Shem Bennett is a philosophy student from Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia. After graduating high school and travelling internationally for 18 months he returned to Australia with a firm interest in politics and joined the Liberal Democrats and stood as a candidate in the 2007 federal election in his hometown division of Bass, Tasmania, Australia. Bennett stood again in the 2010 Australian Federal Elections, in his new home district near Melbourne, Victoria.
Shem believes strongly in the individual and is sceptical of claims that the government is able to solve complex problems. He believes strongly that community organisations and private businesses should be promoted and encouraged. He believes the private sector is often able to solve complicated issues far more effectively and efficiently than central government.
Bennett has a strong appreciation of the natural environment and one of his hobbies is hiking in the beautiful forests and parks in and around South East Melbourne. He is also very passionate about education and youth rights as well as being an outspoken critic of the proposed Australian Federal internet filter.
For example there seems to be this pressing desire for large numbers of people to be gay. Whenever the Kinsey 10% is questioned we seem to get all up in arms and offended "oh it was a bad study" "oh people just aren't admitting it". Perhaps those comments are true. Or maybe our numbers are a lot smaller than we'd like to think. Perhaps only 1% or less of people are gay!
But even if that is the case- who the "f" cares? We shouldn't be granted the right to love, make love, and marry just because we're a sizable minority, we should be granted rights because it is right! Democracy (especially liberal democracy) isn't meant to be about majority rule. It's meant to be about individuals being given freedom with the ballot box being a way of holding government accountable.
Government isn't meant to enact the wishes of the people, though, people are meant to enact their own wishes and protest against government when it oversteps its bounds. Majority rule should not be our god and we should not be ashamed of being a minority. Being gay is victimless and even if there was only ONE gay couple in the world they should be granted equal rights.
Another point is the whole "it's natural/ biological" argument. Again I'm not questioning whether it's a biological thing or not. The jury's still out. Yet most gay people are SOOO reluctant to admit any nurture or (god forbid) choice factor playing a role in sexuality. I honestly don't know why I'm gay. I don't know what balance of environmental/ biological factors makes me like men. I also know that for me there were some conscious "choices"- not being interested in men- that came unbeckoned- but I did actively think about guys- I did fantasise over guys and eventually I decided to use the title "gay" for myself, even when I wasn't entirely sure. Maybe there are environmental and "choice" elements.
Who the hell cares? People make choices in life all the time- often choices we think are immoral. I don't like liars but I'm not trying to ban lying. And fornicators are seen as highly immoral by Christians- but there isn't a strong crusade going on against premarital sex like there is against homosexuality.
Who you marry and how you want to make your marriage special should be your business and who I marry and how I make my marriage special should be mine.
I don't feel I should have to justify being gay. Maybe gays are a sizeable minority, maybe it is purely biological. But that shouldn't sodding matter. Even if I was the only gay guy in the world and it was purely a choice I made who the hell should care? Sex is my business- and relationships are only the governments business so long as they give benefits to couples and families- everyone should be entitled to the same crap from government.
I'm not going to try and justify my sexuality by making it sound mainstream or biological. The only argument I should need is that it's wrong for anyone to make laws banning actions that don't harm others. My love life and sex life is my business, no-one gets hurt (unless they know the safe word first.
It's not just a gay issue. It's clothing. It's religion. It's diet. It's hobbies. None of that is anyone else's business. None of that should be political issue. And those ARE all choices. I hate authoritarianism
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