Australia's Yes Vote to SSM

[Blair]

So, you guys will know from my ramblings over the last couple of months that Australia is debating about same sex marriage at the moment. It was put to a plebiscite (a non-compulsory, non-binding survey) to get to know the public's opinion.

The result today was 61.6% said yes, 38.4% said no.

What does this mean? That it goes to Parliament and they battle it out there. What I've seen a lot of Twitter today is a lot of Americans (all Youtube peeps I follow) assuming that same sex marriage is now legal in Australia.
It isn't.

Our Prime Minister wants to legalize it by Xmas. We will see.

 

[The Bronze]

It was put to a plebiscite (a non-compulsory, non-binding survey) to get to know the public's opinion.

If only we'd thought of that in the UK!

I don't know what the Australian Parliament is like but I imagine that result will be quite difficult to ignore now. Good luck 🙂

 

[caitaintdead]

It has been a very exciting day!

The result was announced at 7am my time and a gay bar in the area was hosting a champagne breakfast to watch the results come in. There has been lots of celebration and quite a few proposals in my circle of friends!

While I will never agree with the plebiscite, I am so happy that the majority of my country believes in equality and love. Bring on all the fabulous weddings!

 

[Athena]

Whilst I'm happy for the result, I had no idea til this morning it was just essentially a survey of opinion and totally non-binding. That's disappointing. Still, I hope something legally binding can come of it.

 

[Blair]

It has been a very exciting day!

The result was announced at 7am my time and a gay bar in the area was hosting a champagne breakfast to watch the results come in. There has been lots of celebration and quite a few proposals in my circle of friends!

Hang on, were you at The Court? You're a fellow West Aussie? 😀

I hung at uni today. Was pretty cool, I played my guitar and had the unofficial official handshake and passing of the rainbow flag to me by the Student Guild rep. Next semester I'll be the President of the Queer Collective (which I still actually have to get kicked off the ground properly, but it's happening!. Also got interviewed by the local radio station about the SSM result, which was cool.

The plebiscite situation has been a cluster mess, but glad it's all over with.

 

[caitaintdead]

Hang on, were you at The Court? You're a fellow West Aussie? 😀

I hung at uni today. Was pretty cool, I played my guitar and had the unofficial official handshake and passing of the rainbow flag to me by the Student Guild rep. Next semester I'll be the President of the Queer Collective (which I still actually have to get kicked off the ground properly, but it's happening!. Also got interviewed by the local radio station about the SSM result, which was cool.

The plebiscite situation has been a cluster mess, but glad it's all over with.

No I wasn't there myself, but a large section of my friends were! I might head down this evening. Wednesday nights for $6 drag deals are my favourite.

It's a small world aye?! If you see me come say hi!

 

[Skanky Vamp]

First glance I thought it said S&M

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

Really happy for you, Assuies. This sounds like a major step in the right direction.

Do you think it is possible that we 50 years from now will look back at the time when being gay was kinda edgy with some nostalgia?

 

[Geobubbles]

I don't know whether to feel happy that the majority support it or sad that 40% of my country are homophobic :/
That number just seems huge to me I thought it would be a little lower. Really hoping that it will come in as a Christmas present for you @Blair!! n.n

 

[RachM]

Update - Australia has finally passed the Same-Sex Marriage Bill! We now officially have Marriage Equality!

 

[GoSpuffy]

Really happy for you, Assuies. This sounds like a major step in the right direction.

Do you think it is possible that we 50 years from now will look back at the time when being gay was kinda edgy with some nostalgia?

I dont think it will take 50 years. Canada has had SSM since 2005 and that's only 12 years but it's hard to believe it was ever not allowed.

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

Yay, Australia! I'd come down and offer you a high five, if I wasn't terrified of all the scary animals and creepy crawlies you have down there.

I dont think it will take 50 years. Canada has had SSM since 2005 and that's only 12 years but it's hard to believe it was ever not allowed.

Damn it! You beat us by four years. At least we were the second country in the world to introduce civil partnership *shakes fist at the smug Danes*

I would say 50 years for full normalisation of homosexuality is a pretty optimistic prognosis, though. I am not even sure sometimes that things will keep moving in the right direction. Not everyone is as nice and enlightened as you are 😛

 

[GoSpuffy]

Canada was the third country after the Netherlands and Belgium. Australia is number 25 but "good on ya mate" *said like crocodile dundee*

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Congratulations! Now the real work begins. I don't have figures for Australia but in the US, there are about 1100 different laws that may or may not have to be explicitly changed to actually make same sex marriage work the same way as hetero marriage. These things involve property rights during a divorce, child support, adoption, power of attorney, visitation rights in hospital, joint accounts, joint taxes and a whole host of other things that may or may not automatically change with the adoption of SSM. Some things will be obvious from the way the original law was written but others may only be decided by a test case and some will not have changed at all.

 

[Blair]

@GoSpuffy Actually, we're number 26 to have legalized it. Austria beat us by a day 😛

I certainly celebrated last night (read that: got drunk), not to mention my phone buzzing so much from a lot of happy people.

It finally happened! I didn't think it would actually happen this year but it did, hurrah!

Congratulations! Now the real work begins. I don't have figures for Australia but in the US, there are about 1100 different laws that may or may not have to be explicitly changed to actually make same sex marriage work the same way as hetero marriage. These things involve property rights during a divorce, child support, adoption, power of attorney, visitation rights in hospital, joint accounts, joint taxes and a whole host of other things that may or may not automatically change with the adoption of SSM. Some things will be obvious from the way the original law was written but others may only be decided by a test case and some will not have changed at all.

They say that the first gay marriages can happen from 9th of January, so I suppose it's to accommodate some of the changes. They haven't really focused on this at all, and I watched a few of the debates.

There's still a lot of anger out there, particularly because "Now that gay marriage is a thing, polygamy is next!" (Fun fact; in Australia polygamy marriages are recognised if the person was married outside of Australia since 1975) and our sex education in schools has been in the spotlight too.

I've got to ask you guys- Do civil celebrants get exemptions from performing same sex marriages if they are religious? Can a civil celebrant be like "Nope, not gunna marry you"? That's been a massive argument here. Churches have exemptions currently.

 

[GoSpuffy]

@GoSpuffy Actually, we're number 26 to have legalized it. Austria beat us by a day 😛

I certainly celebrated last night (read that: got drunk), not to mention my phone buzzing so much from a lot of happy people.

It finally happened! I didn't think it would actually happen this year but it did, hurrah!


They say that the first gay marriages can happen from 9th of January, so I suppose it's to accommodate some of the changes. They haven't really focused on this at all, and I watched a few of the debates.

There's still a lot of anger out there, particularly because "Now that gay marriage is a thing, polygamy is next!" (Fun fact; in Australia polygamy marriages are recognised if the person was married outside of Australia since 1975) and our sex education in schools has been in the spotlight too.

I've got to ask you guys- Do civil celebrants get exemptions from performing same sex marriages if they are religious? Can a civil celebrant be like "Nope, not gunna marry you"? That's been a massive argument here. Churches have exemptions currently.

Nope. But I was curious so I googled and one province did try to get an exception but was turned down

Same-sex nuptials can't be refused on religious grounds, Saskatchewan court rules

 

[Ethan Reigns]

@GoSpuffy
They say that the first gay marriages can happen from 9th of January, so I suppose it's to accommodate some of the changes. They haven't really focused on this at all, and I watched a few of the debates.

Gay marriages may happen but that does not guarantee that the identical rights exist for gay and hetero marriages. It may cost a fortune to become a test case under the law. You may find lawyers willing to try a case pro bono but you should be aware that this is like establishing a beachhead in a war. You got that far but there is a lot of fighting coming up.

 

[November]

Wait, did other countries think it was illegal here? Its not been illegal for years, the union was just not recognised as a traditional "marriage". Its not been illegal to be gay since they changed the DSM, decided it was no longer a mental disorder, then changed the laws regarding sexual relations. We've been allowed to have a legally binding partnership as a gay couple since the early 00's.

I don't know whether to feel happy that the majority support it or sad that 40% of my country are homophobic :/
That number just seems huge to me I thought it would be a little lower. Really hoping that it will come in as a Christmas present for you @Blair!! n.n

40% of aussies are not homophobes, they just didnt agree to call it marriage. Case in point, my stepsister had a wedding last weekend, partnered with her girlfriend. Before the new bill was passed. They planned it before the long before the public vote. I went to a male couples wedding in around 06... They voted no and are defo not homophobes either. Disagree with uni students and cop hate speech like that. Most people I've seen face to face lately didnt return the postal vote at all. Others plastered YES votes on facebook which I thought made their votes void?

Im super glad Im not breeding with the ideas seeping into schools. I really feel for religious small businesses, schools and organisations being targeted as discriminatory. I still do not understand why aboriginal people can be denied service, why non muslims can be denied service, yet if a christian denies to cater for a gay wedding, they risk charges.

Im honestly frightened of whats to come with trans rights next (I can get behind cross dressing and non -surgical non binary, but anyone who wants to chop bits off is mentally ill and should not be worshipped). So Im not a homophobe for voting no but I might be transphobic 😉 I am genuinely scared of that movement, the more I learn, the more frightening it is.

 

[Professor Walsh]

Wait, did other countries think it was illegal here? Its not been illegal for years, the union was just not recognised as a traditional "marriage". Its not been illegal to be gay since they changed the DSM, decided it was no longer a mental disorder, then changed the laws regarding sexual relations. We've been allowed to have a legally binding partnership as a gay couple since the early 00's.

Ten years ago went from having marriage as a heterosexual institution and civil unions as the only option for same-sex couples wanting to tie the knot to having one marriage act for all. I think that was an important step to take because a Civil Union a marriage wasn't "same, same only different". There laws regarding the two were different, giving hetereosexual couples protection and rights same-sex couples did not have. I noticed here as well, though, that several gays were indifferent to the whole thing, or even against it. One of the arguments I saw there was along the lines of “why pretend to be hetero?”.

Im super glad Im not breeding with the ideas seeping into schools. I really feel for religious small businesses, schools and organisations being targeted as discriminatory. I still do not understand why aboriginal people can be denied service, why non muslims can be denied service, yet if a christian denies to cater for a gay wedding, they risk charges.

Can you clarify, please? How is it legal to discriminate against anyone on the basis of ethnicity or religion there?

Im honestly frightened of whats to come with trans rights next (I can get behind cross dressing and non -surgical non binary, but anyone who wants to chop bits off is mentally ill and should not be worshipped). So Im not a homophobe for voting no but I might be transphobic

I am genuinely scared of that movement, the more I learn, the more frightening it is.

Again, please clarify. So far, the trans people I’ve met are not necessarily mentally ill. I say “not necessarily”, as I have come across people who are trans and mentally ill as well as mentally ill cis people. In what way would you say the movement is frightening?

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I noticed here as well, though, that several gays were indifferent to the whole thing, or even against it. One of the arguments I saw there was along the lines of “why pretend to be hetero?”.

I think it is the fear of being completely assimilated into the dominant culture. The sense of freedom that comes with living on the fringe may go away.