Szubanski turns eyes to next battle
DANCING to Love is in the Air alongside fellow ‘yes’ campaigners, Magda Szubanski was the picture of exhilaration and relief yesterday.
But as the political machine still determined to block the passing of same-sex marriage equality into law powered on, the actor and gay advocate said she remained anxious about what lay next.
Before the survey results were known, Szubanski pointed to the suspicion of LGBTQI people that prevails, despite the overwhelming outcome of this vote.
“It’s not like watching The Voice or something, where you go, ‘oooh, I wonder what the result will be?’ There was so much at stake with this and none of us wanted to go through this protracted, expensive process, if we could avoid it,” she said.
“I’m not averse to debating the issues, I think that’s an incredibly healthy thing to do but, to create an adversarial, yes or no, about people’s lives, is never helpful.”
The Kath & Kim favourite has proved a courageous campaigner, using her profile to engage others and share her emotional experience.
The start of the survey also came at a time of personal pain, when her 92-year-old mother, Margaret, died.
“It was her birthday a couple of days ago, all these things, it’s been awful,” Szubanski said, tearfully.
“But they made me. Their values . . . Dad’s very principled way of being and Mum’s compassion, I try to carry those qualities forward as much as I can, and try to glean whatever lessons I can from them.
“Her family was as much Irish as they were Scottish and she knew what it was like to be judged.
“That was the thing for her, she just couldn’t [vote no].”
Szubanski says her open sexuality has been a journey of understanding and acceptance for her family, “but (Mum) met my friends and she grew to love them as equals”.
The public debate had tested her, she said.
“Honestly, I look at my friends and I don’t understand why they are afraid of us, I really don’t,” she said.
“I don’t understand what threat it is that I pose in any way, or my friends, who are beautiful and work in all sorts of industries. What is that problem? What is that fear? It’s not like we’re the gay militia.”