Marriage vote narrowly fails in New South Wales

Marriage vote narrowly fails in New South Wales

marriageNew South Wales parliament’s upper house has voted down the same-sex marriage bill, with the final result at 21 votes to 19.

Emotions ran high during debate on the bill, which lasted two hours before coming to a vote.

NSW Labor MP Helen Westwood, herself in a same-sex relationship, was moved to tears reading aloud a hate letter she received from a Sydney lawyer.

“Marriage is not a game between poofters and lesbian sluts… Wake up woman to the call of the majority who would rather see all queers burned at the stake, not married,” the letter read.

Westwood cited the letter as evidence of the kind of prejudice perpetuated by legal discrimination around marriage. She also acknowledged the concerns of transgender and intersex excluded by the bill, but wanted to support it as an “interim step to marriage equality”.

While MPs such as Labor’s Ernest Wong openly opposed the notion of marriage between two people of the same sex, many couched their opposition in terms of constitutionality.

Advocates for the bill were disappointed in the outcome, but believe the close result indicates a serious shift in opinion on the issue.

“Although we’re disappointed we didn’t get it up this time, we’re encouraged by the closeness of it,” said LGBTI advocate and NSW lower house member for Sydney Alex Greenwich.

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3 responses to “Marriage vote narrowly fails in New South Wales”

  1. I love the way that bigots like the one that wrote that disgusting letter to Helen Westwood claim to speak “for the majority”. You only speak for yourself you deluded piece of shit.

  2. It would have been a pleasant surprise but I’m afraid we are passing through a conservative era in Australian politics at present and until the storm has been weathered we won’t be seeing too many gay friendly changes to the legislation. Hang in there. We will have our day. O’Farrell, Abbott, and their conservative cronies will wake up to the fact that they are lagging far behind public opinion on this issue. Keep up the pressure and let them know that despite the sort of sad, psychotic raving letters Helen Westwood received from the likes of the “Sydney lawyer” (so called) there are a many, many, MANY more of us who are sane, sensible, and just want to have the same rights as heterosexuals.

  3. Barry O’Farrell, despite your very hollow words of support for same sex relationships, with your public pronouncement regarding National Legislation YOU are responsible for this defeat (19/21).

    You have ensure continued State sanctioned discrimination that sends a message that a same sex relationship is somehow of less value than a str8 relationship and by doing this you have given tacit endorsement of homophobia.

    If the United States had waited for complete uniformity of laws across the country slavery would still be in place and black rights in America would be a fiction (even more than it is in reality).

    Leadership is about leading and having the courage of ur convictions.