You may have heard a thing or two about marriage equality in recent weeks. Perhaps.
Australians are being given the opportunity to have their say in a farcical survey which serves to suggest whether or not the LGBTQI community should have the right to marry.
And we want to introduce you to the brilliant woman leading the way for the ‘Yes’ campaign.
"I've been doing this for three years now, " says Middleton. "And I'm not exactly the person that people expect, sitting in my pearls and my colours."
She tells Mia Freedman, "I'm a Liberal voter, catholic, ex-investment banker, married to my husband for 21 years, and an incredibly conservative person."
Middleton isn't wrong. When we think of the Marriage Equality campaign, few people think of a conservative, heterosexual woman as the one leading the charge.
Listen: Janine Middleton explains to Mia Freedman the role women having in making Marriage Equality happen. Post continues after audio.
"I volunteered three years ago with the Marriage Equality campaign... it initially came about because of Ian Thorpe... when he came out, I was really moved by it, to a point where I was crying around the house," Middleton says.
"It just sort of came to me that if Ian Thorpe struggled coming out, and someone like Magda Szubanski struggled coming out - these are two fantastic Australian icons who could go to any house in the country and be welcome for a cup of tea - what was the hope for the guy in the Western suburbs or the girl in Ballarat."
Middleton is of the firm belief that we currently stand at a historical crossroads; one that we will, as a country, look back on with embarrassment one day.
"This postal survey is obviously horrendous... LGBTIQ Australians have to now stand up and ask their fellow Australians if it's okay for them to be themselves," she says. "What business is that of ours?"
What business indeed.
You can listen to Mia Freedman's full interview with Janine Middleton here.
The award-winning podcast Mamamia Out Loud is doing their first live show. There will be laughs, disagreements and you can meet the hosts afterwards! We’re also donating $5 of every ticket price to Share The Dignity so grab your friends and come along to share the love and laughs, get your tickets here.
