Although a marriage equality bill was voted down last week by the Australian House of Representative, some gems of support for equality are making their way through the internets, including a heart-felt argument for marriage equality from Australian Labor Senator Louise Pratt delivered on Sept. 17.
The bill was defeated 98-42. Marriage rights activists now look to state and territory parliaments to make change. It was reported that Tasmania's lower house last month passed a marriage equality bill and now makes its way to the state's Legislative Council before it can become law.
From Pratt's speech:
“I think it is one of the bitterest, bitterest ironies of this debate that historically, gay people have been stigmatized as promiscuous and immoral while being denied by the law the right to demonstrate the importance and consistency of their relationships in the way that any other Australian can. Think about that....
We exist. We already exist. Our relationships exist. Our children exist. Our families exist. Our marriages exist. And our love exists. All we ask is that you stop pretending that we don’t, that you stop pretending that our relationships are not as real as yours. Our love is as true, our children as cherished, and our families as precious.”
