Ecstatic duo propose toast to equality

JAMES and Luke CashionLozell are one step closer to tying the knot after the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday revealed overwhelming national support for same- sex marriage.

The Townsville couple joined other yes voters at the Sovereign Hotel and were “over the moon” when the survey result came through.

“Everyone’s elated. There’s crying, there’s happiness, there’s shouting. Everyone is having a really good time,” James said.

“No one wanted to be that guy who counted their chickens before they hatched, this is such a huge relief off so many people’s chests.”

He said he wanted to be around like- minded people when the results came in so the couple could commiserate or celebrate together.

“These are the people – whether they’re gay or not – it directly affects them. They have friends who, whether they want to get married or not, are gay and wanted to be treated equally,” he said.

The couple were engaged years ago, believing marriage equality was on the way, but those plans fell by the wayside.

“We started discussions for the first time a couple of weeks ago, we started discussions for the first time in a long time,” he said.

James Cashion- Lozell said the government still had to pass laws, but he was confident that change was coming.

“There’s still a long way to go ( but) this is an amazing day for Australia, and it’s an amazing day for Townsville as well,” he said.

“So many people came together for this, to make this happen, and we saw such an amazing result from the community – gay and straight alike.”