Fighting for marriage equality

At six years old, Australian Marriage Equality is one of the youngest players on the Australian GLBT rights scene.

AME convenor Alex Greenwich told Sydney Star Observer his organisation was founded in 2004 in response to the then federal Government’s ban on same-sex marriage.

“We began at the time when [then Prime Minister] John Howard introduced the ban on same-sex marriage,” Greenwich said.

“We knew at that point that it was definitely time that an organisation which focuses solely on the issue of marriage was established.”

The group’s makeup spanned the country from the very beginning, with founding members Rodney Croome, Martine Delaney and Jen Achteren from Tasmania, Iain Clacher, Sharon Dane and Elaine Crump from Queensland, Damian and

Graham Douglas-Meyer from Western Australia, and Peter Furness from New South Wales.

Some were well known veterans of the political scene, while others had been spurred into activism by the Government’s refusal to recognise their marriages.

The group’s membership now numbers close to 700, from every state and territory, and 5000 people subscribe to its newsletter.

Greenwich said AME had seen a spike in new members last year in the course of organising submissions for the Senate inquiry into same-sex marriage.

“People were sending in responses from all over the country and many followed up by joining us.”

As a result, AME more than doubled in size.

The group is run by a national committee of nine, which meets by teleconference.

“We have managed to have one meeting that was face-to-face, but because we’re so spread out, teleconferencing is the best way to do it for us,” Greenwich said.

Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby activist Rodney Croome is the group’s campaign coordinator, while Sharon Dane is deputy convenor. They run AME’s Tasmanian and Queensland branches respectively.

Peter Furness, a former South Sydney Council deputy mayor, runs the NSW branch with Greenwich and is the group’s national secretary.

Other notable members of the national committee are PFLAG’s Shelley Argent and Equal Love ACT’s John Klopprogge, connecting AME to allied organisations around the country.

AME is funded by membership fees and donations.