Anger over marriage denial
The Greens have vowed to take their fight for same-sex marriage into federal Parliament in the new year.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has promised to pursue passage of the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill when Parliament resumes in February, despite bipartisan opposition.
A loud voice of discontent has risen within the wider gay community since the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee handed down its report opposing same-sex marriage last week.
“Just because the report’s been handed down, I think we can all read between the lines and we all know the recommendation is to satisfy Kevin Rudd, not to satisfy the actual evidence that was presented to the committee,” Hanson-Young told Sydney Star Observer.
“[Rudd’s] holding a tight grip on anyone in the Labor Party and the Government who perhaps wants to see a more progressive move towards supporting same-sex marriage.”
Hanson-Young has called for a conscience vote to be allowed when the Bill goes to a vote.
GLBTI groups across the country have denounced the Committee’s report.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said banning same-sex marriage perpetuates discrimination against gay and lesbian people.
“The continuation of unequal laws sends a message that our Government considers GLBT Australians to be of lesser value than other citizens and not worthy of the same rights,” Parkhill said.
“Unequal marriage laws are also harmful to the children and families of same-sex couples.”
Australia’s National LGBT Health Alliance said it’s concerned the ongoing ban on gay marriage is having a negative impact on the GLBTI community.
“Denying same-sex marriage devalues LGBT people regardless of whether they even want to get married,” Alliance executive director Gabi Rosenstreich said.
“It has a negative impact on mental health, contributing to the high rates of depression, anxiety and suicide amongst sexuality, sex and gender diverse Australians.”
Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Alex Greenwich said the fight for same-sex marriage is far from over.
“Kevin Rudd’s obsession with opposing full equality for same-sex couples leaves us with no choice but to make marriage equality a key issue in the run-up to the next federal election.”
NSW Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby convenor Benjamin Keats said the Committee’s recommendations are out of step with recent advances in same-sex couples’ rights in Australia.
“There is no valid reason to deny same-sex couples formal and symbolic recognition extended to heterosexual couples,” Keats said.
“It is time that all sides of politics caught up with community attitudes and made a commitment to full relationship equality.”
Rights activists were left with some positive news, however. The Committee called on the federal Government to ensure all states and territories have consistent relationship schemes for same-sex couples. It also recommended lifting the ban on providing official documents required by some countries for Australian nationals to marry a same-sex partner overseas.
There were no recommendations to recognise same-sex marriages conducted overseas.
Even the conservative ancient Hindu nation of Nepal is more advanced than Australia when it comes to GLBT rights. Their Supreme Court ruled that GLBT indaviduals are NATURAL PEOPLE. Further it ordered the Nepalese government to draft legislation which ensured the rights of GLBT people including the right to marry.
This matter of being NATURAL PEOPLE goes to the core of all issues. We have never had that status in Australia and we will never get it if we continue with our current political approach. We must reunite the community, unite the gay vote, and stop pandering to the mainstream in the hope that we wont get bashed.
We must demand to be recognised as NATURAL PEOPLE. NO LESS.
Stuff relationship registers, we’re not dogs!! DOGS are registered. Should be nothing but full equality which means full marriage rights. I agree with previous comments that the gay pollies are not doing enough. I am stunned to still hear average australians think gay people are allowed to marry – they don’t have a clue what rights we have/don’t have.
Thought Australia was a free country – how is it when you can’t marry the person you have loved for more than half decade? Yet str8 couples who have just met 2 days ago can get married? It undermines my relationship when the law allows 2 people regardless of whether they’re in love to marry as long as they are a hetero couple.
Its not illegal to be gay so it shouldn’t be illegal to marry.
In NSW we still don’t have a basic relationship register, something that the Federal Govt included in the equalisation package. Will Nicolas Parkhill have something to say about this too or will ACON’s funds be cut off for defying the Labor government?
This is an issue of human rights and equality.Australia as is NOT the bastion of fairness and equality that people like to think it is.It is a BACKWATER as far as human rights are concerned.One only has to remember how long it took for G+L to be ‘legalised’In Tasmania,WA it was only just a few years ago that we were illegal.Australia has NO place to be questioning the rights and laws of other countries with this sort of attitude.We are no different to South Africa during the Apartheid era.We as G+L citizens are being treated as SECOND CLASS CITIZENS.The politicians in Canberra should be ASHAMED of themselves treating their fellow Australians in this way.The only suitable word to use is DISGRACE.DISGRACE to your country.We are not proud to be Australian.
Hold on a second. There is another political party that supports same-sex marriage. It’s the Australian Sex Party.
Not only do they believe in gay marriage, but their rhetoric discusses things like ‘sexual freedom’, which would suggest that anything to do with homosexuality and same-sex attracted romance and love and sex will be legislated and celebrated as part of the mainstream.
After the 2010 election, it’s very likely the Greens like hold the balance of power in the Senate outright (not sharing it with ultra-homophobic Family First). Bob Brown can go to Kevin Rudd and say, ‘I scratch your back, you scratch mine. If you legalise gay marriage, I’ll make sure my party passes your laws. Deal?’
This is a social policy issue, not an economic policy issue. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition should be widely called upon to allow a conscience vote on this issue. The record number of inquiry submissions demand it.
It would be unconscionable for them to impose an anti-egalitarian anti-equality party position upon the individual views of elected representatives over this.
On matters of the heart, demand a vote from the heart!
What a DISGRACE AUSTRALIA is to the world.A TOTAL SHAMEFUL,DISGRACE.There are so many countries that have passed gay marriage laws years ago.People should be boycotting the G+L MARDI GRAS,it obviously makes no difference.And as for dear Penny Wong and all our other G+L politicians in the Labour and Liberal parties what a DISGRACE you are to the G+L community.Time to get on the plane and move to somewhere a bit more G+L friendly I think (and spend our money there too)
The Greens are the only party that does not discriminate. Labor, Liberal, and Nationals all discriminate and promote discrimination against us.