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Between now and when Australia achieves Marriage Equality, I pledge I will:
- Enrol to vote (if I am not already) and encourage others to enrol asap. (You can do that here)
- NOT boycott the vote. Yes, this vote hurts and it may not even be legal, but we need to show up in overwhelming numbers to support a positive outcome for Marriage Equality so I will vote and I will encourage others not to boycott.
- Use the phrase Marriage Equality instead of same-sex or gay marriage. This is a far more inclusive way to discuss the issue.
- Check in with my LGBTIQ family, friends and acquaintances to see if they are ok. This debate isn’t kind and people’s resilience and mental health is already suffering. Just knowing people care enough to check-in is awesome
- If I have the ability, donate to LGBTIQ causes and/or to specific coalitions working on supporting a positive outcome for Marriage Equality. (Some include StartOut, AustraliansforEquality and GetUp!)
- Sign this petition for a free vote on Marriage Equality in the Parliament:
- Be brave. I will respectfully challenge when I hear people say Marriage Equality is not cool or something we shouldn’t have in Australia. I will not allow fact-free, bigoted conversations to happen. I will shut down hate speech and respectfully challenge ideas; on the bus, online and within my family and friendship circles. But when those who oppose go low, I will stay high. We can’t give in to hate.
- Critically evaluate the question put to us when we get to vote on Marriage Equality – because I just know the current Government will try to skew this towards defeat somehow. I will make sure I know I am voting FOR Marriage Equality and make sure my friends know too.
- Write to my MP’s and Senators; better yet if I can I will call them and better than that, I will show up in person to chat about why Marriage Equality is important to me and why we should have a free vote in the Parliament to achieve it. I will tell them why even if the postal vote comes back with a negative response, they should keep working on Marriage Equality.
- Thank people who are actively supporting and advocating for Marriage Equality – especially our politicians. Everyone needs affirmation and encouragement for playing their part.
- Speak to the people in my street, neighbourhood, church, teams, workplace and community about this issue and engage them in a positive discussion about voting FOR Marriage Equality. I will share stories of friends and family members who are affected by this and why it matters deeply to them and to us as a nation.
- Check in with LGBTIQ friends and ask if I can share their stories on social media. I know that the political is personal and if people currently sitting on the fence can just see how this affects real human lives, they might be persuaded to help get this done
- Share this pledge far and wide and advocate for others to share it too
Top Comments
The pledge above shows how intolerant and emotive the "YES" side is - there is nothing mentioned in the pledge to justify redefining the word "marriage" to include same sex couples. Even if same sex marriage becomes legal, there won't be any such "Marriage Equality" because there will be many LGBTIQAP+ people who will still out on using the word "marriage" to label their relationship (that is all that SSM is and has no comparison to biological heterosexual parenthood). The Marriage Act is already applied equally to everyone right now, but the homosexuals choose not to marry this way, so "Marriage Equality" is an emotive propaganda slogan and nothing more. If the postal plebiscite ends up a "NO", it is because the words homophobe, bigot and equality were misused. People aren't fooled by the left-wing slogans - your pledge is only of any benefit to the homosexual activites and no one else.
No.
I think everyone should have the right to marry without promising to engage in procreational sex. Currently many heterosexuals marry without wanting to have children and many express their love in sexual ways beyond putting a penis in a vagina. No-one questions it.
I think everyone should have those rights. In short, I think the government should get out of people's bedrooms unless there is an illegal activity going on. That is what marriage equality means to me: the right for homosexuals to publicly and legally state their love without witnesses worrying about their love-making.
Amen!
In a secular society, where gay relationships are as valid as heterosexual ones, gay people deserve the same status. It is not intolerant to fight intolerant. The 'no' crowd are the intolerant ones, unable to accept that they live in a secular, diverse society and think that their own, personal morals should apply to everyone. You can still not agree with gay marriage if gay marriage is legalised. You can exercise that by not getting married to a person of the same gender. You can keep your morals, keep your religion, keep your definition of marriage, because gay people getting married isn't going to affect any of that.
If marriage is just to procreate, we should ban infertile and menapausal ppl from marrying too.