A DOCUMENT outlining the Catholic Church's opposition to same-sex marriage sent to 12,000 families in Tasmania has become the centre of anti-discrimination action.
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Don't Mess with Marriage was sent to the families of Catholic School students throughout the nation and was received by Tasmanian families this week.
Included in the 18-page pastoral letter was a thorough explanation of the church's opposition to same-sex marriage and an encouragement for people to contact their local MPs outlining their opposition to the issue.
"Same-sex friendships are of a very different kind: to treat them as the same does a grave injustice to both kinds of friendship and ignores the particular values that real marriages serve," the pamphlet states.
A parent of a St Patricks College student contacted The Examiner to express their dismay.
"Everyone's entitled to their view but these schools are organisations that are there to support and nurture our kids and they're taking a position that undermines that," he said.
St Patricks College principal Simon Cobiac said the document was not produced by the school but that it was aware of and had processed them.
He said the school had not heard from any parents who felt negatively about the letter and that the school had "complete respect" for all of its students.
"We would not want any student, regardless of their race, gender, sexuality, anything like that, to feel in any way isolated or unappreciated or not accepted for who they are as a person," he said.
"Any young person feeling that way in terms of not feeling respected by that document, we would want them to approach me or anyone in the school they feel comfortable talking to."
Transgender rights advocate Martine Delaney said she was appalled that Don't Mess With My Marriage was being circulated and said she would lodge a complaint with the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner next week.
"There's a strong case to suggest it breaches part of the Anti-Discrimination Act," she said.
Archbishop Julian Porteous said he hoped Don't Mess With My Marriage would "deepen the appreciation of the beauty and dignity of marriage and family life according to the plan of God".
He said the Church was respectful of diversity.
"The booklet produced by the Australian Catholic bishops is fully in accord with the current definition of marriage contained in the Marriage Act. It explains the meaning of marriage enshrined in our laws from a religious perspective. A document defending the current law in our nation could hardly be called discrimination," he said.