The Age published my letter

But I’ve learned a lesson. When writing a Letter To The Editor, don’t try to make a reasoned argument over several sentences. Each sentence needs to be an argument in itself, because they edit the letters mercilessly.

My letter was in response to one by Rebecca Harris in The Age yesterday:

Here is the full text of the letter I submitted:

Does Rebecca Harris (‘Harm will be done’, Letters, 22/9) realise that her own fears are perfectly mirrored on the other side of the same-sex marriage debate? Using her very own words, I envision months of my Christian community being ‘trolled by’ homosexual activists and liberal groups, ‘not concerned with the harm done by their hate talk’. The pro-same-sex marriage lobby have also ‘long been prepared to put a lot of money into spreading their message.’

Authentic human rights are certainly not something decided upon by majority view. However, it is not at all clear that the ability legally to marry someone of one’s own sex is an authentic human right. Laws not based clearly upon established human rights or the obvious welfare of the nation should not be foisted upon the nation without the people exercising their democratic right to affirm such laws.

Here’s how they published it: