1. Vote yes on marriage equality because love does not discriminate, and neither should the Marriage Act

 

2. Vote yes for the tens of thousands of LGBTIQ Australian couples who are waiting for the opportunity to marry in front of family members and friends – just like anybody else

 

3. And for other LGBTIQ couples who don’t want to get married, but who deserve the right to make that decision for themselves and not have it imposed upon them by the Parliament

 

4. Vote yes out of respect for the couples where one or both have died over the past 13 years without being allowed to marry the love of their life[i]

 

5. And to stop this same fate being experienced by other couples in the future

 

6. Vote yes because no-one should be forced to divorce their spouse in order to have their gender identity recognised under the law[ii]

 

7. Vote yes because a successful marriage is based on the content of your character, not your sex characteristics[iii]

 

8. Vote yes to make it easier for LGBTIQ Australians to prove their relationships, especially when it matters most[iv]

 

9. Vote yes to recognise the marriages of thousands of LGBTIQ Australians that already exist, having wed overseas

 

10. And to ensure that, when some of those relationships break down, they are able to divorce[v]

 

11. Vote yes so that all members of a family are treated exactly the same under the law

 

12. Vote yes so that parents, and grandparents, and brothers and sisters, are able to attend the weddings of their family members

 

13. And so that the children of rainbow families can attend the weddings of their parents

 

14. Vote yes for all of the lesbian grandmas, gay uncles, bi aunts, trans nephews and intersex nieces, and queer cousins

 

15. Vote yes if you think that your child should be able to marry whoever they want to when they grow up

 

16. Vote yes if you think that every child should be able to marry whoever they want to when they grow up

 

17. Vote yes on marriage equality for your friends

 

18. And your colleagues

 

19. And your teammates

 

20. And your neighbours, and all of the LGBTIQ people in your community

 

21. Vote yes for the many young LGBTIQ Australians still struggling to comes to terms with who they are, wondering whether they are accepted

 

22. And for older LGBTIQ Australians who have experienced a lifetime of discrimination

 

23. Vote yes for every LGBTIQ Australian, to show them that they are not lesser and should not be treated as lesser under the Marriage Act

 

24. Vote yes because you are LGBTIQ yourself and this is a matter of pride

 

25. Vote yes because you believe in a fair go for all, irrespective of sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics

 

26. Vote yes because you think Australia can be a better, fairer and more inclusive country

 

27. And because you want to help make Australia a better, fairer and more inclusive country

 

28. Vote yes on marriage equality because all love is equal, and it’s time we changed the law to reflect that.

 

 

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Footnotes:

[i] Like long-term LGBTIQ rights campaigners Peter and Bon, who were together for half a century, with Bon passing away earlier this year after having pleaded with Malcolm Turnbull to allow them to marry before he died – a plea that was ignored.

[ii] Australia was criticised by the United Nations Human Rights Committee earlier this year because of its policy of forced trans divorce. Find out more here.

[iii] To find out more about how discrimination in the Marriage Act affects people with intersex traits, see OII Australia’s submission to the Marriage Amendment (Same-Sex Marriage) Bill 2016.

[iv] Tragically, Tasmanian Ben Jago was unable to bury his de facto partner, or even attend his funeral, after his premature death (see this piece in the Guardian). While such discrimination is already unlawful, being married would make these situations far less common.

[v] Australia has also been criticised by the United Nations Human Rights Committee because of its failure to allow LGBTIQ couples that have married overseas to be able to divorce when those relationships break down. Find out more here.