Rainbows fly high as Australia votes Yes to marriage equality

Rainbows fly high as Australia votes Yes to marriage equality
Image: Sydney's rally for marriage equality in 2017. Image: Ann-Marie Calilhanna.

The majority of Australia has said Yes to marriage equality in the national postal survey.

After roughly 16 million ballots were sent out to eligible Australians around the country, 61 per cent have voted in favour of same sex marriage, and 38 per cent have voted against.

The $122 million survey, which was derided by members of the LGBTI community and their allies, was introduced by the government as a means to ascertain public opinion on the issue.

However, despite widespread backlash to the process, both the Yes and No campaigns mobilised to encourage Australia to vote.

Senator Dean Smith, who drafted a marriage bill that was built upon a cross-party Senate inquiry, said he would table it on Thursday in the event of a Yes win.

Senator James Paterson also drafted a bill and introduced it earlier this week, but it was widely criticised for rolling back LGBTI rights significantly, as it offers new protections for people to ensure they aren’t forced to participate in a same-sex wedding “against their beliefs”.

Parliamentarians and community members alike have urged the government to make marriage equality a reality by Christmas.

There are events around the country today to mark the postal survey result announcement. Here’s where you can stand in solidarity with the LGBTI community.

Stay tuned to Star Observer for updates.

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7 responses to “Rainbows fly high as Australia votes Yes to marriage equality”

  1. Fully agree with Robert McCormick, and Bill Shorten- FUCK OFF!
    Labour had 7 years in power to do this, and they opposed gay marriage.
    Now Bill Shorten is trying to associate himself with the success and glory of the postal vote, and continues to criticise the current government on this. Instead, perhaps he should be apologising for the past behaviour of his party, and admitting that lablib/ liblab are both alienating the Christian vote ( eg.Lyle Shelton of the Australian Christian lobby). Also, admit that the no vote pockets co-incide with high Christian and muslim populations, and the latter may be linked to Labor party immigration policy in those 7 years. In this way, labor may have in fact threatened the rights and safety of gay people. (Yes- I said it! Fuck political correctness, and btw I am not necessarily a conservative voter)

    • Labor had a position that permitted a conscience vote on marriage equality since 2012 or something like that. The Liberals only have one now that they’ve held this FUCKING APPALLING SURVEY WITH ITS FUCKING APPALLING NO CAMPAIGN. It would have got through Parliament if the Libs had just allowed a conscience vote, which they always claim to be better at than the ALP.

      Yes it’s quite fair to be disappointed with the ALP for not doing more sooner. Gillard totally is to blame for that. But going Shorten is just illogical.

  2. The hypocrisy of Senator penny Wong, her boss Bill Shorten and so many other ALP Senators and MPs is breathtaking.
    We could have had our Right to Full Equality confirmed 10 years ago.
    Shorten, Wong and others were Very Senior members of the Federal Government between 2007-2013.
    They did NOTHING.
    Why?
    With the support of the Greens they had the numbers in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, where they had an 18-seat Majority between 2007-2010. Between 2010-2013 they still had the numbers to act.
    They did NOTHING.
    Why?
    Few, if any, actually expected the Coalition to support Same Gender Marriage – especially when it was led by Australia’s most prominent Homophobe, Tony Abbott and his fellow ultra-right-wing conservative neo-Fascists like Kevin Andrews, Erich Abetz, Peter Dutton and nor must we forget Liberal traitor Cory Bernardi.
    How wrong we all were.
    How badly those neo-Fascists judged the People of Australia.
    Even if not a single member of the GLTBIQ Community actually decide to marry, we have Won. We have taken another giant step to 100% Equality and we have to give a Giant Thank You to All Australians – be they Heterosexual, Religious or GLTBIQ.

    • You clearly have no idea what it means to be of the Labour movement and part of a binding caucus. What is said outside the party room and what goes on behind closed doors can be very, very different. If Wong and Shorten did NOTHING as you insist, how is it that the ALP has reversed its position on this issue over the last decade? Magic?

      Your precious Liberal Party is no different. Turnbull has privately backed same sex marriage nearly as long as Penny Wong, sure, but he was hamstrung by his right wing just as Penny Wong was.

      Don’t pretend they’re not the same. Neither party acts on principle, and no successful government can because there is no principle which is the solution to everything (no matter what the Greens claim).

      But targeting Wong and Shorten in the same way you go Abetz and Dutton is just deluded.

  3. Congratulations,Although there will be lots and lots of nervous gay men out there.. living the dream ..NSA