The issue of marriage equality is now coming to a head within the Liberal Party and within the government, with four Liberal MPs announcing they’d be willing to cross the floor to vote in favour of marriage equality and PM Malcolm Turnbull calling an emergency meeting for this Monday.
So the National Union of Students LGBTI Department (NUS LGBTI) has called a ‘snap rally’ for this Sunday 6 August at 2pm at the State Library, Melbourne. The protest is endorsed by GetUp! and Equal Love Melbourne and we’ll be demanding Turnbull grant a free vote for marriage equality in Parliament; no more excuses, no more delays.
For 13 years the LGBTIQ community in Australia has fought hard against both Liberal and Labor governments who have refused to allow a free vote in Parliament on the question. The most recent challenge was Turnbull’s ill-fated plebiscite, a delaying tactic that was thankfully voted down last year.
At long last, we may finally see equal rights granted to LGBTIQ people in Australia within a matter of weeks.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve gotten to this point but we have to remember that it’s not the politicians in the Liberal Party who are responsible for this but the hard work of LGBTIQ activists who’ve worked tirelessly for 13 years to get the law changed,” said Chris di Pasquale, LGBTI Officer for the National Union of Students.
“It’s these activists who, through campaigning and protesting even when the issue wasn’t popular, even when the protests were small, who turned public opinion around from 38% support in 2005 to over two-thirds support today,” said di Pasquale.
“As the Liberal Party tears itself apart over the issue, now is the time for protest and with any luck, this will be the last protest we ever need to have demanding marriage equality.”
Similar protests will be happening in Sydney and Perth across the weekend.
Sophie Johnston National President | National Union of Students
