Want to get married? Call your local MP today!
GetUp! is calling on Australians to email or call their local politician today to voice their support for Melbourne MP Adam Bandt’s motion for parliamentarians to acknowledge growing public support for gay marriage and to actively engage with their constituents on the issue.
The motion, which will be debated in the House of Representatives at 8 o’clock tonight, is another important step in the Greens’ bid to win support for their Marriage Equality Amendment Bill – legislation that would enshrine equal rights for all couples to marry.
Marriage equality is looming as an important election issue, with a recent Galaxy Poll revealing that 62 percent of Australians believe gays and lesbians should have the right to marry.
A growing number of MPs have broken party ranks in recent weeks to express their support for marriage equality. Labor politicians Doug Cameron, Mark Arbib and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh have publicly expressed their support for marriage equality, as have Liberal MPs Warren Entsch and Mal Washer.
Take part in GetUp’s email campaign by clicking here:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/MarriageMatters
Or call your local MP in their Parliament House office. Their number can be found here:
http://aph.gov.au/house/members/index.htm
A live broadcast of the debate will be streamed here:
http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/eventdetailsHOR.aspx?eventid=1781158
A long time ago in Tasmania, a young hard working GP who earned the love and respect of his patients, was hounded about being openly Gay. He was vilified by politicians in the Liberal and Labor Party. He had received his fair share of hate mail. He grew tired of being oppressed. This was a time when you could go to jail for making love to the love of your life. The name of this GP was Bob Brown.
Bob saw the persecution of other gay and lesbian people. The media vilified them, inflamed by politicians with religious leaders at their side. Hate crimes were increasing. People were dying. It was devastating.
In response to this, and love of the wilderness, Bob and his friends formed The Greens. Bob could have chosen the easy path and accepted discrimination and oppression, but he did not. Who could imagine all these years later The Greens would be in position to give us freedom and liberate us from oppression. That we might be free to marry the love of our life.
Bob is still called a Lunatic, a Dreamer, and a Communist. But Bob keeps going and doing what is right for us, fighting the good fight, and keeping a dream we all share alive. A dream that one day a child will grow up not having the oppression we have all suffered, and will be free to be Prime Minister with no barrier of sexuality placed in their path, if that is what they want to do. That they could adopt a child if they wanted, or work in a government funded service such as a school or hospital without the religious owners of the business stopping them, but welcoming their contribution. The dream of equality is becoming a reality thanks to the work of people like Bob. Soon, we will be able to say ?I do?. Those simple words will transform our nation’s view on people like us.
One day we will be free to marry the love of our life. For that I thank you, Bob. For that I thank the Greens.
Unfortunately this will be reduced to some more grand-standing by the Greens. While I have emailed my local MP. (Kelvin the dear thing), I am sure most MP’s will be burning their publically funded allowances on their second bottle of Shiraz by that time.
Good luck.