GEELONG RALLIES FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY:
MARRIAGE equality campaigners turned Geelong every colour of the rainbow when they hit the streets for a rally on Saturday.
Hundreds of people marched the city’s streets, kickstarting a five-week campaign aimed at influencing the national postal survey on same-sex marriage.
With the Australian Bureau of Statistics getting the goahead last week to conduct the survey for the Federal Government, mail-outs are expected to start this week.
Say Yes Geelong’s Sarah Hathway said organisers of Saturday’s rally were buoyed by the support it attracted, and would be holding further public events in coming weeks.
“It was important to show there are a large number of people in Geelong who believe in equality, and see this as a civil rights movement,” she said.
Backed by Geelong’s union leaders, the rally coincided with a similar event in Ballarat, one in Kyneton yesterday and upcoming events in Bendigo, Shepparton and Horsham.
Before marching, participants in the rally heard from a number of speakers, including Surf Coast couple Aden Hemmerling and Jonathon Condron, Adele Welsh from Geelong Trades Hall and Beth McNiven.
Geelong’s Grace McCann told the crowd the debate about marriage equality was getting young people more engaged in politics, and marching in the rally was just a beginning.
She urged those in favour of marriage equality to make their voices heard in the survey, start conversations with others about the issue and support friends through what might be a difficult debate.
“Although we may not be ready to marry the loves of our lives tomorrow we want the choice,” she said.
“We want the same legal rights offered to heterosexual couples.”