Australia Marks Five Years Of Marriage Equality – What’s Next?
Image: Crowds gathered for the Yes announcement in Prince Alfred Park. Image: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.
Five years after Australians voted to legalise gay marriages, LGBTQI advocates say “there is still more work to be done”. Since the historic vote, around 18,000 gay couples have got married, according to figures released by Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Out gay Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who is married to his partner Victor Hoeld, was co-chair of the successful ‘Yes’ campaign.
“Australians from all walks of life came together to shape our nation as a fairer and more equal place for all,” said Greenwich, in a statement to mark the fifth anniversary of the announcement of the marriage equality vote results on November 15, 2017.
‘More Work To Do’
The national vote should not have been held in the first place. The then Liberal government could have passed the law in Parliament without a referendum and the resulting vicious ‘No’ campaign, according to Greenwich.
“We shouldn’t have needed to do this via a postal survey but because the former Federal Government wasn’t prepared to do its job, the Australian people stepped up and delivered a definitive result in support of LGBTIQA+ communities,” said Greenwich.
“The public vote we should have had at the time was for constitutional recognition of a voice to parliament, fortunately that vote is coming up and it’s incumbent on everyone involved in the YES marriage equality campaign, including myself, to do everything we can to make sure this next public vote is a success.”
Greenwich, who is planning to introduce an omnibus Equality Bill in NSW Parliament next year, said there was “more work to do”.
“I’m committed to introducing the Equality Bill in the next term of the NSW Parliament, which will remove all LGBTIQA+ discrimination from law and modernises our law to protect people on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity,” said the MP.
Yes, What’s Next?
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Anna Brown, co-chair of the Marriage Equality campaign and CEO of LGBTQI Advocacy group Equality Australia, said the national vote was a “bittersweet day for our communities”. While gay couples got the right to marry, the day was preceded by a “divisive and unnecessary public debate about our lives and our families,” said Brown, adding that the fight for LGBTQI rights continues.
“Still today, many of us face discrimination at school, in our workplace or when accessing services. Violence against people in our communities still happens and the opponents who lobbied against marriage equality have shifted focus, doubling down on their attacks on trans and gender diverse people in Australia,” said Brown, in a statement.
Equality Australia on Tuesday launched a new campaign, YES, What’s Next? Ian Torpe, out gay Olympic swimming champion, will be the face of the campaign that seeks to create awareness about the fight ahead.
“The YES, What’s Next? pledge is a rallying cry to political leaders across the country to build a more fair, equal and just society by ending conversion practices, ensuring trans people are fully equal, protecting LGBTIQ+ students and staff from discrimination in religious school, and protecting intersex people from harm,” the five-time Olympic gold medalist said.
“The YES vote meant more than simply saying yes to same sex marriage, it was also saying yes to all the LGBTQ+ kids out there that they are just as much a part of society as everyone else, and that all of us are equal no matter who we love,” added Thorpe.
Sign Equality Australia’s YES, What’s Next? campaign, here.
