Australia has historically struggled to bring rights to its LGBT community. The nation’s conservative nature has been shedding in the past few years, especially with regards to transgender people, but same-sex marriage is currently illegal. Personally, I do not have a problem with same-sex marriage purely on the grounds that I know two people getting married would never affect me. No one has ever been killed by a same-sex wedding.

At the same time, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I do not say this because I care about everyone’s opinion the same. I say it because your opinion is not something you can actively decide. Opinions develop from a random mix of genetics, environment, and family. Judging someone for his or her opinion is not that different from judging someone for his or her sexuality. Anyone is allowed to have and express an opinion, provided one does not harm others in his or her expression.

On Aug. 27, a 62 year-old man put highly corrosive acid into a lube dispenser at a gay nightclub in Sydney, Australia. No one was hurt, but he has been arrested and will be charged. No matter your opinion on sexuality, this act is deplorable.

“Violence is never the answer.” It is such an unarguable quote that I still get shocked when I hear of an incident like that in Sydney. Do you believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman? Violence is not the way to express that. Do you believe that police have a bias against black men in America? Violence is not the way to stop that. Do you disagree with what politicians have to say? Violence is not the way to argue with them.

Violence will never solve any problem permanently. It delegitimizes all arguments. If you have a problem with a law or a social issue, create a protest group, a website, a newspaper, or a think tank. As a free citizen, use any of the methods presented in front of you other than violence. Violence shows that you have not thought your argument through; the only thing you have thought about is your hatred for another human being.