Polls still indicate a majority of Australians will vote ‘yes’ on the gay marriage postal survey.
But the wildcard in the postal vote is the increasingly confrontational actions and even violence by some of those campaigning for marriage equality, which appears to be driving non-aligned voters towards either a no vote – or not even bothering to fill out the survey.
From the headbutting of former prime minister Tony Abbott to academics banning the word ‘marriage’ because it’s ‘homophobic’, the tactics of the ‘yes’ campaign are causing conservative Australians to start turning away from the campaign for marriage equality completely.
After irritating millions with a mass weekend text message telling them to vote ‘yes’, the actions of a lunatic fringe using violent and abusive tactics are starting to shock voters.
While polls indicate a majority will vote ‘yes’ on gay marriage, the violent actions of militant rainbow warriors are pushing average Australians into the ‘no’ camp (pictured is Astro Labe, who admitted headbutting Tony Abbott while wearing a ‘Yes’ badge)
A Coalition for Marriage event was disrupted by protesters who stormed the venue and blocked the stage with a banner saying ‘Burn churches not queers’ (pictured)
Academics Catherine Greenhill (left) and Dr Francisco Perales (right) have come under fire for their behaviour
A ‘yes’ voter (pictured) was caught on film in Chatswood in Sydney’s north racially abusing ‘no’ campaigners
People have taken to social media (pictured) to object to the violent tactics of militant ‘yes’ activists
While there have been disappointing incidents on both sides, some have called the behaviour of ‘yes’ activists violent, elitist, snobbish and off-putting.
‘I had always intended to vote yes but the more liberals use these tactics the more inclined I am to vote no,’ said one online commenter.
‘I am not engaged in this debate, I have had other priorities in my life – we all have something we are fighting for – but after seeing the low tactics of the ‘yes’ campaigners I’m considering voting, and it will be no,’ said another.
Their sentiments were echoed across social media, with people declaring they have had enough of the violence, the threats and the abuse, calling the behaviour ‘feral’.
Everyday Australians are increasing irritated by mass text messages telling them how to vote and shocked by a lunatic fringe using violent and abusive tactics (pictured is a vandalised church)
One Twitter user (pictured) said attacks such as the spraypainting of a church would cause a backlash
Some have described the behaviour of the ‘yes’ campaign as ‘feral’ (pictured), calling it a turn off
‘Why are these people so bent on convincing people? If you didn’t protest so much people may have supported this cause,’ said a commenter (pictured)
The most recent Newspoll shows 57 per cent of Australians support redefining the Marriage Act, down from 63 per cent in August (pictured is a Facebook comment)
‘Yes voters aren’t helping their cause are they? It’s really sad that a few disgusting individuals might end up ruining this opportunity for the LGBT community’ wrote a Facebook user.
‘Why are these people so bent on convincing people? If you didn’t protest so much people may have supported this cause,’ said a commenter.
‘The vandals don’t realise they are supporting the NO campaign,’ said a Twitter user after a church was vandalised.
Radio star Kate Langbroek was not impressed with the text message campaign, writing: ‘Spammed. Is the ‘yes’ campaign trying to put people off?’
The most recent Newspoll shows 57 per cent of Australians support redefining the Marriage Act, down from 63 per cent in August.
Following the headbutt assault on Mr Abbott by a ‘Yes’ badge-wearing anarchist DJ in Hobart, activists held up banners saying ‘Headbutt homophobes’.
From the headbutting of former prime minister Tony Abbott to academics banning the word ‘marriage’, the aggressive ‘yes’ campaign is causing a backlash (pictured is a ‘yes’ campaign rally)
Radio star Kate Langbroek (pictured) wrote: ‘Spammed. Is the ‘yes’ campaign trying to put people off?’
Dr Francisco Perales at the University of Queensland suggested opponents of same-sex marriage are less intelligent.
Lecturers Catherine Greenhill and Diana Combe at the University of New South Wales have told maths students not to use the word marriage.
A ‘yes’ voter was caught on film in Chatswood in Sydney’s north racially abusing ‘no’ campaigners.
Students at the University of Sydney clashed last week when a ‘no’ campaign rally turned violent after ‘yes’ campaign counter-protesters turned up.
Following the headbutt assault on Mr Abbott by a ‘Yes’ badge-wearing anarchist DJ in Hobart, activists held up banners saying ‘Headbutt homophobes’ (pictured)
Just days later a gay man was viciously heckled at a similar rally at the University of Queensland and accused of ‘internalised homophobia’.
A Coalition for Marriage event was disrupted by protesters who stormed the venue and blocked the stage with a banner saying ‘Burn churches not queers’.
Vandals attacked a church in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, spray-painting it with ‘Vote Yes’ slogans.
Gay anarchists took over the former headquarters of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and scrawled hateful anti-police slurs on the walls.
Gay anarchists took over the former headquarters of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and scrawled hateful anti-police slurs on the walls (pictured)
Pro same-sex marriage activists during a “Straight Lives Matter” rally held in Darlinghurst, Sydney
‘Sometimes find myself wondering if I’d hate-f**k all the anti-gay MPs in parliament if it meant they got the homophobia out of their system,’ wrote openly-gay comedian and Safe Schools author Benjamin Law to his 77,000 Twitter followers.
A Canberra woman was fired for saying ‘It’s okay to vote no’ on Facebook, with her boss Madlin Sims calling it ‘homophobic hate speech’.
Dr Pansy Lai – who appeared in the first Coalition of Marriage advertisement – was targeted by a petition seeking to have her stripped of her medical licence.