Today it was announced that Australians have voted in favour of legislation allowing same-sex marriages. That’s good news.
Roughly 62% of Australians voted ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage. 6 in 10 people therefore agree with me that if my sister is allowed to marry a man, then I should be too. I was never asked to vote on her rights, but let’s leave that alone.
4 in 10 people, for various reasons, believe that I should not be allowed to marry a man, because I am one. They believe that I belong to a specific sub-category of people to whom marriage should be forbidden.
I take that personally because it is literally an opinion on the quality of my person. It is very explicitly stating that I am somehow inferior, less worthy, unqualified or incapable of enjoying the same rights as they are.
I don’t seek to deny the 4 in 10 their opinion. They’re well entitled to it.
…but it still hurts.
I’m grateful to those who took the time to vote ‘yes’ and I’m relieved to know that they are a majority. I’m disappointed that they are not a larger majority, but perhaps that says more about me than anyone else.
Today it was announced that Australians have voted in favour of legislation allowing same-sex marriages. Let good news be good news.
Steven Di Costa 