3 minute read
PFLAG - Sam Dawson
by Focus
focus_contributor.
PFLAG
with SAM DAWSON
from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
LOOKING BACK ON MARRIAGE BEING FOR EVERYONE
The history of marriage for same sex couples has been a long one. I’m not sure if people realise how real the struggle has been and how it’s travelled alongside refl ected social sentiments.
It was the culmination of decades of campaigning by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQ) community and their supporters.
A law legalising same-sex marriage passed the Parliament on 7 December 2017 and received royal assent the following day. Between September 2004 and October 2017, there were 22 unsuccessful attempts in the Federal Parliament to legalise or recognise same-sex marriage under federal law.
The amendment of the federal Marriage Act on 9 December 2017 gave same-sex couples the same right to marry as heterosexual couples.
The passing of the Bill in the House of Representatives was seen as a watershed moment for equal rights in Australia.
Close to 13 million people or nearly 80 per cent of eligible Australians expressed their view in the survey. On 15 November 2017 the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced the survey’s results: 61.6 per cent of participants had voted ‘yes’.
I will never forget this day as I watched the TV and when the YES came through I cried! I cried when I rang my gay son, Ben. We both cried because both of us had been campaigning hard and we both felt it was a victory for equality – my campaign sentence when asked by the media was “I have 3 children but only 2 have the right to marry – how unfair is that?”
Three weeks later the House of Representatives amended the Marriage Act, redefi ning marriage as ‘a union of two people’. This is what we now say in every wedding performed as Marriage Celebrants!
I think the hardest part of what I do within the LGBTIQ area is realising that while laws are changing, and there are wonderful hopeful changes with people’s attitudes, there are still homophobic thoughts, actions and feelings and I was sharply reminded of this last weekend. I witnessed young people in a punch up and homophobic slurs were being called out and it made my heart sad.
I was reminded that even some of our young (who I hold so much respect and hope for change in) were the ones yelling out in this particular incident. There seems to be an acceptance that we “can’t expect the oldies in this town to change their views” but I say why not? Why can’t we challenge our families and circle of friends young and old on their views? It can be done as a healthy discussion. Why can’t we drill down on people’s fears and concerns and challenge why they have always held the same views as maybe the generation before?
Do these people have family and friends who are in the LGBTIQ community? How do they divorce their sentiments from those family members to their general homophobic views?
We need to know that the suicide rates and self harm statistics in this community are so much higher than the heterosexual community and doesn’t that worry us as a community?
I have the stats if anyone would like to know and it’s alarming. The young are our next generation who will grow up here and this is an important discussion among your family and your peers. If we can save just one person from harming or worse still suicide then isn’t it worth looking at a reboot on our opinions?
I usually like to educate here but this time I want to throw out this challenge. These are human beings in your family and our community who may need you. Let’s make 2022 a year for change!
As a newly appointed Lifeline Ambassador, I can highly recommend the Crisis Support line if you are worried about anyone you love – the number is 13 11 14.
