marriage equality

[miriam_e]

Debate on marriage equality begins later tonight, so there's not much time. It's critical we get as many messages of support to MPs before 8pm AEDT tonight.

Go to GetUp's latest campaign and send off an email to your local politician and get him or her to come into the 21st century.
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/MarriageMatters

Here's what I sent:

Marriage is about declaring love, not hate.

Marriage is about declaring love, not about denying another person's love. Please support those of us who want more love in the world and not those who do everything they can to subvert love though petty hatred and bigotry.

Nearly 2 out of 3 Australians support gay marriage (and 80% of those under 24 do). Don't you think it is time politics stopped lagging behind the times and running scared from the rabidly religious minority?

Please support marriage equality and bring Australia into the 21st century.

Sincerely,

- Miriam

Comments

[greylock]

Ain't gonna happen.
The conservatives are against it, and Labor isn't allowing a free vote, and the party is still to debate the issue at its conference in 2011.

[miriam_e]

Letting the pollies know that they are way behind the times is the first step. Pretty-much all of them must know someone close to them who is gay, and they can't have escaped the movies and TV shows portraying gays sympathetically. Even politicians can't keep their eyes closed all the time. Getting a few to give voice to genuine concerns during the debate could be enough to change things... if not now, then soon. There must be more politicians that have genuine morals than just those in the Greens. If nothing else it will show Australians just how useless the non-Green parties really are, and that can only be a good thing. :)

[greylock]

Personally, I think we're 2-3 years away from any change to the law (The OZ on Friday had an article about why Jules is against it. Frankly, I don't much care, but it did raise some interesting questions.

Anyway, here's your social change in action:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/14/jim-swilley-gay-pastor_n_783279.html

[miriam_e]

Oh dear. I had hoped she'd be a bit better, but she's turning out to be a real coward.

Personally it matters nought to me. I expect never to have a partner again. I think I've become too much of a hermit. However I have friends who feel it would make a big difference to them. I'm onboard for their benefit.

Yeah, you're right. The changes are happening at the bottom. Check out the flood of YouTube postings re: "it's getting better" to reassure gay teens that they're not alone. Politicians continue to make themselves irrelevant. A good thing really, though I get a bit exasperated with them anyway.

[miriam_e]

Oops. That should have been "it gets better".