For the first Equal Love rally of 2011, hundreds of people converged on the Perth city centre to support and reaffirm the need for same-sex marriage.
Perth’s Equal Love organiser Jess McLeod said the numbers at the rally were ‘fantastic’.
‘There were about 500 people who turned out. It was very loud and vibrant and just a really good start to the year for Equal Love WA,’ McLeod said.
‘As we walked through the mall, people were clapping and cheering; there were heaps of people that joined in the march… It actually got bigger as we went through.’
The event ran almost opposition-free, according to McLeod who said she had heard reports of at least one heckler.
A number of speakers delivered their messages of support including Cross-Campus Queer Network’s Adelaide Knowles and Kelly Shay from Unions WA.
On the behalf of Labor Senator Louise Pratt, Nicole Corbett expressed the senator’s on-going support for same-sex marriage.
Also speaking at the rally, Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren acknowledged the same-sex couples who had left Australia to be married overseas.
‘Good on you for doing that and I’m sorry that we had to,’ MacLaren said.
‘It’s true to say not everybody is passionate about marriage equality. Not everybody wants to get married, even in the heterosexual world but the choice to marry should be one I make myself.’
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert slammed the current marriage act as ‘legalised discrimination’.
‘It’s a violation of our human rights and it enhances and fosters and allows discrimination to continue … in this country,’ Siewert said.
‘This is unacceptable in Australia in 2011.’
Siewert called on people in support of gay marriage to take action and make their local federal member aware of their views.
‘Most of the emails I get are from homophobic people who hate and that is the message that is getting through to our politicians at the moment,’ she said.
‘The job is right now to get … into your politicians and tell them what Australians really think because all they are hearing from are people who hate.’
Spectator Paul Jones said people should be allowed to do what they want including equal marriage.
On whether he thought the rally was necessary, he believed the march was necessary if there was a goal and something to achieve from the demonstration.
‘They [homosexuals] should be allowed the same rights as everyone else,’ Jones said.
McLeod said the Equal Love team had already begun work towards the next rally, although dates were yet to be announced.
For more information, check out www.equallove.info.
Benn Dorrington
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