World News

Australian health ambassador under fire for anti-gay comments

Thursday, 4th December 2008

Written by Francesca Cookney

Australian ambassador for Men’s Health Warwick Marsh has been sacked after refusing to repudiate homophobic claims made in a report entitled 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters.

Mr Marsh was one of 34 co-authors of the report which suggested, amongst other things, that gay and transgender parents are more likely to be unfaithful, violent and abusive towards their partners and children and which described homosexuality as a mental disorder.

Australia's Health Minister Nicola Roxon announced that, as a result, Mr Marsh would be relieved of his duties as an ambassador. "I think these comments particularly about homosexuality are quite abhorrent," she said. "[He] has not repudiated his offensive comments. This makes his position as an Ambassador untenable and I have made a decision to dismiss him from this role".

Mr Marsh believes that "there's a harm caused when you go outside the natural order," and was also recently involved in a Senate submission opposing the recent same-sex equality reforms. He has made clear that he stands by the ‘statistics’ discussed in the report: "I believe it's pretty accurate because it's their research and figures".

But he has denied that he shares its homophobic views. "I have no discrimination against gay people - I have a lot of gay friends and I worship their friendship," he said.