Poor turnout for marriage rallies

Poor turnout for marriage rallies

Several hundred protesters gathered in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra at the weekend in rallies supporting same-sex marriage.

The attendance numbers were well down on previous years, which had attracted up to a thousand in each capital, but this year saw a surprising number of Labor Party members making a stand.

In Melbourne, Victorian education minister Bronwyn Pike broke ranks to declare her opposition to the national marriage policy.

I support same-sex marriage, I have for many, many years. I believe that a civilised society is a society that is inclusive and is a society that affords the same human rights, the same access to justice, the same equality under the law for every single one of its citizens, she said.

The Canberra rally, in very cold conditions, heard from former federal Labor staffer Mandy Sharplin and ACT union secretary Kim Sattler that attitudes in the community were shifting faster than the party they belonged to.

The Sydney rally marched from Taylor Square to Town Hall, and heard from MCC pastor Karl Hand, Greens Sydney Council candidate Irene Doutney, and Emily Gray and Peter Johnson from the NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby.

It was the fourth anniversary of the marriage ban, but I don’t think it’s self-defeating [to focus only on marriage]. The community needs to focus on a range of things, Gray told Sydney Star Observer.

Our priority is getting 58 in ’08, but we haven’t lost sight of the fact our community needs formal relationship recognition as well.

We need to ensure the Government and the Coalition follow through with their commitment to implement the recommendations of the HREOC report. Until that’s done, we won’t have de facto equality.

She said civil unions were perhaps more likely in the short term, but the Government needed to know that the relationship registers would not satisfy the community’s desire for more relationship recognition.

Melbourne’s organisers believed the low turnout may have been due to the raft of same-sex equality reforms the Victorian Government has introduced or promised, including a relationship register.

CAAH spokeswoman Rachel Evans told SSO she believed the close time proximity to the NoToPope protests may have contributed to the low turnout, as well as a false belief that the Rudd Government was doing enough to remove discrimination.

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6 responses to “Poor turnout for marriage rallies”

  1. The reporter was obviously not at the rally. Greens Sydney Council candidate Irene Doutney did not speak at the rally. She was sick and sent her apologies. NSW Greens LGBTI spokesperson Ray Goodlass spoke to the rally. He’s a candidate for the Wagga Wagga council election. He reminded us what Labor Senator Penny Wong said recently when asked why she wasn’t pushing for same-sex married. She said that she didn’t think Australians were ready for it. How backward does she think Australia is? Several other countries have accepted same-sex marriage, and it has not, contrrary to Kevin Rudd’s fears, “undermined” the institutio of marriage. With friends like Penny Wong, who needs enemies like Fred Nile?

  2. To Steve: yes for hetrosexual couples (IE a male and female couples) but no for same-sex couples so that equals discrimination.

    To James: What rubbish, instead of pulling bullshit out of your arse why dont you provide some real evidence.

  3. Last time I checked marriage is open to everyone over the age of 18. Sorry, but I don’t see any discrimination in that. If you choose not to take advantage of the Marriage Act then good for you, but don’t expect it to change to suit your choices.

  4. Homosexuality is the sexual manifestation of arrested development; it is practised by those who refuse to assume, or are emotionally incapable of assuming, adult responsibilities. Therefore homosexuals and those practising sodomy should not be allowed the grace of the beautiful marriage such as that between a man and a women.

  5. It may have been a poor turnout but at least it was not a total waste of time thanks to Bronwyn Pike, Lets hope other members of parliment copy her stance and speak out.