Read our views on Australia Same Sex Marriage and its impact on society. Discover how Australians perceive same sex marriage and the push for equality.
Australia Same Sex Marriage
Australias political views on same sex marriage has been making headlines as of late. A Galaxy Research poll, commissioned by Australian Marriage Equality and published by Fairfax media found that 30 per cent of the 1000 people polled were more likely to vote for Labor now as a result of Mr Rudd’s backflip position now supporting same sex marriage.
Mr Rudd as recently as 2011 was opposed to same sex marriages and so was his successor Julia Gillard.
Prime Minister Rudd and his party obviously see a reverse stance on the issue as a major issue that will add solidity to the election campaign strategy.
Kevin Rudd’s sister recently made comments about children needing protection from homosexual propaganda and was quoted as saying, ‘I think there should be a law protecting children from the propaganda of homosexuality as being normal’.
Loree Rudd went on further to say that she will not support Mr Rudd on election day as it would be ‘hypocritical’ of her to do so given his recent support of same sex marriage.
Australia Same Sex Marriage Support
A new poll showed Mr Rudd’s support for same-sex marriage is an important vote-booster for the ALP and with the recent position that the ALP had a snow ball’s chance in hell of winning this upcoming election has become a major political power play.
Obviously the GLBTI community hope that Mr Rudd if elected will make good on his promise, and if not the damage to the ALP from that community could be irreparable.
But there are parties like the Australian Sex Party that have always supported same sex marriage and fight for the rights of the minorities. They are opposed to securing votes from non-controversial issues and policies.
Let’s go back in Time.
Let me take you back to 2009 when my partner and I wrote a letter to the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about same sex marriage. Kevin Rudd had made comments in the media indicating his firm stance against same sex marriages and I wanted to find out the reason why.
My partner and I had been and still remain together in 2004 had a civil commitment ceremony celebrating our ‘marriage’ in all but legal definition.
In that letter I asked him why. And I outlined that denying loving couple the right to marriage was unfair and discriminatory. That he or the government should not hinder people’s right to love, happiness and the choice to marry regardless of race, religion or sex.
The letter went on and on to cover the many positives and some negatives of same sex marriages and that the Labor Political platform was supposed to be one of anti-discrimination. Yet the current stance by his party and him seemed to contradict that.
Australia Same Sex Marriage – A few weeks later I received a letter back from the Office of Kevin Rudd.
A few weeks later I received a letter back from the Office of Kevin Rudd, signed by the Prime Minister. That short and curt response letter stated ‘Marriage is between a man and a woman. The Church only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman.’
A following paragraph went on to indicate that there would be no point in arguing further and this was his, and the Labor parties stance on the matter.
Obviously this stance was further confirmed when Julia Gillard broke all sexist barriers by becoming the first female Australian Prime Minister.
Thus ensuring women have equal right status but still denying equality for same sex partnerships. Again a bit of a contradiction.
We wrote another letter about the right to Australia Same Sex Marriage
In 2011 we wrote to 17 Australian Senators about same sex Marriages. We received only one reply from Anthony Albanese shown here who to his credit openly showed his support for same sex marriage regardless of what his leader stated.
Last week Kevin Rudd again became the Australian Prime Minister and publicly announced his support for same sex marriages.
Why the sudden change in attitude? Obviously I support the new stance but question is it just a political ploy to capture the 10% GLBTI votes.
Will the Labor Government carry through and recognize same sex marriages? Or will it be a political promise that will be shelved after the upcoming Federal Election?
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently was interviewed at a radio station in Perth by Howard Sattler. Gillard was asked about her view and the current governments stance on same sex marriage.
This is an excerpt from the interview:
Sattler: Now you remain opposed to same sex marriage yourself?
Prime Minister Gillard: Yes I do. Well I don’t think we should change our Marriage Act. I do think that we should recognize all relationships of love including same sex relationships, but I feel that marriage has had a particular status in our culture and that we can grow up new institutions and new ways of recognizing relationships.
Sattler: Why aren’t you married?
Prime Minister Gillard: Well I mean personal choice and I think the fact that I’m not married shows you obviously I think that you can have a relationship that’s committed and full of love and full of significance in your life without being married.’
Gay Friends for Gay Couples
It has been a challenge for single gay men to find other gay men for friendship. Imagine that this can be difficult for a gay couple too. So how can you find other gay couples for real friendship and companionship?
First of all you should have other gay people in your social network.
Having a gay person in your life can bring you in contact with gay couples. Just like you were real with your partner when you are dating, it is important for you to be real with your friends.
Always discuss with them about your future, or your values and lifestyle. A gay couple will not just knock on your door, so it is best if you engage into sports with your partner. Engaging into exercises will help you discover and meet other people.
You will have a better chance meeting gay couples that share the common interests with you.
What should we do before Starting?
Before making any search, you should discuss the matter of friendship with your partner.
Your partner is the most important things in your life who will end up being friends with these people to. Always be clear with your partner and the people you meet about your intentions so that everyone is on the same page.
This is how genuine friendship begins. If you want true friendship with another couple then you have to be sincere with the people around you. Remember that seeking a couple for friendship is not an easy task, but you will eventually succeed.
Go slow. Any relationship whether is marriage or friendship needs time to develop smoothly. Don’t rush anything as it might scare your potential friends.
Companions help us become better people as we figure out how to infuse all the more important moments into our lives.
In investing energy with companions, we get the best out of our lives through discussion, fun and laughter. When we fall on harsh times, companions are there to place things in context and help us.
If we are happy, they share the good times with us to. With rational, constructive individuals throughout our life we will be more aware of appreciation and doing pleasant things for others.
Go to gay parties, community events, gay parades, fundraisers or festivals that take place in restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, galleries and city locations.
Let your friends know that you are in search to make friends with other gays, they may recommend one of their friends to you.
- Don’t abandon any gay or straight people that you meet. These can be important people in your network that can help you meet other people.
- Keep these new friends close to you. If you meet one gay man, hey should be able to invite you to more get-togethers with other gay men.
Form a club or join a club online.
You can place personal ads or search among thousands gay ads online. There are several gay social networking clubs available that can help you find gay couples.
- Use https://Meetup.com and look for gay gatherings in your general vicinity. There are loads of particularly themed gay gatherings which will be so much fun to attend.
- Use https://Facebook.com to join gay groups where you can converse with and meet individuals of your own age.
- When you go along with maybe a couple of the same topic, or companion some gay individuals on Facebook, then you will begin to receive facebook suggestions for events or friends who have similar interests.
- Once that happens, you will have huge amounts of subjects and companions inside facebook to converse with.
Create online discussion in forums.
It could be a great opportunity to share thoughts and beliefs and finally meet other gay people and couples from over the world.
Simply be clear about what you are after.
Join a nearby LGBTQ affiliation.
Trust me, it does miracles to you. You meet a considerable measure of new individuals and make a great deal of new companions. There’s so much that you can experience.
Join a gay sports league to find people who have similar sports hobbies.
Go to gay bars.
Almost everyone in the club would be there for the same reason as you and you will be able to see the people up close.
Meet Stephen, a bold and opinionated cis-gendered gay advocate for gender equality and sexual education. Join him on the Adultsmart blog for fearless insights.
Leave a Reply