Protests in capital cities across Australia on November 28 marked the beginning of the National Year of Action for same-sex marriage.
The protests came just two days after the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee recommended rejecting the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, which would give same-sex couples equal marriage rights.
The Senate Committee’s decision followed the largest parliamentary inquiry in Australian history in which over 26,000 submissions were received from the public.
‘The Senate has chosen bigotry over equality and irrational fear over logic,’ said Tim Wright, a spokesperson for the Equal Love campaign.
‘It has preferenced the views of a small minority of conservatives over the vast majority of Australians who want equal rights for same-sex couples. Homophobia has once again triumphed in the Australian Parliament.’
However, the Senate Committee did also recommend that same-sex couples be treated equally under federal and state laws, a position ACON CEO, Nicolas Parkhill said is contradictory.
‘To recommend the equal treatment of same-sex couples but then to also recommend the retention of unequal marriage laws is perplexing to say the least,’ he said.
‘It appears that in the eyes of the Senate Committee, all couples are equal but some are more equal than others.’
Thousands of people marched through the streets of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Brisbane on November 28 to show their disappointment over the decision and launch the National Year of Action.
In Perth, campaigners gathered in Murray Street Mall and as the London Court clock struck 2pm more than a dozen GLBT couples staged synchronised marriage proposals.
The group then marched down Murray Street carrying banners and chanting equal rights slogans. As they passed, a children’s entertainer making balloon animals yelled homophobic slurs, highlighting the need for further acceptance and rights.
The national campaign, coordinated by Equal Love, will include a series of marriage equality actions throughout the year in the lead-up to the federal election.
‘It will be a massive grassroots effort- speaking to people on the streets, changing minds one by one, until the public pressure for equality becomes irresistible,’ said Wright.
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Pressure on the Rudd Government to amend the Marriage Act continued to mount last month when a motion was passed at the Labor Party Victorian State Conference calling for same-sex marriage rights.
‘Grass-roots delegates of the Labor Party are clearly in touch with the fact that the majority of Australians support this reform, and they are demanding Kevin Rudd also heed public opinion,’ said spokesperson for Australian Marriage Equality, Alex Greenwich.
‘What we are seeing is a growing revolt in Labor ranks to affirm traditional Labor values like equality and oppose the disproportionate influence of the religious right.’
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Stay up to date with the issues and get involved during the National Year of Action:
www.australianmarriageequality.com
www.coalitionforequality.org.au
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