The times are indeed-a-changing, although at a snails pace, and certainly not without a few hiccups on the way. However, following the results of a recent Galaxy Poll that shows that 60% of Australians support same-sex marriage, it would seem that one or two pollies would have reason to start feeling a little hot underneath the collar. After all, that pesky ban on same-sex marriage is still in place after nearly five years, and remains so because the Rudd Government insists that it reflects the view of the majority of Australians. Erm – Apparently not.
The results of the poll (commissioned by Australian Marriage Equality) show a 3% increase in support for same-sex marriage since 2007, and 22% percent since 2004.
Since then, Greens Senator and spokesperson on sexuality and gender identity Sarah Hanson-Young has introduced a private members bill into the Senate, calling on the Government to repeal the ban on same-sex marriage – as well as remove prohibition on the recognition of same-sex unions performed overseas. The bill was tabled with a 30,000 name strong petition in support of legalising same-sex marriage.
There couldn’t have been a better time for Gay Marriage to once again find its way back into public debate – as time is ticking down until the National Day of Action against the Ban on same-sex marriage on August 1. Over east, activists will be taking to the streets and protesting against queerphobia and discrimination.
Families for Freedom
In Western Australia, local families, communities and individuals have gotten together to plan two events in support of equal love and relationship recognition for all Australians. The first, a community forum in which our WA members of parliament debate relationship recognition in Western Australia, will be held on August 1st as a part of the National Day of Action. The second, a family and community picnic on Sunday August 16th, will rally together families, friends and community members who support the right of all people to have their relationships recognised. The submissions and contributions from the event will be forwarded to the pollies in WA and in the Federal Parliament to demonstrate our commitment as a community.
More information on Families for Freedom can be found at www.families4freedom.info
For more information on GALE(WA) and GLBTI community news, check out our website!
Kitty Hawkins
GALE Co-Convenor
kitty@galewa.asn.au
