A bit of a dick

Auckland Mayor Dick Hubbard supports tolerance and diversity. Then he gets elected Mayor. Then he suggested that gay parents are more likely to murder or abuse their children, without actually saying it. Hardly tolerant or diverse. Then the gay community gets offended. Outraged. The sole mother community and unmarried couple community don’t care, even though they were implicated to a greater degree in the letter. Then Hubbard's gay PA resigns in protest. So Hubbard apologises to the gay community and promises to read up on some material before offering a full retraction.

He gets the material from the Gay Auckland Business Association and says, " I accept gay couples can make good parents and I accept that some heterosexual couples in a marriage make bad parents." Gay community smiles, shakes his hand and says "that’s our boy, we may even eat Hubbard's cereal if you give us a full apology and retract your name from that stupid letter".

If Hubbard can't make up his mind up on an issue, what is he going to be like as Mayor? I wonder if the Maxim Institute will give him any literature. He may then say, "I accept gay couples can make bad parents and I accept some heterosexual couples in a marriage make good parents."

Well, its about time someone said that to put it in balance - or would that offend the gay community…

Anyway, here's the letter in question:

We now know from extensive international research that children from unions other than marriage are much more likely to be the victims of abuse, murder, depression, lower educational achievement and poverty than those raised in a traditional heterosexual marriage.

The Civil Unions Bill has provoked much debate in past days and we are writing to ask you to consider only one thing when you make your decision on the bill – what is best for our children. As disturbing as it is, we want to draw your attention to some tragic international statistics, all of which are the result of scientifically produced and verified studies (copies attached). Compelling examples are as follows:

- children who are living with a solo parent are fourteen times more likely to be the subject of abuse than children in a traditional heterosexual marriage environment (R Whelan, UK, 1994)

- children living with their mother who is cohabiting with a boyfriend are 73 times more likely to be the subject of fatal abuse than children in a traditional heterosexual marriage environment (R Whelan, UK, 1994)

- children from families where parents have never married are four times more likely to be expelled from school (Wave 11 Study, 1996)

Why are we rushing to pass legislation that undermines traditional marriage when we know the outcomes will be tragic for many of our children? Where is the drive coming from for this bill to be passed, and why the need for urgency? There is no clamour from the public for this legislation – and there is no clamour from our children.

The evidence is overwhelming that non-traditional unions more often produce troubled children. Please don’t gamble with the lives of our kids. If you support this Bill, we are asking you to reconsider for one reason only, for the children of New Zealand.

In the attached presentation, we can see every time we move further away from “traditional marriage” we heavily stack the odds against a good future for our children. Our plea to you is to do the right thing for our children.

The letter is co-signed by:
John & Alma Sax, CEO South Park Corporation Ltd
Dick & Diana Hubbard, Mayor of Auckland City
Ian & Mary Grant, Parenting With Confidence
Alan Duff, Books In Homes
Ralph & Pam Norris, Auckland
Adjunct Professor Michael Brown, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Maori), CNZM, on LLD Auckland, University of Auckland