Monday

Peter Madden Should Apologise......

In 2010 Peter Madden, from the Christian Democratic Party has made false statements, accusations and  misreprsentations about gay and lesbian people, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) community as a whole.


After getting only 500 only votes Peter disappeared for a while. He has recently surfaced again with a campaign against marriage equality.

These statements are not only irresponsible and insensitive, they are highly offensive to LGBTI people and to  their friends and family as well.

If you feel that an apology for these statements made by Mr Madden is necessary then vote YES below. If you leave comments please state if  you are gay, straight, friend, family member, minister or religious person

Below are Peter Madden’s statements from YouTube videos (compilation here) media appearances and releases. My comments are in (brackets)

Heal our Land – A Stand for Righteous Video
  • 100.000’s of drunken youth will come to Sydney streets and be incited to all kinds of lust, filth and moral depravity
  • Mardi Gras is Sydney’s high day of sexual immorality
  • Hyde Park will be strewn with bodies of drunken teenagers 13,14 and 15 year old children celebrating, watching and participating in forms of sex they can’t understand
  • There will be beatings, drugs, alcohol, violence and debauchery
  • This is not an attack on bruised and confused individuals (from the video this is obvious he is speaking about LGBTI people but is now protesting this was not intended. You come to your own conclusion if this is back-tracking or an outright lie)
  • Mardi Gras is a flagrant and militant promotion of sexual immorality
Response Video to Comments on Heal our Land – A Stand for Righteous
  • I am not homophobic, I don’t hate homosexuals, I love homosexuals (then apologise for your false statements)
  • We see anarchy on the streets of Sydney on Mardi Gras night
  • Mardi Gras encourages sexual promiscuity
  • Mardi Gras is a parade of live porn
  • I haven’t seen the data but people tell me...... (this is not good enough for someone making the outrageous comments you’ve made)
  • There is no evidence that homosexuality is biological (you’ve obviously been reading anti-gay Christian books and websites. Genuine scientific research however tells us there are many biological and hormonal influences on sexual orientation)
  • I don’t have any friends who are homosexual (this is why you have such a false perception of who LGBTI people really are)
  • Being a homosexual particularly for a male is a very very dangerous thing. (Really?) In Denmark and Norway the life expectancy of a male homosexual is 20 -25 years less than heterosexual male. That is the statistic. (No Peter, this is an urban myth that is constantly perpetrated in Christian books and websites by quoting the ‘research’ of the totally discredited Dr Paul Cameron. For a detailed description of how these figures are falsified then click here for the Boxed Turtle appraisal or click here for a brief description by Professor Warren Throckmorton )
 Website Media Release
"The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is live pornography. It is a brash display of a lifestyle and corrupt social morals that many Australians do not agree with. At the same time there is evidence that indicates that more drugs are sold and distributed on Mardi Gras night than any other night of the year...it is a night on which Hyde Park is strewn with the bodies of drunken teenagers...when there is violence in the streets. In short, it is anarchy right here in the centre of our city, and the Mardi Gras organisers and militant homosexual lobby would have us believe that this behaviour is ‘acceptable."

To read how incorrect the statement above is read this. Peter Madden’s own words on 2DayFM's Kyle & Jackie O Show. I have to admit I haven't actually seen the parade last year. I have been out of Sydney for a lot of years, I have only recently returned.

If you feel that an apology for the statements above is necessary then vote YES and leave comments such as are you gay, straight, friend or family member, minister or religious person.

Thank you for your support and promotion of this cause

Anthony Venn-Brown

Founder and Director of Ammbassadors and Bridge Builders International.
Author of  A Life of Unlearning: a journey to find the truth 
An ambassador for the LGBT Community

27 comments:

  1. I am gay, been out for several years now. I used to hear statements regularly like Peter Madden has been making in the church i used to attend. When I came out I realised how false they were. I felt like I wasted many years believing the lies which made me depressed and feeling bad about myself. Peter is creating that misery for others. He should say sorry.

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  2. From what I can tell, there should be enough grounds for any libel actions, especially from those who are open in being out. If he had said the same about bisexuals, I would be tempted, as I am openly bi.

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  3. Peter, I am a young gay Chrisian who went through three years of ex-gay hell. To hear you label me and my community as ipso facto immoral offends me- I read enough of those kinds of comments critiqued on American gay blogs without hearing it from an Australian.

    I also take issue with your interpretation of the bible, Peter. You use the bible in such a way that it becomes a weapon instead of a book. I would never use it against a former or recovering sex addict, or any other sinner (and being gay is not a sin), so why do you use it against me, especially when there are only six verses condemning gays compared to thousands on the subject of love? To label all homosexual activity immoral is both lazy and unfair.

    If you are going to attack the queer community for our shortcomings, do realize that the heterosexual community at large has these same problems- drunken parties, drugs and violence are not exclusively the domain of the heterosexual.

    So I make this challenge to you Peter: examine your phobias, your problems and your dislike of the gay community. Take a good hard look at the bible, and listen to what it says as opposed to what it reads. Watch 'For The Bible Tells Me So'. Read AVB's book. Consider things from our perspective.

    Judge not, Peter.

    Yours,

    Isobel Connell

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  4. Whoops, should've read 'drunken parties, drugs and violence are not exclusively the domain of the homosexual.'

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  5. Peter, I feel sad for you.
    Get to know some of us. Then you'll understand how truly ordinary - and extraordinary - we are. You have nothing to fear. Barbary

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  6. I am a same-sex attracted Christian. I am still investigating the idea of 'faith/sexuality' reconciliation, and as much as I am hoping to be, I have not yet been convinced by my study. It's still early days though. I also have a handful of same-sex attracted Christian friends (some are convinced, some aren't), and some non-Christian gay friends. And I love each and every one of them.

    I found this question very difficult, but (based just on Anthony's excerpts) in the end I voted No.

    - I agree with the majority of his statements about Mardi Gras, though I would say that Mardi Gras 'INCLUDES a brash display of a lifestyle and corrupt social morals...'. Based on this content, even if it is in the minority, I don't think MG should be promoted as a family event (which suggests it shouldn't be held in a public forum).
    - I can't verify the reliability of his statements concerning the statistics he has quoted, but things I have read draw similar conclusions.
    - I agree that homosexuality IS biologically influenced, though not definitively determined, but even if it were I don't think biological origins can necessarily determine morality, one way or another.

    However, I do agree that he shouldn't be making anecdotal comments starting with 'People tell me...' (that's just dumb), or make published statements without quoting data, and I do believe that he needs to try and meet some homosexual people and try and understand what goes on in their lives so that he can speak from a 'personally enlightened' platform. I too feel my heart breaking when I hear Christians speaking disrespectfully us when they have no understanding of our journeys.

    Speaking of which, these are just thoughts from my own journey. I know they're different to others' hear, but they're spoken honestly, lovingly and respectfully.

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  7. hey Scoz.....thanks for your comments.

    Can I ask......have you ever been involved in the parade or seen the event in its entirety.

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  8. Scoz....considering you are on the journey reconciling faith/sexuality you might find this helpful. It comes from my seminar

    http://lgbttraining.blogspot.com/p/hccrtc-seminar.html

    The process most gay and lesbian Christians go through in order to resolve the perceived conflict between their faith and their sexuality

    1. We know deep within our hearts that we are okay
    2. If we begin studying a bit deeper we think that we and the authors we are reading are just trying to justify our positions – keep reading
    3. The next step is - we fear being deceived by satan – keep reading
    4. The next step is – you realise that this is not a black and white issue and the evidence at least means no one can say for certain, absolutely, definitely without a shadow of doubt. – keep reading
    5. The next step is – we realise the evidence is overwhelming that the interpretations have been based on reading English translations viewed through a limited cultural lens of preconceived ideas and misconceptions.
    6. You realise that it’s not just you who has this new understanding but also a growing number of heterosexual Christians and scholars.
    7. No more cognitive dissonance and you can get on with your life living it with purpose and meaning; no longer drained by the subconscious sense that you are condemned and unworthy. The words of Jesus become profoundly true. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

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  9. Peter, as parent with a daughter I find your comments in the radio show deeply offensive. You talk about moral limits in regard to gays, and then use pedophiles as an example of society setting limits. And you say gays are predatory. This accusation is the same old misconception from the past that still surfaces now and then. It is wrong, and ignorant.

    I'm not religious, and in the secular society we live I'm glad for the freedom to explore my sexuality. I'm currently involved with a bloke who has been very supportive to me during a very difficult time of late. He is also not religious. We get on very well.

    I take your rantings for what they are; no more relevant to our modern secular society than any other fundamentalist raves. If you want people to vote for you, then being an irrelevant relic from the past isn't the way to go.

    Try educating yourself Peter. Take a look at our community with an open mind, away from all the preconceptions and dogmatism's that exist. You will be surprised at what you find.

    We're not here to threaten you, we just want to be accepted. We don't care what goes on in your bedroom, why are you obsessed with what goes on in ours?

    I'm fine with you having your religion. You must realise however that you have the freedom to practice your religion in Australia because secularism gives you that freedom. As it does other religions. That is the freedom the Western world fought for in the wars. You cannot demand secular society follow your religious dogmas any more than fundamentalist Islam can.

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  10. why would people vote no but not leave a comment.

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  11. I am a gay man in my 50s. I am a highly professional person in (what I consider) a very senior role. I believe I am highly respected by my work colleagues, my staff, and a large number of people who are considered 'captains of industry'. I have always had a very large circle of straight and gay friends. For the past 15 or so years I've not hidden my 'gaiety' from anyone (well, perhaps when traveling in countries where I could be put in prison for being gay). Prior to that, I hid my homosexuality from people at work, as there was little or no protection against discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. I've had a number of long-term relationships (currently headed to ten years with my love André) - I think no more or less than my straight friends. I foreward my comments like this to hopefully indicate that I am basically 'normal'.

    In the history of Mardi Gras parades, I've missed two. I have organised a large number of floats, participated in over twenty parades, acted as marshal in a few, and watched the rest.

    From its beginnings as a protest against inequality and as a way to educate people that gay and lesbian people are 'just like you', it has been a vehicle to celebrate successes in equality, as a memorial for lost friends families and lovers, and protest against continuing inequality or bigoted positions. The parade is not put on to encourage debauchery, drunkenness, or as a recruitment drive (although there are a large number of floats that advertise community support and social groups).

    It is Australia's biggest parade, and as a result attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators. On the whole, given the huge numbers who come along, the crowd is spectacularly well behaved. Compare the number of police required to manage that crowd with the number required to police NYE revelers in Sydney. Compare, on a per-capita basis, the number of assaults, arrests and people taken to hospital on Mardi Gras night to those numbers on ANY average weekend in George St Sydney or Kings Cross (both strong non-gay strongholds).

    As a recruitment mechanism, it doesn't do well - over 30 years of Mardi Gras with millions of people watching the parade, and the percentage of people who define themselves as gay or lesbian stays stubbornly stable in Sydney and around Australia. And to quote a good friend of mine, 'I don't get people knocking on my front door on Sundays trying to recruit me to homosexuality.'

    Is it out of fear or social conditioning that some people do not like gay people (or the gay 'sin')? One would consider anyone who has a reasonable education and desire to learn would do a bit of research on a topic before getting in to a debate. Some august organisations who contend that being gay is not a choice include the American Academy of Pediatrics, Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (further detail can be found on Wikipedia - just search for Homosexuality - and before someone says you can't trust Wikipedia, I suggest just jump to the references at the end of the document and read the articles on the source websites).

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  12. hello anonymous above......would a thoughtful, honest and engaging response you have given us here....thanks so much.

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  13. His "biggest concern is for the younger generation" so Mardi Gras should be moved to a stadium.
    Heaven forbid that a closed minded christian upbringing might be questioned when seeing a parade of celebration and happiness.

    I've been to multiple parades and seen all sorts of poor behaviour, mostly from people that have "come to watch the weirdos". I've also seen exemplary behaviour from the majority of the crowd.

    Peter is a twonk. I'd like to say 'twat' but that's rude. He certainly has made a lifestyle choice to be close minded and stupid. Anyone that always says "etcetera etcetera" has to be basing his statements on hearsay and hoping you fill in the huge gaps in his presented information with fears of your own.

    As a man I am sad that our society raises people like Peter. As a gay man I am happy that people are banding together to ask him to say sorry, and hopefully cause him to pull his head in.

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  14. Hi AVB,

    No, to be honest with you I've neither been involved in the parade or seen any of it in real life. I've only seen what the sensationalist media decides to broadcast in their excerpts, and I agree that they go for the extremes (as you've mentioned in another blog).

    So it's certainly true that I'm witnessing a select highlights (or lowlights) package and not seeing the real thing, and if the majority is simply society coming together to acknowledge and share an event with the LGBT community, then I'm okay with that.

    However considering the fact that it still includes other content not suitable for a young viewing audience (even if it's minimal), I agree with his concerns, to quote Anonymous' quote, that the "biggest concern is for the younger generation" and I'd support it being moved, were it to remain in its present form, to a closed viewing venue like a stadium. And I don't think this is as closed-minded a request as it sounds. To quote Sue Sylvester on Glee (love that show by the way), "Squeamishness about what we want our children exposed to is not the same as bigotry." I'm all for celebration and happiness, but let's keep it clean if we want the kids to share in it.

    Thanks AVB for those links, and that summary! It's on my 'To read' list, which includes a fair haul of your other stuff, recommended to me by a friend of mine who's involved in F2B.

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  15. I've read your book =] Well done, for everything you've gone through and for still fighting. I'm straight, but I have a few gay and lesbian friends, my age and older, and it's wonderful to see that in contrast to Peter Madden's hate is someone so willing to stand up for them. =D

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  16. @T-jay....thanks. The strange thing about this is that I believe Peter is yet to realise that everyone perceives his words as hatred. He calls it a firm but loving hand.

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  17. Peter Madden,
    Iam saddened by your hurtful diatribe. I am gay and 46 and live in Darwin. We don't have much of a gay community here but Darwinites are far more accepting of humanity and its differences. Perhaps its the climate and wasting energy on hatred and vilification doesn't seem worth it.
    I grew up in Sydney in a large Catholic family and my father once sounded just like you, until he discovered his own son was "one of those". There was an instant turn around, "How could I stop loving my son?" It was like an epiphany for him and I think that is when he became a "real Christian". My family are so supportive of me, my nieces and nephews don't even question it, they just accept me as the favourite uncle who loves them unconditionally.
    I had a difficult struggle with my sexuality and I would not wish that on anybody. It was one of the very eary Mardi Gras parades that made me realize I was not alone, there are lots of people just like me.
    I'm sure the bible is telling us to "love one another" not just to love heterosexuals or Christians, love everybody regardless. I know God loves us. The love I share with my partner is proof enough for me.

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  18. @antz......what a wonderful comment. I will be cutting and pasting these and emailing them to Peter.....I know the rational heartfelt comments have the potential for making an positive impact where as the abusive name calling ones will tend to reinforce Peters belief about gay and lesbian people and our community as a whole. Our stories are powerful.

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  19. Dear Mr Madden,

    I am a heterosexual, married, committed Christian and I am asking PLEASE can you stop associating lust and promiscuity with homosexuality. As you well know, these things cover all sexual orientations and are not confined to the LGBT community. One is voted in as Mayor to serve the people...not to carry out personal agenda's.

    With thanks,
    AMY SHEAVES

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  20. thanks for your honest comment. I will pass this on to peter

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  21. Thank you. I am passionate about LGBT acceptance within the church. It should be the one place anyone can find love, acceptance and freedom. xxx

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  22. how wonderful Amy.....I am sure there are many straight christians who are unaware just how important this isssue is....and for some it has been a matter of life or death, mental health issues or peace of mind.

    http://www.freedom2b.org/topic/1193

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  23. it gets worse.....makes me wonder who Peters media advisor is.....personally I'd sack them

    Read this press release Healthy Homophobia

    http://www.petermadden.com.au/media-releases/212-healthy-homophobia.html

    "I've been asked numerous times in radio interviews if I am homophobic to which I have answered "no". Yet I am homophobic in a sense. To be homophobic is to fear or hate homosexual people. I neither fear nor hate homosexuals, in fact quite the opposite. But I confess I am homophobic in that I do really fear what the homosexual lobby can do to Australia and I do sincerely hate that which Australia's most powerful homosexual represents and what he is seeking to change in our country. Homosexual Senator Bob Brown's values and agendas are so diametrically opposed to all that I and the Christian community stand for as to defy reason.

    The warped Green values that seek to undermine family values clearly come from a totally foreign mindset to the mindset of the average heterosexual mum and dad that I meet on the street. In trying to analyse this serious difference I have to conclude that these values come from the homosexual mindset. As a Christian my worldview is based, of course, on the Bible and the Bible actually says that homosexuals develop what is called a "reprobate" or "degenerate" mind. Senator Bob Brown and Green's co-founder Peter Singer's moral values regarding age of consent, pornography, human worth in comparison to animals, bestiality, infanticide, the concept of marriage and family and many other values essential to the health of society are so bizarrely different to my own that I cannot help but truly fear the results of a Senator Bob Brown dominated federal government or a NSW upper house where the Greens hold the balance of power.

    Consequently I stand for and will be promoting a "healthy homophobia" in NSW to encourage people to both fear and fight the homosexual lobby's dangerous moral agenda while not fearing or hating homosexuals themselves. More and more the moral majority in Australia need to be encouraged to come out from under the intimidation of ridicule and media accusations of political incorrectness and fight for traditional Christian family values before degenerate legislation destroys our children's future. Even if there is a homosexual running the country."

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  24. I am a gay psychologist working in this area for over 20 years, and this type of irrational anti-intellectual homophobic rant from someone in authority can indeed be yet another brick in the wall of same sex attracted people who are riddled with internalized homophobia who are contemplating suicide.

    If God is love, then who is he really representing?

    Paul Martin

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  25. I can't see where I click or where I go to vote Yes that Peter Madden needs to become educated and apologise. I'm surprised he even managed 508 votes when he stood as a (so-called) Christian Democrats candidate.

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  26. it seems to have disapeared from the page Phil....will have to look into that.

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  27. seems like I have lost it. I used some other system than survery monkey. ....and can't recall which.

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Please ensure your comments are helpful and rational. There are enough angry and abusive posts on Peters Youtubes. If you tell Peter why it is so important to apologise in a honest but respectful way it will get a better response than getting down to the low level of name calling. Remember the enemy is ignorance.

If you do leave comments it would be helpful to state if you are gay, straight, friend, family member, minister or religious person