Australia gay marriage rally draws record crowd ahead of postal vote
SYDNEY: More than 20,000 people rallied in Sydney yesterday urging the legalisation of samesex marriage, days ahead of a contentious postal survey on the issue that has divided the country.
Organisers said the gathering was Australia’s largest gay rights demonstration, as a diverse range of people clad in rainbow colours converged on the heart of the city to insist on equal rights.
“We’re blown away by the response. The force we’ve shown today puts us in a good stead to win this battle over the next couple of months,” Cat Rose from Community Action Against Homophobia said.
Though the postal ballot is nonbinding, a ‘yes’ vote is expected to lead to the legalisation of samesex marriage which could further fracture the government of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Ballots will be mailed out from Sept 12, with a result expected some time in November.
The country’s Opposition Leader, Bill Shorten, said it was the law that had to change, not the gay community.
“We’ve got one last mountain to climb before we make marriage equality a reality. Let’s climb it together, today,” he said.
Turnbull, who has said he will be voting in support of same-sex marriage, told a gathering of the Liberal and National parties’ faithful yesterday that the issue was one where everyone is entitled to an opinion.
“Many people will vote ‘yes’, as I will, because they believe the right to marry is a conservative ideal as much as any other principle,” he said.
His words were in contrast to those of one of his party’s previous leaders, former prime minister John Howard, who officially launched the ‘no’ campaign.
Howard said in a statement on the website of the Coalition for Marriage that there could not be changes to social institutions without wider consequences.
“I believe there is a conflict here between those seeking the right for same-sex marriage and the rights of the child, and I believe the right of the child to have a mother and father should be preserved,” he said. — Reuters