Today, thousands of people in Sydney looked up at the sky and sighed – and then they took action.
Written in the sky, in giant skywriting, were the words ‘Vote No’.
Supporters of marriage equality snapped photos of the message and shared it on social media, letting the no campaign know they will not be disheartened by a giant message of hate in the sky.
Many people took the original message, got a little creative, and replaced it with a much better one.
Here’s some of the best responses so far:
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The Quicky
Top Comments
Why is it that I can receive text messages on my mobile, and direct dialler campaigns on my home phone from the 'yes' campaign, and it is not ok for some person (with probably a bit more money than sense) to sky write 'no'? I want to know how on earth my phone numbers were even given to these campaigns as I am on 'Do Not Call' lists!
I am really sick of hearing that voting 'no' is hateful. If I have a good friend who wants to be a bus driver but is vision impaired (through no fault of their own) is it really hateful for me to believe that they can't/ shouldn't be a bus driver? They may really want to be a bus driver, they may feel really sad that they can't have what they want, and they may be vision impaired from birth so there was never any choice about it, but does that still mean that they get to be one just because they want it? This is not showing a lack of equality - this is just accepting difference. This doesn't mean that I hate my friend, or that I think there is something wrong with all vision impaired people. This doesn't mean that I think that because they don't see the same way as everyone else that I believe there is something inherently wrong or defective with them. It just means that they are different and different is perfectly ok!
Similarly I am quite capable of caring about someone who has different sexual preferences to me (I do believe that people are born that way, it is not a choice), and still believe that marriage is between and man and a woman. Why am I not allowed to have this opinion? Different is not less, and holding that view is not always hateful and I am sick of the 'yes' campaign portraying it that way. I know many caring wonderful people who have not suddenly grown horns and scales just because they believe 'no' is the appropriate vote but some of what the 'yes' campaign is saying about 'no' voters would have you believe that they have and that they are akin to all sorts of horrible criminals!
To be honest I think that there should be a new name for a recognised union that does not include being called 'marriage'. Marriage to me means the union between a man and a woman. Sheesh, I have learnt so many different definitions (I had no idea what CIS was until recently!) in the last couple of years that have only been created relevantly recently - surely the LGBTIQ community can come up with a new word that can be used to mean a recognised union that means that they can be treated respectfully when it comes to a dying patient's family in hospital, and other similar important times?
In our society we have a real arrogance where we believe that just because we want it, we should be able to have it. We are self centred enough to believe that no matter what it is that having what we want has zero affect on everyone else, and that there is only one way of thinking that is ok. Tradition, and society and other people's opinions and beliefs can all go hang. There are things that I can not have/ do because of things about my body that can not be changed, and that were not my choice - and sometimes I just need to accept them. I do not go about demanding that things change to suit me. I do not demand standards change because I can't meet them. I can't play soccer in the Australian team just because I want to - that gate is closed to me. I can't demand to be an astronaut because I want it - that gate is also closed to me. Not everything needs changing just because a minority (which sometimes includes me) is affected by it. Why can't people spend more time thinking about what they do have rather than spending so much time thinking about what they don't have! I am not campaigning either way in my 'offline' world (and this is the first post I have made about this online), but I am sick of being told that there is only way 'right' way to vote, or otherwise I am awful and hateful.
You are using the exact same rationale that people against interracial marriage used, that men used against the suffragette movement, and that people used against the Indigenous being counted in the census.
Many countries have shown that gay people CAN marry, and DO marry. Hence your argument is entirely flawed and based on nothing but 'but, but......TRADITION!' This is 2017. Time for you to realise that you CAN do what you want, and gays CAN and DO marry in many countries.
Would you say it is the 'right' way to vote to deny women the vote? No. Because 'no' is not an acceptable argument. It was wrong to vote 'no' against women getting the right to vote (and stand for parliament).
Would you say it is the 'right' way to vote to deny a white/black, white/Asian, Asian/black etc couple to marry. I would sincerely hope not. Because to vote no to interracial couples to marry is WRONG.
Would you say it is the 'right' way to vote to deny Indigenous people being considered as citizens in 1967? I would sincerely hope not. Because to vote no to Indigenous people being considered human beings and not flora and fauna, is WRONG.
So too, is voting to deny gay couples the right to marry. What gives you or anyone the right to say to someone, I believe marriage is between man and woman, therefore I vote to DENY you the right to your OWN FREEDOM TO CHOOSE? How can anyone think voting 'no' and choosing to tell people what they can and can't do and force your beliefs down their throat, is the 'right' thing to do? Perhaps you realise the full scope of what you are doing by voting 'no'......saying you have the right to dictate to people and vote to deny them basic human civil rights, because of your 'opinion', and perhaps you feel guilty because you know the consequences of your vote deep down.
A blind bus driver analogy? Really?
I'm voting no and it has nothing to do with hatred and everything to do with what I believe marriage is. The hatred campaign has to stop from you yes voters, you're hurting the very ones you're claiming to protect
What does that even mean? How about let's stop the discrimination towards LGBTIQ first? Then you can cry me a river about being "bullied".
What does the 'B' in LGBTIQ stand for and why are you not standing for the discrimination against those who are equally attracted to both men and women but who are forced to choose just one partner which society has deemed acceptable?
Really? You think the Yes campaign is full of hate? Are they trying to prevent some gaining equality? Are they the ones getting around calling gay people fags, sick, disgusting, unnatural, perverted, deviant paedophiles with an agenda to destroy marriage, free speech and freedom of religion? Are they the ones trying to force their personal "definitions" onto someone else's life? (My definition of marriage is probably very different to yours, but I would never to to make you live by my version)
Yeah, there's certainly some anger and name calling from the yes side. But it's really, REALLY hard to stay calm in the face of all that.
Meh. I'm not offended by polygamy either as long as they are all willing.