Majority want marriage
More than half of Australia’s gay and lesbian population wants to be married, according to a University of Queensland survey.
According to Not So Private Lives, the first national poll of gay and lesbian relationship preferences, 54.1 percent of those surveyed would prefer to be married. A further 80 percent thought the option should be open to gay and lesbian couples in Australia.
Rates of support for gay marriage were even higher among young people, with 65 percent of people under 20, and 62 percent of people under 30, stating they would prefer to have the option of marriage, And people already in a civil partnership or overseas union.
“The findings work to dispel the myth that most same-sex people do not wish to marry or are content with de facto status,” researcher Sharon Dane said.
“This majority preference for marriage may be a reflection of the fact that fewer same-sex couples feel the need to live their lives in secret. Although same-sex sexuality is still stigmatised at some level, a generally less hostile environment means same-sex couples can live their lives more openly and honestly and in doing so with to be treated like everyone else.
The results of this survey have been submitted to the Federal Senate inquiry into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, which is currently investigating a change to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriage.
To further read the survey’s findings visit www.notsoprivatelives.com.
i have also a partner who is living in australia i want also to marriage him i want to gave all my time for him i love much …. even im a 23 yrs old filipino and he is 40 yrs old australian i know what im doing im matured enough even im young….
this is my email
[email protected]
“More than half of Australia’s gay and lesbian population wants to be married”. In the Netherlands, there has only been about 1,500 gay marriages per year since it became legal so I question the result of this poll.
Dave, I’m not sure what “early church” you’re referring to but as for your link, I’ve never read such rot in all my life. Absoulte rubbish.
Gay marriage is illegal and should remain that way.
I have this to say:
“2, 4, 6, 8 stop the hate
9, 10, 11, 12 Kevin Rudd and Labor smells of homophobia because he will not give gays the LEGAL [NOT RELIGIOUS] right to marry their same-sex partners!!!!”
Oh Flocken,
The early church welcomed gay marriage. Many societies have had gay relationships recognized. Go look at http://whywouldwe.org Even Xavier wrote about how people accepted gay people when he first visited Japan hundreds of years ago. Marriage is not owned by Christianity or people like you. Your comments are stupid and without foundation.
I might add the purpose of marriage is not to procreate. What you say is those who cannot have children are a failed marriage Give us a break. What proof do you have defacto couples do not procreate? None. What about people married who choose not have children?
You see Jesus did not discriminate but you choose to. Jesus affirmed a gay man. Jesus did not care about the sexuality of an individual. Just because the religious right advertised and gave money to political parties, does make them all knowing. It only confirms that they are an Evil bunch.
What Australian needs is a new category of marriage, the Christian Right Marriage Certificate. That way you can keep your discrimination and views to yourself. It is you that is seeking to redefine Marriage!
I get confused with the gay marriage debate and indeed the sexparty view supporting the religious institution of marriage. Has the gay community no creativity to create a new method and name of matrimony? HGD is correct. Let them create a new construct. The concept of Gay marriage I believe is demeaing to the marriage construct that has a basic tenet of heterosexual partnership. A construct proven to be overall the most successful in sustaining and recreating society.
Or ….while roughly half of the respondents don’t themselves want to get married, the overwhelming majority support the concept of gay marriage. Which is about what I would have expected.
I’m not sure that roughly half of the respondents supporting the proposition (particularly when it’s the expected “correct” answer) works to “dispel the myth that most same-sex people do not wish to marry” as Ms Dane claims. Nor, after living in an out and proud relationship for many years, do I accept her asinine and insulting contention that I need to be married to my man in order to avoid “living my life in secret.”
It’s a no-brainer that gay and lesbian couples should be entitled to marry if they choose. It’s equally the case that gay and lesbian couples who choose not to marry (in our case because we think it’s an irredeemably heterosexual construct – but that’s just us) should also have their relationships honoured and validated. For the record, Sharon, we are totally content with our legally protected de facto status and we’re pretty much over being told it’s second class.