The government will soon send you a survey asking whether you support changing the law to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Many people, like the ‘Angry Dad’ in this viral video, have expressed exasperation at the process. Others, including Barnaby Joyce, have said they’re sick of hearing about it — with still months to go.

The easy thing is to tune out. After all, why do you care if marriage equality becomes law? These 17 reasons explain why you should care; and care enough to fill in and return your survey form right away.

1. Because you’re sick of hearing about it.

If most Australians vote ‘No’, then the issue of marriage equality won’t go away. The Labor Party has already said, should the ALP win government, then it will legislate for same-sex marriage within the first 100 days of government, whatever the result of the survey:

Image: Twitter.

Even Conservative commentator Greg Sheridan regards marriage equality as inevitable. So, he says in TheAustralian, it’s much better to vote ‘Yes’ now:

'Same-sex marriage is virtually certain to come about, either under this government or the next one, whether that is Liberal or Labor. So it is much better to do it now.'

A ‘No’ vote will merely delay the inevitable — wasting more government time, more air time, more of your Facebook timelines. If, on the other hand, most people vote ‘Yes’, then Malcolm Turnbull has assured Australians that marriage equality will ‘sail through the Parliament’. Vote ‘Yes’ as the quickest way to get marriage equality off the agenda.

2. Because you’re angry about the survey.

Many people see the survey as an illegitimate way to inform government policy on human rights. The survey will, in itself, have no impact on marriage law. The government conceded this in their submissions to the High Court in the recent postal survey challenge.

Only Parliament can make laws; the people answering a survey cannot. Although the High Court upheld the survey’s legal validity, the Court did not necessarily uphold the survey’s moral legitimacy. The survey may legally count as a survey, but that doesn’t stop it from being a dodgy survey.

As a result, some lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people plan on boycotting the survey, out of principle. Understandably, they reject the offensive notion that their rights depend on a show of hands, or on a tick of the box. But if you abstain, you will not upset the government; your vote will go unnoticed. On the other hand, if you contribute to a high ‘Yes’ vote, then you will prove to the government this survey has always been a waste of time and money that’s caused unnecessary division.

Vote ‘Yes’ to prove the other opinion polls correct: around two-thirds of Australians support marriage equality. And vote ‘Yes’ to force the government to do what we elect governments to do: to decide marriage equality through an ordinary vote of Parliament.

3. Because you want the the government to butt out of people’s lives.

‘Angry Dad’ vented his frustration at the government’s interfering in people’s lives. InThe Australianconservative journalist Janet Albrechtsen shares a similar sentiment:

'Opposing same-sex marriage rubbed up against my belief that governments have no business policing private relationships that do no harm to others.'

You mightn’t care about marriage equality, but you might care about other issues that affect you: IVF, abortion, adoption, surrogacy, access to stem-cell treatments, voluntary euthanasia. Unless you stop them, governments can impinge on your personal choices.

Voting ‘Yes’ affirms anti-statist, libertarian, and conservative beliefs that the state should stay out of your personal life. Vote ‘Yes’ to tell the government to butt out.

4. Because you care about freedom.

People rightly worry about their freedoms — for example, freedom of religion and freedom from religion, freedom of speech and freedom from hate speech. But what of the freedom to marry the person you love?

Again, conservative commentator Janet Albrechtsen believes libertarian conservatives who care about greater freedom ‘will regard liberty as a good reason to support same-sex marriage’.

Freedom-loving Australians ought to recognise, not rebuff, changing the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) since, in Albrechtsen’s words, ‘marriage equality will enable more freedom for people to mark their relationship by marrying and seek the stability that marriage can offer’.

Likewise, Liberal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has said on his Facebook Page that he will be voting Yes to ‘support individual rights and freedoms’.

Vote ‘Yes’ to extend a basic freedom to LGBTI people to marry the person they love.

5. Because you care about religious freedom.

Marriage equality won’t affect religious freedoms. Take, for example, section 47 of the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth): a religious celebrant can already refuse to solemnise any marriage, for any reason. That won’t change.

Any case for further protecting religious freedom exists already and doesn’t depend on changing the marriage laws. Even if you accept the myth that marriage equality will affect religious freedoms, then it’s still best to vote ‘Yes’ now, while a Conservative government controls the process. As conservative journalist Greg Sheridan says: '[T]he best chance of ensuring religious freedom will come if this change occurs under the Turnbull government.'

Former Liberal Premier Nick Greiner agrees:

'The necessary religious protections for ministers of religion, religious marriage celebrants, and use of church grounds and services, will be assured … Such freedoms are at the forefront of legislation drafted by senator Dean Smith and MPs Tim Wilson, Warren Entsch, Trent Zimmerman and Trevor Evans.'

Vote ‘Yes’ to secure religious freedoms.

6. Because you care about truth.

According to the latest poll, the ‘No’ case’s fear campaign has started to work. Predictions of the ‘No’ side winning the survey have already been made, comparing the survey with the election of Donald Trump and Brexit, as a popular reaction against the ‘elites’ and an angry retort to being told what to think.

If the election of Trump and Brexit are reactions against the so-called ‘elites’, then this survey can be your reaction against the fear, ‘fake news’, propaganda, red herrings, and ‘alternative facts’ of the No case.

Some things are knowable. We know that marriage equality will not stifle free speech, affect religious freedoms, or determine the content of Safe Schools programs. These myths have been busted. Former Liberal Premier Nick Greiner will be voting ‘Yes’ because:

'We should not be distracted by red herrings in this debate. We are discussing who can and who can’t get married under Australian law.'

Independent Senator Derryn Hinch will be doing likewise:

Image: Twitter.

A ‘Yes’ vote will signal a return to sensible, fact-based decision-making.

7. Because you care about choice.

Not all people want to get married. Not all LGBTI people want to get married. But marriage equality isn’t about compelling people to marry; it’s about people having the choice to marry. A straight person has the choice to marry, whether they want to marry or not. Why deny that choice to others?

Vote ‘Yes’ to give others the choices you take for granted.

8. Because you don’t want someone else’s religion telling you what to do.

Just as you might object to, say, Sharia Law dictating the content of your secular marriage, so it is objectionable for any religion to dictate secular laws. Secular marriage provides the best defence against any religion holding sway.

Prominent Catholic priest Father Frank Brennan will vote ‘Yes’ in the survey, even though he still believes in the Christian view of marriage as being between one man and one woman. Father Brennan recognises the difference between religious or sacramental marriage and civil or secular marriage:

'None of [the] present attributes of civil marriage in Australia coincide with the aspects of a sacramental marriage recognised by the Catholic Church.'

A ‘Yes’ response will confirm what we already know: secular marriage differs from religious marriage and will safeguard against any particular religion dictating what you can do in your private life — Christian or non-Christian, Muslim or non-Muslim, religious or non-religious, gay or straight.

Set the precedent now. Vote ‘Yes’ to ensure someone else’s religion doesn’t trump your own religious beliefs, or lack of religious beliefs, now and in the future.

9. Because you care about marriage.

Far from weakening marriage, including same-sex couples in marriage strengthens the institution.

Around one in three marriages in Australia end in divorce. Gay couples who want desperately to marry will bring commitment back to the institution and encourage straight couples to re-value marriage.

In fact, experience overseas shows when countries legalise same-sex marriage, the general marriage rate increases. For example, in Scandinavia, where recognising same-sex relationships has a long history, marriage rates among heterosexual couples have increased by as much as 30% and divorce rates have gone down.

Because same-sex marriage strengthens marriage for everyone, former Howard government Liberal Minister Helen Coonan has changed her views on the definition of marriage. She will be voting ‘with a resounding yes’, as will Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the same reason.

Vote ‘Yes’ to bring commitment back to the fractured institution of marriage.

10. Because you care about kids.

LGBTI couples already have kids. The cumulative evidence shows that kids of LGBTI couples do just as well as kids of opposite-sex couples. If marriage confers benefits to kids of heterosexual couples, then why deny those benefits to kids of LGBTI couples?

Again, Catholic priest Frank Brennan explains:

'There are an increasing number of children being raised by same sex couples. The number is not going to decline. Those children deserve to be brought up in a society where there is a public commitment to respect and affirmation of their family arrangements.'

And as conservative journalist Greg Sheridan says:

‘Once the law accepts that gay couples can adopt children, then the overwhelming priority in the whole question is the welfare of the children. All children benefit from their parents being as committed to each other, and to them, as possible. Legal marriage helps the children of gay couples as it does the children of heterosexual couples.'

Vote ‘Yes’ for the kids of LGBTI couples.

11. Because you care about your friends and family.

You probably have more gay friends, family members, colleagues, and employees than you think. Many LGBTI people still don’t come out to their work colleagues, or even to family.

According to BeyondBlue, the mental health of LGBTI people is among the poorest in Australia. LGBTI people have the highest rates of suicidality of any population in Australia. Up to 50 per cent of transgender people have attem