Plebiscite; a taxpayer­-funded megaphone to the very worst forms of abuse - Shorten

Turnbull appears to have his hands tied with marriage equality because of his deal to oust Abbott. He's stuck with Abbott's stupid plebiscite idea, to get the people to do the politicians job for them. A very unpopular thing to do.

Bill Shorten has written a piece for the papers pointing out just how unpopular a plebiscite would be for the LGBT. 

I wonder how straight people would feel having a national debate about whether they should be treated as equally as everyone else in the community. Whether their love for their partner is real or not. Or whether because of their sexuality rights should be denied them.

But I don't think enough attention has been paid to the biggest risk a plebiscite brings – the danger and the damage of unleashing a divisive, drawn-­out debate. 

A plebiscite could act as a lightning rod for the very worst of the prejudice so many LGBTI Australians endure. A platform for people to attack, abuse and demean Australians on the basis of who they love. 

The fact is, casual, unthinking discrimination and deliberate, malicious homophobia are still far too common in our society. 

It's not confined to keyboard warriors and Twitter trolls. It's in our schoolyards, our workplaces, our sporting clubs. This takes a heavy toll on mental health, particularly for young people. 

Two out of five young Australians who are gay have thought about self­-harm or suicide. 

A young Australian who identifies as gay is six times more likely to consider taking their own life, compared to their sibling, classmate, colleague or teammate. 

It's especially hard for young gay people in our regions and the bush where physical remoteness can aggravate a sense of isolation. sydneymorningherald