Gay marriage letters between schoolboy and Tony Abbott goes global
NEWCASTLE schoolboy Orlando Burcham’s letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott has reached global media networks this week after Australian Marriage Equality first posted it on Facebook last week.
In Orlando’s letter, he asks the PM why he won’t legalise gay marriage in Australia.
The 11-year-old son of a lesbian couple was eventually answered by the PM, who re-iterated his views on marriage and explains that if there were to be a change in policy it, “would be a matter for the Coalition Party room”.
Burcham’s letter and the PM’s response first surfaced on the Australian Marriage Equality Facebook page.
In the comments, Orlando’s mum, Liberal Councillor Cordelia Troy, wrote: “So proud of my boy, such a beautiful heart for justice. he sat and wrote this one night after hearing a news report. The only hint was ‘mum, how do you spell beautiful?’ then ‘how do you spell pathetic?’ Such generous words on here, his little chest is puffed out proud tonight. Thank you all xxx This generation will bridge the gap.”
The letter reads:
Dear Tony Abbott
My name is Orlando Burcham, I am 11 years old and I would like to know why you don’t allow “gay marriage” in Australia.
Because the majority of Australians are happily married, so why are you stopping all the gay men/women to be married in this beautiful country?
My mother is gay and even worse your own sister is gay! And thousands more are as well. You have actually met my mum Councillor Cordelia Troy who is a member of the Liberal Party and she was deputy major at the time.
It is so pathetic that you aren’t letting the gay people of Australia and other countries get married here. Millions of people in the world and when they come to Australia and think ‘wow this place is great1 Let’s get married here!’ And then they remember that they can’t. So they spend thousands of dollars to go somewhere they can get married. My mum is married but she had to go to New York, which took a lot of money.
You were elected to represent our country, not yourself. Just because you think it’s wrong, does not give you the right to make it illegal. Doesn’t our opinions matter to you? Just because you’re the Prime Minister, which by the way does not give you all the power.
I hope you change your mind.
PM Tony Abbott’s response:
Dear Orlando,
Thank you for letting me know your views about same sex marriage.
I appreciate the deep feelings that many in the community have on either side of the issue.
The Government supports the current definition of marriage contained in the Marriage Act 1961. Any change to this policy would be a matter for the Coalition Party Room.
My personal opinion is to support the existing definition of marriage.
Though we disagree on this issue, I respect the views you have put forward.
Ongoing dialogue between government and citizens keeps our democracy strong.
Thank you again for writing to me.
Yours sincerely
Tony Abbott
This is not the first time a letter has been written to the PM regarding marriage equality. In January, the Star Observer was the first to report on a letter written by a four-year-old Sydney girl Sabrina Franco who, like Orlando, wanted marriage equality not only for her mum’s gay friends, but the rest of the LGBTI community.
Like Orlando, Sabrina’s letter made waves in both mainstream and LGBTI media around the world.
READ: “Let boys marry boys and girls marry girls if they love each other or they’ll be sad forever.”
What do you think of PM Tony Abbott’s response to the 11 year old boy Orlando Burcham’s letter? Comment below.
Great to see how open minded the new generation is. When I was young we thought being gay was wrong and something to be ashamed of. Hope the PM grows up sometime soon…
Can’t help but be a bit cynical about this story, it’s a little convenient that the boys mum is a gay politician. I doubt Orlando wrote the letter, sounds like a publicity stunt from mum using her son for the sympathy vote. As for the response from Abbott, what do you expect it’s a standard response. If he’d changed his views he’d be bashed for that too, at least he responded (well if you believe what’s printed).
Indeed Paul, Orlando’s mother is a Liberal politician. Has he asked her what she did in the last election that voted Abbott in?
The boy held up well at a press conference without his mum. He made the Palmer Party look like younger children. I was a bit sceptical until I saw him in action.
Perhaps, just perhaps, the purity in his message is he sees the absurd discrimination, and is simply calling it as he sees it. It is not rocket science to see someone treating others as unequal.
Great article and not surprise that ‘creepy tony’ opted for the party room escape claus. I doubt he could talk from the heart if he was facing god on judgement day.
Cordelia, your words “Such generous words on here, his little chest is puffed out proud tonight. Thank you all xxx This generation will bridge the gap.” brought a tear to this old poofs eyes – wonderful!
The response is from a zombie, not a man with a heart beating life into his existence. Tony Abbott is already deemed to toxic by the Victorian government who have told him to stay the fuck away. Tony Abbott is already a zombie, walking into the poltical graveyard, of one term has beens. Like a foul smell, he will pass, then the fresh air will fill us. Do not get to upset by the nutjob.
Hmm, let me think, argue with a bigot, do my head in, or marry in New Zealand. For me, it was an easy decision to make to turn frustration into happiness. When I married in New Zealand, it was amazing. We celebrated in Australia, and so many people congratulated us, gave us presents, and said how they could not understand why Tony Abbott was butting into our personal life. I was surprised, they said it was our decision, we are not marrying him. To top it all off, we live in the country, National Party heartland, and with the spirit of the pioneers, we went forward into the brave new world and married.
Abbott is just another barking bigot on a bus. Abbott is painful, but he does not control if you marry, just some of the locations. Sure he likes to think he has power over your life. But let us look at him. He is not related. When he was at Uni he gave hate speeches about homosexuals. He told sixty minutes he feels threated by homosexuals. He gets tax payers to pay for his attendance at mates weddings. Tony Abbott is winding back the Royal Commission into child abuse. I mean come on, this guy is nuts. Julie Bishop used to call him the cockroach, according to Malcolm Turnbull anyway. Remember Abbott having the paternity test on an adult, as he thought it might be one of his children. Do not be fooled into thinking he has some magic power to stop you marrying. The only power Tony Abbott has, is the power you give him.
Sorry thought i had a right to an opinion? Look i don’t hate homosexuals i just hate their behaviour. I believe a person is not his labels he has on his body and i believe that homosexuals will never truly be really happy in this consciousness. I love my brothers and i just want what is best for them. You should start thinking less with your dicks and more with the intelligence you have been given. Start with the question ‘who am i?’ and get back to me.
As someone said, stop trolling. Call lifeline and get help.
Oh you “hate our behavior”. Well let me tell you, im not too fond of the behavior of many heterosexuals. I can just imagine the look of shock on your face. “but what have we done, we’re normal” lol. Yep, stop trolling and get lost.
I agree with Tony and i am glad we are sticking to our values on marriage. The fact of the matter is that gay relationships are based on lust not on love. Love is satisfaction in the love itself. If you love someone, that satisfies you as the end in itself…love is giving, lust is taking. If two men really love each other then don’t stick your ding ding in your beloved’s arse, just be best friends – help each other, be there for each other – you don’t need to get married. Marriage is so a man and a women can have kids and bring them up to know and serve God. Why do you want to get married in the first place unless you want to serve God? Really what’s the point? It seems to me it is more of a publicity stunt for the homosexual community. I also tend to think more Australians disagree with homosexual marriage than you think. Why are people listening to a kid who has been brainwashed by his mother? I bet if you took this kid around to all they gay bars at 3am in the morning he would be scarred for life, poor kid.
Fuck off and troll somewhere else “Ben”
Typical ignorant comment from a smug heterosexual. What would you know about our relationships? Based on some of the horror stories in the news that seem to be constantly in the news, id suggest that you straight people start taking a good look at yourselves before you come here spreading idiotic generalizations.
You are an idiot!!! I can’t believe what I just read “if you really love each other just be friends” are you actually a moron!!!
What a hate-filled pile of toss! I don’t hate YOU, Ben, just everything that spills from your thoughtless maw. So, please enjoy your sanctimonious heteronormative heterosexual relationship… but please, PLEASE, avoid taking it as far as procreation. One of your kind is MORE than enough!!!
He doesn’t write it at all.
The apparatchiks do all the work.
It’s silly to take bearacratic letters seriously.
He epitomizes the ugly Anglo Australian with values to use and abuse for his own selfishness.
Why should I respect Mr Abbott’s father for raising a man that espouses sexism and bullying in politics.
Respect goes either way prime minister.
Cant his sister talk to him about this issue.
The family are just as confusing as his politics.
Weirdness prevails with ideological zealots.
Tony Abbott has no interest whatsoever in creating, maintaining or perpetuating an “ongoing dialogue” with the Australian people, and this response shows it.
“Hi kid, I really respect you, but personally I don’t like it so I won’t make any motions whatsoever to change anything. The huge contention on the topic being generated in this nation by the citizens I SERVE will fall on my massive deaf ears, but yeah I really respect you.”
Nice.