gay marriage, a view he himself apparently held in 2017, but is accused of publicly dropping the view for political purposes.
Morrison had vocally opposed equal marriage in a law postal survey in 2017, but later said he doesn’t “mix [his] religion with politics” and evaded a question about whether gay people go to hell, an apparent reference to the
Scott Morrison claimed he now supports same-sex marriage because it has allowed people to “get on with their lives” and he “always supports the law of the country”- seemingly basing his support for gay marriage on the law and not his convictions.
In 2016 Morrison claimed that opponents of marriage equality also face “hate speech and bigotry”, equating their experience to that of LGBTI Australians.
Now, some of his critics in the church say the prime minister is deceiving the country and himself to protect his public image.
Samuel Addison,30, a member of the Church told The Eye of Media.Com: ”the prime minister is confused and demonstrates double standards, attending a gay march pride on the one hand, while attending a church that actively does not support homosexual activities on the other hands.
‘You can hear from his public utterances that he is playing politics. He says a prime minister has to be the prime minister of everyone no matter what they believe. That just shows he is doing it for publicity and that’s a fake leader.
‘Either he is being fake now, or he was fake in 2017 when he voted against same sex marriage. He has no nerves, no real confidence to defend what he believes, or he believes what suits him.
A leader has must make his mind what views they hold and stick to it, not try to please every group with conflicting views. Supporter of gay marriage should not be supporting a church that actively disagrees with it. Its double standards”.
Another member of the church Mark Phillips, 34 said: ” It is plain obvious he attended the march to show face and establish in people’s minds that he definitely is in full support of gay pride and gay marriage.
His attendance was a political decision, not genuine conviction. This is one of the reasons politicians are not trusted, they lie to the masses a lot. If the prime minister now supports gay marriage, he should make a clear statement that all his church followers and their leaders who do not support gay marriage are narrow minded. He should have no problem doing so”
Sandy Mason, 29, a friend of Addison said: ”I disagree that his support for gay pride makes him a hypocrite. Maybe he changed his mind close to the time he was to become prime minister. When you are going up the ranks in politics, people have different conversations, and reflect a lot more.
He must have come to the conclusion that his previous view was the result of propaganda and had to change it. He is absolutely correct that as prime minister, you have to represent all people.
Plans for Albanese to attend the march was leaked to this publication which had to engage in a debate as to whether to publicise the alleged double standard or not.
‘While the right for people to practise their sexuality freely belongs to every citizen, hypocrisy from politicians is not.
”The prime minister should openly announce in his Church that he supports homosexuality, not just because its the law, but because he believe its the right thing to do. That’s what a man of conviction does, they don’t just play the field. If he does not, he is simply playing politics and cannot be trusted”.
Opposition MP, Barnaby Joyce, had different issues to pick with the Australian prime minister. He criticised Mr Albanese for attending a party instead of dealing with a crime crisis in Alice Springs – a remote town in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Crowds
With the debate raging about the motives of the Australian prime minister, attendees made the most of the event, enjoying their freedom to be who they are, and mix with others of like minds. Huge crowds packed the city’s Oxford Street as more than 12,000 participants and 200 floats passed by.
It is the first time the parade has been held in its traditional form since 2019 due to Covid restrictions.
“This is a celebration of modern Australia,” Mr Albanese said.
He added that it was “unfortunate” that he was the country’s first leader to march in the parade while in office.
“People want to see that their government is inclusive and represents everyone no matter who they love, no matter what their identity, no matter where they live.”
Penny Wong, the first openly gay female in Australia’s parliament, also took part in the celebrations.
Fireworks were also set off along the route.(ABC News: Harriet Tatham)
The presence of the prime minister, who has marched in the parade in the past as an MP, was greeted with cheers, but he was also subjected to criticism by the opposition party.
Opposition MP, Barnaby Joyce, criticised Mr Albanese for attending a party instead of dealing with a crime crisis in Alice Springs – a remote town in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Mr Albanese wasn’t the only politician to attend Mardi Gras – members of other parties, including the Greens and Liberals, also came to show their support.
It’s not the first time an Australian prime minister has attended the event – Malcolm Turnbull was present in 2016 but did not march.
The Mardi Gras parade has been running since 1978 and grew out of a protest marking the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots – an uprising by members of the LGBT community in New York more than 50 years ago.
The past two years has seen the parade held as a seated event at the Sydney Cricket Ground due to the pandemic.
This year’s event coincides in Sydney with WorldPride, which promotes LGBTQ+ rights globally.
Other world leaders who have taken part in pride parades in the past include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his former New Zealand counterpart, Jacinda Ardern.