THE distribution of Don't Mess With Marriage booklets to Tasmanian school children sends a damaging message to vulnerable young people, gay rights advocate Rodney Croome said on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But Australian Christian Lobby director Mark Brown said that he could not see a problem with the contents of the booklet.
The document, which outlined the Catholic Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, was distributed to about 12,000 Tasmanian families last week.
The 18-page Don't Mess With Marriage booklet stated that "if the civil definition of marriage were changed to include 'same-sex marriage' then our law and culture would teach that marriage is merely about emotional union of any two (or more?) people".
Mr Croome said that although the Catholic Church had every right to put its view across about what marriage is, they should not be doing so to children.
"I call on the Catholic Education Office to stop distributing these booklets via school children," he said.
"I know of cases in Tasmania where five-year-olds were forced to take this booklet home and give it to their two mums, imagine how those children feel.
"This booklet only makes an already difficult situation for those young people much worse because it's not prejudice that's not simply coming from their peers, it's coming from the school."
Mr Brown said that the messages outlined in the booklet could be expected to be distributed at a Catholic school.
"How can teaching your kids about marriage be harmful?" he said.
"Marriage has always been this way, it is between a man and a women.
"(The booklet) simply tells what is currently the law in Australia . . . what's the problem?"