It seems the Gay Rights people are annoyed by Barry Williams too.

Reproduced from Rodney Croome's (Gay Advocates) blog:

Appointment of Mr Barry Williams

This letter from Gay and Lesbian Equality WA to Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, was sent on 27.11.08.

PO Box 420
NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865

Telephone: 0417 890 111
Email: rod@galewa.asn.au

The Hon. Nicola RoxonMinister for Health
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

27 November 2008

Dear Honourable Minister:

Re: Appointment of Mr Barry Williams as men's health ambassador

I write to you to express our concerns about the controversy surrounding Mr Barry Williams, who has recently been appointed to the position of men's health ambassador as part of the Federal Government's dialogue on men's health issues. We have noted that you have sought assurances from Mr Williams about a document published by the Fatherhood Foundation, in which he is mentioned as a co-author -- 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters -- and we understand you are satisfied with his response that he does not support the contents of that document and repudiates it.

However, we wish to bring to your attention other activities of Mr Williams which may be even more problematic than the aforementioned document.

In the first instance, we wish to refer you to a leaflet published by the Fatherhood Foundation for a forum entitled Dads4Kids. The leaflet is available on the internet at:
http://fathersonline.org/mediareleases/2008%20Media%20Releases/Dads4kids%20Forum%20Reg%20Fm.pdf

This document purports to be a forum organised in June 2008 to oppose the Same Sex Relationships Bill 2008, which at the time was before the NSW Parliament. It is clear that this document indicates it is an anti-gay rally designed specifically to stop the passage of equality legislation in NSW and therefore perpetuate the stigmatisation and hurt of same-sex couples in that jurisdiction.

Among the speakers listed for this anti-gay forum is Mr Barry Williams.

In the second instance, we wish to refer you to a document published by National Marriage Coalition (incidentally, set up by the Fatherhood Foundation and others), in which Mr Williams is mentioned as a signatory to the documents -- The National Marriage Manifesto and the document in the appendix, titled 21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters. This document echoes much of the 21 Reasons Why Gender Matters document and is misleading, offensive and anti-gay.

This document is available on the internet at:
http://www.fatherland.info/ncpp/manifesto.pdf

An example of the misleading propaganda and 'statistics' used in this document is demonstrated at page 17. There is reference to an Australian study of primary school students claiming the reason for poorer educational and health outcomes of children of gay parents is because their parents are gay. However, the study's author attributes the result not to the sexuality of the parents, but the inherent anti-gay attitudes of society towards the children by homophobic individuals and institutions (quoting the study's author, Sotirikos Sarantakos, describes in his book Same-Sex Couples:

"It is difficult to accept that living in a family environment that is condemned by the community, in which homosexuals and their children are subjected to discrimination, disadvantage, negative criticism, humiliation, harassment, embarrassment, exclusion, hostility, injustice and media bashing, offers as good a place to grow as that of heterosexual relationships."

This is just one example of the misleading, deceptive, anti-gay comments in this document.

We also note that the document 21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters has now been formulated into a glossy brochure. It is online at:
http://www.marriage.org.au/why_marriage_matters.pdf

Mr Williams is a signatory to the National Marriage Manifesto and 21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters document.

In the third instance, we wish to refer you to the Lone Fathers Association's journal, in which Mr Williams gives ample publicity to Mr Marsh's Fatherhood Foundation's anti-gay activities. An example is contained in this edition, available online:
http://lonefathers.com.au/newsletter/aug-sep-08.pdf

This publication gives a report (see pages 28-30) of the aforementioned anti-gay rally against the NSW Same-Sex Partnerships Bill, at which Mr Williams was purported to be an advertised speaker.

Indeed, the newsletter report in the Lone Fathers Association newsletter contains the following claim about the NSW Bill:

The Bill promotes homosexual marriage and homosexual adoption and as such promotes ill health and gender disorientation pathology. It would be similar in effect to the state government subsidizing and encouraging smoking, a proven unhealthy lifestyle choice. No government should ever actively promote ill health.

This is anti-gay and offensive. Further, the newsletter report goes on to thank a number of organisations, including the Lone Fathers Association for their actions in opposing the Bill:

In particular the Fatherhood Foundation would like to thank: Shared Parenting Council, Dads in Distress, Lone Fathers Association, Reforming Alliance, Festival of Light, Australian Christian Lobby, Australian Family Association, Marriage and Family Office, Equal Parenting Party, GRANS and many others too numerous to name including many wonderful pro-family state parliamentarians

Minister, our organisation believe these actions warrant further investigation by your Department as to Mr Barry Williams' activities and his linkages to the Fatherhood Foundation's anti-gay activities.

We believe that Mr Williams' behaviour has been offensive to the GLBTI community, and his continued service as men's health ambassador is unacceptable given his activities.

We urge you to again contact Mr Williams and ask for an urgent explanation as to his activities, namely:
1) His activities at the anti-gay Dads4Kids forum, opposing the NSW Bill to provide equality for same-sex couples, in June 2008.
2) His activities with the anti-gay National Marriage Coalition, signing their Marriage Manifesto document and the attached appendix 21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters
3) His activities within his own organisation's newsletter, providing space for virulently anti-gay statements relating to the anti-gay Dads4Kids forum, as published in the August-September 2008 of the Lone Fathers Association's newsletter.

Similarly, we urge you -- after receiving Mr Williams' response -- to make another determination as to his suitability for the position as ambassador for men's health, and advise our organisation accordingly of the findings of your investigation and the outcome of your decision.

We thank you for taking the time to consider this request.

Yours,
Rod Swift
Secretary
Gay And Lesbian Equality (WA) Inc.