Pesky Australians Refuse To Give Up On Marriage Equality; Pull Huge Crowds For Rallies Around The Country
It's like people want gay marriage legalised or something.
Despite strong efforts by the government, Marriage Alliance and Cory Bernardi’s tears to try and dissuade them, bothersome Australians just aren’t letting this one go. Following the recent marriage equality wins in Ireland and America and the almost weekly national protests calling for the same here, more rallies took place around the country this weekend, with thousands turning up to support the movement in Brisbane, Hobart and Melbourne on Saturday and in Perth and Sydney today.
While more than 80,000 people spent the morning competing in the fourteen-kilometre City2Surf event — a terrifying physical activity that included a sweaty, partially-exposed Tony Abbott — an estimated 4000-plus turned up to Sydney’s Town Hall today to protest Australia’s socially regressive marital laws. Brisbane drew an even bigger crowd of over 5000 yesterday — the biggest march for queer rights in Queensland’s history — and Hobart’s City Hall squeezed in about 1,200 — probably the biggest march for anything in Tasmania’s history (kidding. I think).
Powerful day at the Marriage Equality rally in Brisbane. Thank you to everyone who stood up & spoke out today ????❤️ pic.twitter.com/lFgl0uDJgB
— The Veronicas (@TheVeronicas) August 8, 2015
Marriage equality: 1,200 Tasmanians push for same-sex marriage in Hobart City Hall rally http://t.co/IDAP741Hm4 pic.twitter.com/Bpt6owBRAR
— ABC News Tasmania (@abcnewsTas) August 8, 2015
4000+ people flying the rainbow flag in Sydney for #marriageequality. @TonyAbbottMHR when will you listen #auspol pic.twitter.com/iutt0i25Y9
— Clara Williams Rodan (@ClaraInManly) August 9, 2015
This afternoon’s Sydney rally, organised by the Community Action Against Homophobia group, closed down part of George Street to allow the rainbow-clad crowd to march from the CBD to Oxford Street in Darlinghurs, a prominent LGBT community. Gay rights activist and DIY Rainbow founder James Brechney says it’s one of the biggest rallies he’s seen in Sydney in a long time. “What’s truly incredible is to see all the young people participating in these rallies,” he said. “High school students and millennials made up a huge share of the crowd, and that’s so special to see.”
Like most of Australia at this point, Brechney hopes the weekend’s rallies have more of an effect than they have had in the past: “Nothing is inevitable. Rallies like this keep the pressure on all members of Parliament, [and remind them] that the people want change.”
Sydney legends, basically. Photo via James Brechney/DIY Rainbow.
If you’re sensing a bit of theme lately, that’s because there is one: the weekend’s rallies were organised around the introduction of a new marriage equality bill that will be voted on when parliament resumes this week. Also coinciding with the bill, celebrity-fronted marriage equality TVCs are due to air today, while Foxtel and Channel Nine screened an anti-marriage equality ad — which was rejected by Seven and Ten, despite its “beautiful graphics” — all this week.
And while both sides of the debate appear to be building momentum, it’s pretty clear which one has the most public support (hint: not the side that uses icebergs as metaphors for same-sex marriage, although they get the world’s smallest pat on the back for trying really hard); if the Abbott Government continues to stay idle on the issue, you can pretty much guarantee they’ll be out of a job by the next election (if everything else doesn’t do it. Actually, yeah, everything else probably will do it).