Party of bigotry

United Future has announced their intention to try and scupper the Civil Unions Bill. But rather than pulling the traditional "homosexuality is evil" line, they've decided to present it as a case of misplaced priorities, asking:

"Why are we putting gay marriages before making sure that there are enough police on our streets, before ensuring that the sick get quick and effective treatment at our hospitals, before unclogging our roads and before giving our kids the education they need to survive in an increasingly complex world?"

Of course, that's a false dichotomy - the government is (theoretically) working on all of those issues to. But I'd also say that all those issues pale in significance compared to ensuring the fundamental equality of all New Zealanders. And that's what this is about - fundamental equality. Those who oppose civil unions or outright marriage are saying that gays - because of who and how they fuck - do not deserve to be treated the same as other New Zealanders, and that their sexuality marks them as less than full citizens. This is bigotry, and no more defensible than old-fashioned sexism and racism. If people don't like having that pointed out, then perhaps they shouldn't be bigots.