Those seeking to redefine marriage often argue that gender ideology has nothing to do with marriage redefinition, but there is increasing evidence that the removal of gender from marriage and the removal of gender from society more broadly are inextricably linked.

This begins with the concept of gender fluidity being taught in schools, under programs like Safe Schools.

The consequences for children of being taught that gender is fluid can be seen most strikingly in Victoria, where the Safe Schools program has been in operation since 2010.  The increase in gender dysphoria in children presenting to the Royal Children’s Hospital can be seen in this graph found on the RCH website:

What this graph shows is that in the year that Safe Schools was introduced in Victoria, the Royal Children’s Hospital treated six children for gender dysphoria.  Six years later, that number was 250. 

In countries where marriage has been redefined, an acceptance of gender fluidity is backed by law and government policy...

In the UK

In July 2017, the UK Government Equalities Office called for the streamlining and demedicalisation of the process to change gender, resulting in the ability to legally change gender by filing a form “building on the progress” of marriage redefinition.

In the US

Less than six months after marriage was redefined in the United States, the New York City Commission on Human Rights amended its legal guidance on gender identity discrimination to make it an offence – punishable by up to a fine of $250,000 – for an employer to refuse to refer to a person by their preferred gender pronoun, to disallow them from using single-sex facilities for their chosen gender, or to request that male employees refrain from wearing make-up to work. Examples like this abound.

In Canada

In June 2017, Bill C-16 was passed in Canada, adding gender identity and gender expression to the categories for “hate speech.”  The broad nature of the legislation has led to concerns that it will now be a criminal offence to refuse to call someone by their chosen gender pronoun, an assumption which was further strengthened by the Halton Police tweeting a reminder to people to ask a person their preferred gender pronoun:

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Shortly before that, in December 2016, the All Families Are Equal Act 2016 became law in Ontario, Canada. Under the legislation, registries of birth no longer refer to “mother” or “father,” but the generic term “parent” and up to four “parents” are eligible to be listed on a child’s birth certificate. This changes the purpose of a birth certificate from being the primary identity document for a child to a document which reflects the social relationship of the adults responsible for their care.