CELEBR ANTS EMBRACE GAY MARRIAGE
A NUMBER of Townsville marriage celebrants have thrown their support behind same- sex marriage, saying they will happily accommodate gay weddings if they are legalised.
Hit103.1 radio personality Guy “Cliffo” Clifton said he hoped to be the first Townsville celebrant to marry a same- sex couple if the practice is legalised following a federal plebiscite.
Mr Clifton decided to become a celebrant, mainly as a hobby, after experiencing the joy of his own wedding two years ago.
“The crux of it is, I just can’t imagine denying anyone that – being able to get up and stand in front of the person they that,” he said. “I think it’s cruel to deny that.” Mr Clifton said he believed not all Townsville celebrants were for same- sex marriage, but in general the wedding industry was “very excited” about the business it would create.
“I really hope we see an explosion of weddings because everyone deserves to be happy,” he said.
Civil celebrant Amanda Medill said she was sceptical that the Marriage Act would change in the short term, but she believed Australians would show their support for equality in the postal plebiscite. “Love is love,” she said. “It won’t affect me in any way and I certainly won’t have any objection to marrying same- sex couples.
A number of federal LNP MPs have circulated a proposed Marriage Amendment ( definition and religion freedoms) Bill 2017, which would love and declare allow religious marriage celebrants to refuse to officiate a same- sex ceremony without being taken to court for discrimination.
Ms Medill said celebrants opposed to same- sex marriage should not be forced to marry couples.
“If they weren’t like- minded, or they weren’t open- minded to it, why would you want to be married by them anyway?” she said.
Magnetic Island celebrant Kelly Grech said she supported same- sex marriage and would officiate at gay weddings, but did not believe that existing celebrants would see a huge spike in business.
“It could be bad ( for business), with the idea that a whole lot more celebrants might want to come on board,” she said.
“I expect that a lot of same- sex people will decide that they want to be celebrants now. “I can’t blame them, really.” Ms Grech said the Government should hold a free vote in Parliament, rather than a costly plebiscite.
“There is no need for the whole of Australia to get in on this argument,” she said.
Bishop of Townsville Reverend Tim Harris said the church celebrated the sacrament of marriage as between a man and a woman.
“I can’t see why a same- sex couple would want their wedding held in a church,” he said.
The bishop encouraged residents to make sure they were correctly enrolled by August 24 to have their say in the plebiscite.
“This is a free vote by the people but I would be encouraging people to consider that redefining marriage would deliberately create motherless or fatherless families, which would deprive children of at least one of their biological parents, and would put the preferences or interests of adults before the right and interests of children,” he said.