Great Speeches

I had intended to post the following item last Monday but late is better than not at all. 

Last week New Zealand’s Parliament voted 77-44 to legalise same-sex marriage. In so doing it joined Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, nine US states and parts of Brazil and Mexico. (Australia continues to ban same-sex marriage. The Labor Party allows a conscience vote despite the PM Julia Gillard being opposed to same-sex marriages. The Opposition leader is also firmly opposed. A Bill before the House of Representatives to legalise same-sex marriages was defeated on 19 September 2012 42-98.) 

My point in mentioning this is that one of the New Zealand MP’s, 62 year old Maurice Williamson, made a speech in support of the Bill that deserves to be read and heard. I will make no further comment on it. 

See it by clicking on the following link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQXQxadyps

Here is the text: 

I want to first of all congratulate Louisa Wall for this bill, the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill, and I want to say that the good news about years spent in this Parliament is that you learn to deflect all of the dreadful fire and brimstone accusations that are going to happen. 

I have had a reverend in my local electorate call and say that the gay onslaught will start the day after this bill is passed. We are really struggling to know what the gay onslaught will look like.  

We do not know whether it will come down the Pakuranga Highway as a series of troops, or whether it will be a gas that flows in over the electorate and blocks us all in.  

I also had a Catholic priest tell me that I was supporting an unnatural act. I found that quite interesting coming from someone who has taken an oath of celibacy for his whole life.  

Hon Amy Adams: “Cell-i-bacy”.  

Hon Maurice Williamson: “Cell-i-bacy”. OK, we will go with “Cell-i-bacy”. OK. I have not done it, so I do not know what it is about. 

I also had a letter telling me that I would burn in the fires of hell for eternity. That was a bad mistake, because I have got a degree in physics. I used the thermodynamic laws of physics. I put in my body weight and my humidity and so on. I assumed the furnace to be at 5000 degrees. I will last for just on 2.1 seconds. It is hardly eternity. What do you think?  

I also heard some more disgusting claims about adoption. Well, I have got three fantastic adopted kids. I know how good adoption is, and I have found some of the claims just disgraceful. I found some of the bullying tactics really evil. I gave up being scared of bullies when I was at primary school.  

However, a huge amount of the opposition was from moderates, from people who were concerned, who were seriously worried, about what this bill might do to the fabric of our society. I respect their concern. I respect their worry. They were worried about what it might to do to their families and so on.  

Let me repeat to them now that all we are doing with this bill is allowing two people who love each other to have that love recognised by way of marriage. That is all we are doing.  

We are not declaring nuclear war on a foreign state. We are not bringing a virus in that could wipe out our agricultural sector forever. 

We are allowing two people who love each other to have that recognised, and I cannot see what is wrong with that for neither love nor money. I just cannot. I cannot understand why someone would be opposed.  

I understand why people do not like what it is that others do. That is fine. We are all in that category.  

But I give a promise to those people who are opposed to this bill right now. I give you a watertight guaranteed promise.  

The sun will still rise tomorrow.  

Your teenage daughter will still argue back to you as if she knows everything.  

Your mortgage will not grow.  

You will not have skin diseases or rashes, or toads in your bed.  

The world will just carry on.  

So do not make this into a big deal.  

This bill is fantastic for the people it affects, but for the rest of us, life will go on.  

Finally, can I say that one of the messages I had was that this bill was the cause of our drought—this bill was the cause of our drought. Well, if any of you follow my Twitter account, you will see that in the Pakuranga electorate this morning it was pouring with rain. We had the most enormous big gay rainbow across my electorate. It has to be a sign. It has to be a sign. If you are a believer, it is certainly a sign.  

Can I finish—for all those who are concerned about this—with a quote from the Bible. It is Deuteronomy. I thought Deuteronomy was a cat out of the musical Cats, but never mind.  

The quote is Deuteronomy 1:29: “Be ye not afraid.” 

By the Way Moment: 

Maurice Williamson was invited to appear on Ellen De Generes’s chat show but Williamson, who has been described as a "gay icon" since his speech - a description he said was news to his wife - originally declined because rules prevented him from receiving a free trip and an appearance fee. NZ Prime Minister Key has however approved the appearance as long as the fee is donated to charity.  Look for him on Ellen at some not too distant date.