Civil celebrants get behind gay marriage

Civil celebrants get behind gay marriage

Australia’s national civil celebrants association has endorsed marriage equality and called for a conscience vote from all parties.

In a statement issued today, the national president of the Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants (AFCC), Lance Tapsell, said the association was committed to marriage equality and keenly awaited changes in legislation which would see the end of discrimination for couples in loving same-sex relationships.

“AFCC member celebrants have for many years been conducting commitment ceremonies for couples unable to legally wed, and are aware of their desire to be accorded equal rights under the law,” Tapsell said.

“It supports a conscience vote for all sides of politics to ensure that this matter is not hijacked by party politics, but reflects contemporary thinking in the broader community.”

Australian Marriage Equality spokesman Rodney Croome welcomed the statement, saying civil celebrants are confronted with the reality of discrimination on a daily basis.

“Civil celebrants see the pain that is caused by discriminatory marriage laws, both to same-sex couples whose solemn vows have no legal standing and to heterosexual couples who are ambivalent about marrying while their gay friends and relatives can’t,” he said.

“Celebrants have a deep appreciation of the true value and meaning of marriage as a vow of lifelong commitment between two loving partners, so naturally they will be concerned when the law does not reflect this true meaning and but entrenches discrimination and exclusion instead.”

The AFCC statement has been echoed by individual celebrants.

Registered celebrant and director of online marriage celebrant hub Engage Celebrants, Sarah Cummings, said marriage celebrants are noticing a significant delay among gay couples who appear to be holding off on commitment ceremonies in the hope the Marriage Act will be amended to allow same-sex marriages in 2012.

“Up until recently, celebrants in the Engage Celebrant network regularly performed commitment ceremonies. Over the last 12 months the enquiries have really dropped off. It seems people are waiting to see what will happen in 2012,” Cummings said.

Maxine Lowry, a celebrant in Tasmania where same-sex couples have been able to have civil union ceremonies for several years, agreed same-sex couples are delaying their ceremonies.

“Tasmania has the longest-standing civil union scheme in Australia but it has not proven to be an adequate substitute for marriage. Many same-sex couples are choosing to wait until they can marry instead of having partnership ceremonies,” she said.

“There is also an increasing number of brides and grooms who are unhappy with the celebrant’s wedding declaration that marriage is the union of a man and a woman because this demeans the relationships of their gay friends and relatives.

“As a celebrant I am concerned the exclusion of gay couples from marriage diminishes the institution by associating it with discrimination.”

In December, the Labor Party National Conference allowed federal Labor MPs a conscience vote on marriage equality, but Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has ruled out a conscience vote for the Coalition, making reform more difficult to achieve.

Almost 70 percent of Australian marriages are conducted by civil celebrants.

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