Pressure for gay marriage is mounting from within the Australian Labor Party as another union voiced its support for a platform change at the national ALP conference in December.
United Voice (formerly the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union) Assistant Secretary Carolyn Smith reiterated the union’s support for gay marriage at the Equal Love rally in Perth last weekend.
At the rally, Smith said allowing same-sex marriage was about ‘respect and equality’ and that United Voice would be taking that message to the conference in December.
United Voice’s stance follows the announced support from the Australian Services Union (ASU) last month. The Sydney Star Observer reported ASU members voted to campaign for marriage equality in the lead up to the national conference.
Labor MLA Lisa Baker told the hundreds of people that she had been ‘very proud’ of the recent platform change from the WA Labor branch. WA Labor recently amended its platform on marriage in support for marriage equality.
‘We will not back down… this is about human rights and equality,’ Baker said.
United Voice has 120,000 members nationwide with about 20,000 in Western Australia and represents a variety of industries including hospitality; health and aged care and manufacturing.
The Problem That Won’t Go Away
Hundreds of marriage equality protesters made sure weekend shoppers in the Perth CBD heard their message this weekend when the march circled the Murray and Hay Street Malls not once but twice.
Marchers delayed city traffic on William and Barrack Streets as the conga line of protesters chanted marriage equality slogans. Preceding the march, a number of speakers delivered varied speeches endorsing same-sex marriage followed by a faux wedding ceremony, conducted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, where about 20 couples locked lips.
Equal Love organiser Khyl Hardy said more federal politicians were showing support for same-sex marriage. But Hardy reinforced that marriage equality was not going to happen automatically and that Equal Love would not compromise for civil unions.
‘We are not going to put up with this anymore,’ Hardy said.
Cross-Campus Queer Network co-convenors Michael Pilkington and Adelaide Knowles said denying marriage equality fuelled homophobia.
‘We’re taught… it’s not right to discriminate but its okay to not allow some people to marry,’ Pilkington said.
Gender Project WA spokesperson Isabelle Lake highlighted the impact of marriage equality on the transgender population and Greens’ MLC Lynn MacLaren said it was up to this generation to ‘open the door for future generations’.
Same Same reported hundreds of people marched at the Brisbane Equal Love rally while thousands attended the Melbourne Equal Love rally on Saturday, Southern Star reported.
Hardy predicted that if the ALP changed its national platform on marriage in December, he believed same-sex marriage could be allowed by the end of the year.
Benn Dorrington
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