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Does marriage equality increase online bullying?
Thu, 4th Feb 2016
FYI, this story is more than a year old

An Australian group who opposes marriage equality is feeling the heat from mental health organisations and Twitter users after claiming same sex marriage increases online bullying in the work place.

The group, Marriage Alliance, posted a stock image of a distressed woman with a rainbow noose around her neck as she sits in front of her computer.

The caption reads “Same sex marriage increases PC bullying in the workplace”.

It says “#marriageequality empowers political correctness. Based upon overseas experiences, job insecurity will increase.

On its website, the group likens marriage equality to an iceberg, claiming there's more to same-sex marriage than what meets the eye.

“Marriage Alliance is an independent alliance bringing together individuals and organisations supporting a common cause,” reads the company's website page.

“We exist to voice the opinion of the silent majority of Australians that want to respect the choices of same sex attracted people but do not want to change the current definition of marriage.

In another tweet, the organisation says same-sex marriage erodes fundamental rights, saying marriage equality bullying is “an aggressive strain of political correctness that abuses people and shuts down public debate.

According to Buzzfeed, mental health charity BeyondBlue and Suicide Prevention Australia hit back at the tweets, saying depicting suicide methods is harmful and that the image is contributing to the stigma around suicide.

Marriage Alliance responded, saying the two organisations were biased towards same-sex marriage.

Several Twitter uses also took offence to the image, with some wondering why the organisation would think a rainbow noose would depict their organisation in a good light.

Enough said, really.