Same-sex Marriage inquiry

Same-sex Marriage inquiry

The Rudd Government has announced a Senate Inquiry into same-sex marriage.
The inquiry follows the tabling of a private members bill by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.
Hanson-Young introduced the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009 which, if passed, would grant same-sex couples equal marriage rights and recognise unions entered into abroad.
In 2004, the ALP joined the Howard government to legislate against same-sex marriage. PM Kevin Rudd ruled out its introduction since being elected.
Although a closing date for the inquiry is yet to be announced, the government is calling from submissions in preparation for a November 26 report.
The International Gay and Lesbian Association (ILGA) has voiced support for the bill and called on Australia’s major political parties to support it.
ILGA said it would be targetting the inquiry as a way of drawing attention to homophobic laws in the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Island region.
ILGA is still increasingly concerned over Australia’s reluctance to formally recognise same-sex relations, ILGA NSW representative, Simon Margan said.
Australia signed the United Nations statement on recognising human rights for LGBT people, but needs to follow through with legislation that puts this mandate into practice, by removing all institutional persecution of LGBT people’s relationships.
ILGA said it will discuss whether Australia should be included in its list of countries that institutionally persecute LGBT people at its next international board meeting.
Same-sex lobby groups are already planning protests around the country to coincide with the ALP national conference on August 1.
Equal Love, the group behind the August 1 protests, have welcomed the inquiry. Spokesman Martin Baldock said the momentum for same-sex marriage was gathering across the country.
The launch of this inquiry sends a clear signal to the federal government that marriage equality is not an issue that they can sweep under the rug and ignore, he said.
It’s an issue that is going to keep coming back again and again until they recognise the common humanity of all Australians and introduce equal rights for everyone.
NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby co-convenor Ben Keats said the Lobby would make a submission as it prepares to launch a civil marriage campaign.
Support for civil marriage is clearly growing in Australia, and it is high time the Australian Government removed the discriminatory ban on same-sex civil marriage to give same-sex couples formal relationship equality, he said.
The Federal Government can no longer in good conscience ignore the community’s calls for relationship equality, especially given recent polls that show a majority of Australians support same-sex civil marriage rights.

info: Equal love has created five web-based advertisements. Visit: www.youtube.com/user/EqualLove09

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24 responses to “Same-sex Marriage inquiry”

  1. I hope the government soon realises that people in same-sex relationships have feelings too. I am Islamic, but I have nothing against anyone; I see any type of love as beauty, except abusive ones. Mohammed needs to go back to the cave men time or get up to speed with this century.
    PRO-GAY!

  2. Hey Mohammed, why don’t you keep your 5th century views to yourself, no-one here is at all interested in what your fundamentalist type think. What are you doing reading a gay paper anyway?

    And if you google this guys name then the guy that comes up would have no need to worry at all about engaging in any sexual practice, let alone gay sex as I don’t think any self respecting gay guy would ever want to touch you.

    As to your reference to the quran, pffft, um, Australians aren’t big on their interest in the quran mate, we’ve seen what is being done over and over again in the name of it recently (not that we’re too pleased at what has been done in the name of the bible either).

    We are fortunate in Australia to not be treated like our gay & lesbian brothers and sisters in quranic countries where we are routinely flogged, raped, tortured and murdered. However, if large amounts of people who come from places where this is the way they treat gay people, then these people will have more say in the laws of this country and WE will suffer the same fate as them!!, food for thought people…

    Heaven forbid that the politics and laws in Australia be influenced by the Mohammed Ziauddins of the world.

    Ramp up the immigration of these poor gay people from middle eastern countries, let them come and settle here free from these abuses, and let the abusers stay where they are and be denied the freedoms that they would deny others if they were to come and live in our civilized country.

    So, in summary, go f&*k yourself mohammed, and f*&k ALL the people everywhere around the world who would murder, rape and torture gay people.

    “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves”
    Abraham Lincoln

    “The price of freedom is eternal vigilence”
    Thomas Jefferson

  3. If same-sex coupling is “against nature” as he and religious fanatics CLAIM – then explain to me then Mohammed as to why 2,878 species on the planet also engage in same-sex coupling too!!!!????

    There is a perfect logical reason for homosexuality, if EVERYONE was heterosexual we will all be overpopulated and running in everyones shit!!!!!!!

  4. Ha ha at Mohammed. What a knob hanging out on a pro-gay website when he is the exact opposite. What does he expect to achieve? That we’ll suddenly be persuaded to change our views on basic human rights after reading his badly worded posting? Ha Ha Mohammed. Good one! Nice way to get some laughs out of us!

  5. “Same sex is against nature”. Um, no it’s not- homosexuality (including life long couplings) has been recorded in over 450 species of animals in NATURE, including mamamls with larger brains than us such as Dolphins, and Killer Whales.
    What is against nature is murder- such as killing your sister because she’s dating someone from a different religion (honour killing).

  6. If the committee recommends the bill be passed then it will be a vital tool in our tool box for same-sex marriage, not to mention scare consertives.

  7. If people want same-sex marriage now is the time to write to the committee in support, this is our best chance yet for same-sex marriage. Don’t just sit in front of your computers moaning and wishing for gay marriage – Ive sent my response to the inquiry and it only took 10 mins max and it was easy to do – Here is our chance to make out voices heard, don’t miss the opportunity as it night be another three or four years or more before there is another inquiry. The submission you send could be the difference between the committee recommending the bill being passed or recommending the bill not pass. Here is the link to the website where you can send in your submission:

    http://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/legcon_ctte/marriage_equality/index.htm

  8. Bec I would like to correct you on this:

    “It was only mid 90’s that homosexuality was written out of the criminal code in australia.”

    This is incorrect on some levels!!!!

    Male Homosexuality was actually legalized by a state-by-state basis (lesbianism was NEVER a criminal offence in the English Empire because of Queen Victoria thinking quote – “women never do such things” unquote):

    * South Australia was first in 1972 for oral sex and 1975 for anal sex (with an equal age of consent)
    * The Australian Capital Territory in 1976 second (with an equal age of consent)
    * Then Victoria in 1980 (with an equal age of consent in 1990)
    * after an 8 year campaign both the Northern Territory and New South Wales in 1984 (with an uequal age of consent of 18, 16 for lesbians and heterosexuals) Since 2004, the age of consent is equal at 16 for every individual in NSW and NT – after a campaign since 1997.

    * Western Australia in 1989, age of consent set at a nasty 21 for gay men, 16 for lesbians and heterosexuals. In 2003 the age of consent became equal at 16 for every individual. However in 2009 – since the liberals have won office in 2008, all these reforms might be repealed and go backward to where it originally was.

    Moving to;
    * Queensland in 1990 (STILL with an unequal age of consent – 16 for oral and vaginal sex, 18 for anal sex)
    * Norfolk Island in 1993 (with an equal age of consent)
    * Federal Government passed the HUMAN RIGHTS (SEXUAL CONDUCT) ACT 1994 – overriding Tasmanian criminal code.
    * Finally Tasmania finally repealed the law on the 1 May 1997.

    Ongoing campaign for a truly uniform/equal age of consent at 16 for every individual in Queensland since 2000:

    http://www.queerradio.org/AOC010709.htm

  9. The text of the Ohio Constitution Amendment (passed by 62.2 percent of voters) in 2004 states:

    “Only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions. This state and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage”.

    [Ohio State Issue 1 (2004), Eff. 1.1.2005]

    http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/constitution.cfm?Part=15&Section=11

  10. New England region (in America, not NSW) was:

    * The first to abolish slavery
    * The first to grant property rights and voting rights to women who were married
    * The first to allow unmarried women the right to vote, then the right to the pill and certain abortion procedures
    * The first to abolish the death penalty (although still in the books in New Hampshire – but not carried out since 1937)
    * The first to legalize inter-racial marriage (MA repealed the racist and homophobic 1913 law on 1 August, 2008)
    * The first to get rid of segregation

    NOW THE FIRST TO LEGALIZE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE (although Rhode Island still has not come on-board yet)

  11. Bec, totally agree about getting as many people as possible out on the NDA but it was Iowa, not Ohio that legalised same-sex marriage this year, and rather than being a backwater it’s citizens are among the best educated and well read in the United States.

    Historically Iowa was also ahead of the curve on the issues of slavery, racial segregation and women’s rights.

  12. “As a heterosexual male who is 20 years old and married”

    That should of said “As a gay male who is 23 years old who supports all including de facto same-sex and opposite-sex and even current married opposite-sex couples. Your marriage in not in danger and besides I knew of a heterosexual male who is 20 years old who supports same-sex marriage or marriage equality”!!!!

    What happened is I have a new computer programe and sometimes certain words are under going testing of sentence structuring, then I put a space bar in between certain words to “add and modify the structured framework of sentences” and is being fixed and upgraded next week.

  13. The Kevin Rudd Labor Government is so behind-the-times, these reforms that we have now were actually in bills I read all the way back in 1997, the Labor Government needs to support and get fully behind the -œMARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL 2009. For now same-sex partners have got equal rights in de facto status recognition only for same-sex partners, but these de facto reforms were only law since July 1 2009. 60 percent of Aussies SUPPORT the proposed bill -“ -œKome-on-Kev make marriage possible for all [my new slogan].
    As a heterosexual male who is 20 years old and married, I think that people who love their same-sex partner deeply should have the exact same obligations, responsibilities, benefits, entitlements, privileges, duties, rights, etc as I currently have now in marriage. Civil unions were invented in 1999 at Vermont -“ time to upgrade to marriage here in Australia, as Vermont and many other nations and states in the US recently did.

    Message to Kevin Rudd – “move with the times you old man!”.

  14. Homophobia (or gaycism), bigotry, sexism, xenophobia, islamophobia, racism and hatred of gay men and lesbian women is what is against nature in the 21st century!!!!!!

    “gaycist” was invented in 2002 – meaning the same lines as sexist and racist.

    http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=GAYCIST

    By 2010 I want ALL gaycism, sexism and racism to end for good!!!!

  15. I think making arguments about different cultures/religions being worse then us somehow is a spurious argument that acheives nothing against homophobia. It was only mid 90’s that homosexuality was written out of the criminal code in australia.

    I think the massive important thing to weild our collective force behind at the moment is not asking or begging labor to recognise us as true equal rather then inquiries into that basic human right concept, but strongly DEMANDING that enough is enough, that liberal, labor WHOEVER is in parliament, we deserve EQUAL (not “kinda equal but not actually”) rights. I think we can acheive this by going out IN FORCE to the National Day of Action for Same Sex marriage rallies. We need to mobilise ALL support at these rallies. Students should be talking to their student union about this, and getting posters to stick up and leaflets to hand out, workers in unions should make the argument that they should support this. let us not forget that very recently in the backwaters of the USA places like OHIO have won this right. we need to do the same. This is how rights were won in the past, this is how rights WILL be won in the future. our movements within lobbying channels will not be effective without a movement behind it putting real pressure on the govt.

  16. Mohammed,

    How is it against nature? It has happened for thousands of years. People got married all the way back to the ancient Greeks. It is against a few relgions that is all. It is not against Christianity. In fact the Bibbles vary. Many leading Bible Scholars such as the Harvard Proffessor of Theology, say the interpretation of homosexual in the Bible is totally wrong and has been used to vilify people and empower evangalics. Most leading Church men in England do not agree that it is against the Bible and support same sex marriage.

    Having grown up on a farm I can tell you people do not have a problem drinking milk, but there are actually lesbian cows and gay bulls. Just a small minority but they are there. We do not treat them badly simply becuase they are homosexual and every one gets along fine. Most people who drink milk, even those that hate gays, are drinking milk from lesbian cows.

    Same sex love is in nature. Scientist have been able to gentically replicate homosexual fruit flys. Many different animals have same sex love.

    All the strong evidence is that a minority of people are against gay marriage for religous reasons. Those reasons have proven to be wrong. Just as some Evengalical people have said aboriginals are evil and satanist, so now they say gay people are bad. In time they will regret this also. They have never been right about anything. The Klu Klux Clan is another religious group that would kill people with your name if given the chance.

    The important thing is to tolerance. Just as you would like tolerance with your name. Can you imagine if we decided not to support marriage for people with your name? We said your name is against nature? Our religion said you are evil? I think you become very angry also. If you want people to fight and hate each other then where does that take humanity? Shall we start hating people with black hair, or people with green eyes? It is stupid to do so. Not having tolerance is what has led to wars and millions of deaths. Hitler was one person who simply did not understand this, I hope you can.

  17. Mohammed Ziauddin said,

    “Same sex is against nature” – I take it Mohammed means same sex marriage is against nature – actually, same sex marriage is against religion not nature – if Mohammed means that same sex marriage is against nature because the only purpose of marriage is reproduction of the species he may be right – however, gays and homosexuals only seek the legalisation of same sex marriage for legal economic reasons – for reasons such as inheritance, power of attorney, legal guardianship, and probably a lot more – because de facto relationships carry less legal rights than relationships legalised by marriage.

    “the consequences will be very very harsh, harmful and damaging to mankind which will not be repairable at any cost”

    If Mohammed was talking about the effect that religious ideologies have had on mankind – I would have to agree with him – if Mohammed is talking about the effect that same sex marriage will have on mankind – where is the evidence to support his claim – it has never happened before so how does Mohammed or anyone else know what the consequences will be – personally I will not be doing anything harsh, harmful or damaging to mankind if same sex marriage is legalised and I get married to my partner.

    “We must restrain from living our life against nature”

    To do that Mohammed we would have to stop adhering to the doctrines of religious ideologies because there is nothing natural about religious ideologies – religious ideologies were created by men to gain control of populations so that those men could control and manipulate the populations for their own purposes.

    “Please refer to Quraan-al-kareem”

    I don’t know what that is Mohammed but I do know that homosexuals have always existed in every society and still do and always will.

    Western Christian society and Islamic societies used to treat homosexuals exactly the same way. That is when it became obvious to the parents that their son or daughter was gay or homosexual – the parents told them – do what you want but do it in private – do not be obvious in your sexuality – and – you must get married and have children.

    Western Christian society does not follow that practice any more – Islamic society still follows that practice.

  18. I would like to personally give a big thank you to SSO, GLLG, CFE, AME, ACON, many supporters of same-sex marriage (including myself) and Labor and Greens politicians that do support same-sex marriage. This is 2009, the 21st century IT IS TIME!!!!
    Kevin Rudd you are welcome to have your personal opinions – but keep them to yourself or with your wife in your own bedroom please, and stop putting your values down people’s throats and putting yours ahead of other Australians! Also Kevin Rudd continually -œteams-up and influences the Churches -“ but hang on a minute – we are meant to be a secular society -“ I support the -œfull separation between church and state, so same-sex marriage can be legal in Australia. Kevin Rudd you have lost another Labor supporter!
    Marriage has been a civil institution for 300 years now -“ from the common-law of England and Wales.
    If people are wondering were the definition of marriage came from it is from the Hyde v. Hyde and Woodmansee case in 1866.
    http://www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/RN/2001-02/02rn17.htm

    It is not about IF gays want to marry -“ it is about the right to CHOOSE to get married and to be fair and equal under the law and statutes of the state.
    The sky will not fall when same-sex marriage is legalized. As gay activists since 2007, community social change has progressed to the point were there is lots of support for same-sex marriage. But politicians are “stuck-in-the-past” when it comes to same-sex marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples. Labors and Liberal policy structure is like reading something from 1959 “we must protect the sanctity of marriage” and -œgays are moral terrorists, when Howard passed (with support of Labor) the Marriage Amendment Act 2004 (or as I prefer to call it -œthe anti-gay teaming up with churches backward and stir-up hatred at gays for political point-scoring and votes amendment) into law. [Quite long hey]
    No 1 -“ Australia is meant to be a secular society;
    No 2 -“ Legalize same-sex civil marriage and allow religious organizations to be exempt for the law -œkeep it civil, not religious -“ Having said that some religious organization or clergy would like to perform marriage for same-sex couples and should be allowed, but religious organizations and clergy who object to same-sex marriage have a right to be exempt from the civil laws -“ Religious organisation or clergy do not have a right to force there beliefs onto lawmakers and society in general;
    No 3 -“ Universal recognition has always been through the currency of marriage ALL OVER THE WHOLE WORLD. The term civil union was invented by a Court in the US state of Vermont. These systems serve no purpose in law or statute and are a second class status to a group of people. Civil unions are not universally recognised so should never be used as a substitute for marriage -œyou can call monopoly money still money, but it is still not legal tender civil unions work exactly like that. And a spade is a spade, but you can never call a civil union a marriage.
    No 4 -“ Domestic partnerships or registered partnerships are different as they are meant to be for committed couples who do not wish to marry and provide some recognition for carers -“ these are also not to be used as a substitute for marriage either.
    No 5 -“ The current system of common-law marriage or unregistered de facto recognition for both opposite sex and same sex couple since July 1, 2009 here in Australia is a welcome start, but you have to provide several documents and ongoing proof of the relationships you have now or previously had -“ and that is a burden financially and socially.
    I believe that this is way long overdue (along with same-sex adoption, surrogacy, better anti-discrimination laws without exceptions, hate crime laws, etc).
    If marriage equality is good enough in Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands, Norway and six states in the US (five of those in the “socially progressive” New England region) – including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa
    Paul Mitchell.
    A massive long-time advocate and full supporter for equality in civil marriage for ALL.
    Note” the word “ALL” also means gay men, lesbians and their same-sex partners – no exemptions.
    Bill attached:

    My “Marriage Equality for Gays Now Bill 2009”
    This bill amends the Marriage Act 1961;
    In Subsection 5(1):
    Omit – “marriage means the union of a man and a woman to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”
    Replace with – “Subsection 5(1) marriage means the union of any two (2) adult human beings to the exclusion
    Of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.”
    In section 88EA:
    Omit – “A union solemnised in a foreign country between:
    (a) a man and another man; or
    (b) a woman and another woman;
    must not be recognised as a marriage in Australia.”
    Replace with – “A union solemnised in a foreign country between any two (2) adult human beings to the exclusion
    of all others, voluntarily entered into for life;
    must be recognised as a marriage in Australia.”

    Senate
    Committee: passed 3-1
    First Reading: passed 44-42
    Second reading: –
    Third Reading: –
    House
    Committee: –
    First Reading: –
    Second reading: –
    Third Reading: –

    Both Senate and House
    Signed into law: –
    Passed: –
    Assent: –

  19. Same sex is against nature, the consequences will be very very harsh, harmful and damaging to mankind which will not be repairable at any cost, We must restrain from living our life against nature. Please refer to Quraan-al-kareem.

  20. So we need Rudd to have an investigation to see if we love each other? No doubt the Salt Shakers and other groups will say we have sex with animals etc as they usually do with submissions. And Labor will take this seriously as they have done in the past.

    I think the GLBT community needs an investigation to see on what basis Rudd continues to discriminate against us, and why he does not give us federal vilification laws.

  21. Schedule 1–Amendment of the Marriage Act 1961

    1 Subsection 5(1) (definition of marriage)

    Repeal the definition, substitute:

    marriage means the union of two people, regardless of their sex, sexuality or gender identity, voluntarily entered into for life.

    Sounds good to me – I support the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009