Hanson restates gay marriage opposition

Former One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has restated her opposition to gay marriage and adoption during an interview foreshadowing a return to federal politics.

In an interview on 2dayFM’s Kyle and Jackie O Show last week, the controversial former politician implored listeners to “think of the children” as a reason why gay marriage should remain illegal.

“What a person does behind their own closed doors is their own business, but the fact is I don’t agree with gay marriages, or gays adopting children or in vitro fertilisation,” Hanson said, claiming she has “a lot” of gay friends who agree with her.

“It’s wonderful that people have opinions and views on these things but the hard fact is, at the end of the day, someone’s got to pay the price for all this. People have to understand what happened in the past to discover this land; the Diggers that fought for us.”

Hanson warned that same-sex marriage resulting in gay couples having the “right to adopt children” would have detrimental effects on any children in such a family.

“But then you look at the child. Have they been asked? You have a man, and then you have a woman that’s what it’s all about. You think of the children as well,” she said.

Responding to a comment that people like her would not be around in future generations, Hanson said she’d “be quite happy about that too because I don’t like the way the world is going”.

Hanson re-entered the political spotlight on Thursday after coming out strongly in favour of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s proposal to place tighter restrictions on temporary overseas workers on 457 visas.

Hanson announced she would be contesting the upcoming federal election in Queensland as an independent, though she has not yet decided which seat she will run for.

In a 2007 interview with the Star Observer, Hanson said she had “never come out against homosexuals” but that if she said yes to gay marriage, she “wouldn’t be here any longer and neither would you”.

“I do believe gays, if they want to share their love and pass on things to their partners, then do it through the legal channels. They should be permitted to do so,” Hanson said at the time.

Hanson narrowly missed out on a spot in the NSW Upper House in the 2011 state election.