On February 12, 2012, Australian comedian Magda Szubanski came out on The Project.
“I am absolutely not straight, I wouldn’t define myself as bisexual either,” she told the panel, which consisted of fellow comedian Dave Hughes, Charlie Pickering, Carrie Bickmore and Steve Price at the time.
“I would say I am like gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay a little bit not gay, gay, gay, gay,” she said.
Five-and-a-half years later, and the 56-year-old can’t believe same-sex marriage has not yet been legalised in Australia, and she’s encouraging people to enrol to have their say in the upcoming plebiscite.
(FYI, Australians have until midnight tonight to enrol or check their details have been updated. You can do that here.)
But the issue is about “more than just love” to the Kath & Kim star.
"It's not just about matters of abstract issues like equality...it's not just about love, it's about illness and death. That's when it really comes to the crunch," she said.
"People need to know you are not equally protected if you have a de facto relationship compared to a marriage."
Holding back tears, Szubanski shared the story of a close friend who was banned from the hospital room of her long-term partner while she was undergoing a painful cancer treatment.
"She wanted to be in the room with her... and the doctor said next of kin only. Parents, siblings, no spouses," she said.
"She wasn't allowed in and she had to stand outside and listen to the screams of the woman she loved, unable to even comfort her.
"In whose universe is that fair? What God thinks that is right, I don't understand it."
She also acknowledged that for some people - young Australians in particular - the ongoing conversation surrounding same-sex marriage and a lack of action has caused them to become "disillusioned".
"I actually think young people are really passionate...but I think they are disillusioned," she said.
"We see so much of politics is people winning points and trying to stay in power, and when they [get there] they're not really doing things that they really believe in or that really matter."
Her message is simple: do not give up.
"In these moments of despair...do not give up the fight. That's when you enrol, that's when you do everything you can to make this country the fairest place you can," she said.
"I guarantee you, even if you are not LGBTQI, your brother or your sister, your children or your grandchildren, or your nieces or your nephews will be.
"You are deciding now what sort of a world you will create for them."
LISTEN: A message for Malcolm Turnbull about the same-sex marriage plebiscite.
Top Comments
The law must be quite different in South Australia, because a spouse is the next of kin. When admitted to hospital, the patient nominates who the next of kin is and that can be a defacto partner, either homo or heterosexual.
Try telling that to Marco Bulmer-Rizzi
The RAH staff treated Marco Bulmer Rizzi exactly as they would any other spouse of a dying patient. The issue was the legality of their relationship as British citizens under SA law.
Mr. Bulmer-Rizzo was treated abominably by the SA authorities, and by Immigration due to the complete non-recognition of his status of next-of-kin as spouse. I was utterly ashamed and embarrassed to be Australian seeing what the poor, bereaved man needlessly suffered.
Almost the exact story was reported to me by a client when I was working as a solicitor in wills and estates law. The client's partner of 30 years was in a coma in ICU and he was denied visitation at some point because he wasn't recognised as next-of-kin. This man couldn't be with his partner in his dying moments.
Recently there was the story of the man who had issues repatriating the body of his husband because he wasn't considered as next-of-kin. On the death certificate we stated the man was "never married" despite being legally married overseas in his home country.
Bloody unbelievable! I feel for the LGBTQI community.
They also had all his decisions in regards to the body approved by his FIL (who was absolutely disgusted by the process and told them to stop calling him as it was his son's husband who was next-of-kin). Then they stopped him at Immigration because he was not authorised to carry the ashes as he was not next-of-kin. Then Immigration sent him a letter several months later saying his deceased husband was now an illegal immigrant because he had overstayed his visa! The whole thing is just mortifying and I cannot believe the unnecessary suffering inflicted on the poor man - particularly when he donated his husband's organs and benefitted three Australian families.