‘Marry me’ mystery solved

A gay couple has captured the hearts of a Queensland city after they were revealed as the authors of a mysterious marriage proposal.

On September 7, a Toowoomba local looked out his window to see the words ‘Marry Me’ drawn in eight-foot high pink letters on the side of Table Top Mountain.

Married already, he contacted Toowoomba’s The Chronicle newspaper which started a search for the mystery romantics, with a local bridal store offering them a free wedding dress.

The following week a local gay man contacted the paper, explaining he’d made the sign using rocks coloured with red chalk to propose to his same-sex partner of three years on a bushwalk.

He told the paper he’d planned the sign so it would come into view when they got to the top of a nearby hill as a surprise for his partner.

Same-sex couples in Queensland can neither marry or access a relationship registration scheme, but the proposal was accepted and the couple is now planning a commitment ceremony with friends and family.

Chronicle journalist Anthea Gleeson told Sydney Star Observer the story had captured locals’ imaginations despite the area’s reputation as being perhaps not the most friendly place in the world for gay people.

“We were really surprised when we found out it was two men involved. The people who own the wedding store were a bit surprised too,” Gleeson said.

“We put an online poll on the story, asking readers to vote on whether same-sex marriages should be legalised, and 70 percent of people said yes.”

The couple chose to remain anonymous, but they’re not on the run from the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

“The chalk was non-toxic and washed away with the recent rains,” Gleeson explained.

They also refused the free wedding dress, explaining they weren’t the dress-wearing kind.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Alex Greenwich said the story showed marriage equality wasn’t just an issue in the nation’s capitals.

“This is an important reminder that this issue goes beyond our capital cities — same-sex couples and their communities around the country want marriage equality,” Greenwich said.

“Why can’t [Prime Minister] Julia Gillard and [Opposition leader] Tony Abbott understand that this loving Toowoomba couple should be treated equally with straight couples?”

Rod Goodbun from lobby group Action Reform Change Queensland said the couple might be waiting a while for legal recognition in the state.

“In terms of a Queensland state-based scheme, while there is a commitment to work on one, we haven’t seen any action,” Goodbun said.

“As recently as last year the Queensland Attorney-General told us he’s working with other state and territory Attorneys-General through the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, which has on its agenda the creation of nationally consistent relationship recognition schemes.

“That was proposed when the federal Government said it wouldn’t introduce a Commonwealth scheme, but would work with the states and territories for nationally consistent laws. But to date we’ve not seen any real action from that Standing Committee of Attorneys-General.”