Australia Votes YES!

Australia Votes YES!

In a pivotal moment in LGBTQ history, Australians cast their postal survey ballots in favor of marriage equality

NEW YORK – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today celebrated Australia’s vote to bring marriage equality Down Under with 61.6% of the vote. While the survey itself is not legally binding, Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has vowed the momentum of a YES vote would cause a bill to legalize marriage equality to “sail through” parliament, with a goal of passing marriage equality by the end of the year. 

Anti-equality politicians and activists in Australia have already launched a plan to distort these results by rallying behind a marriage bill that would override non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Australians through religious exemptions.

“With the rising tide of anti-LGBTQ laws and crackdowns around the world, citizens of Australia stood up for fairness and equality by supporting the right for everyone to marry the person they love,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO. “Now it is on the Australian government to heed the will of its people and pass fully equal marriage without exemptions.”

During the voting period, GLAAD teamed up with Australian celebrities including Yvone Strahovski, Luke Hemsworth, Hugh Sheridan, Dan Macpherson, and Courtney Act to push voters to exercise their civic duty and cast their ballots in support of advancing LGBTQ equality. 

November 14, 2017

www.glaad.org/blog/australia-votes-yes

Australian People Vote ‘Yes’ for Marriage Equality

Australian People Vote ‘Yes’ for Marriage Equality
Australia marriage equality

Australia marriage equality

Australia has voted YES for marriage equality in a nationwide postal vote in which 12,727,920 million citizens cast ballots, 79.5 percent of all eligible voters.

Results:

Of the eligible Australians who expressed a view on this question, the majority indicated that the law should be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry, with 7,817,247 (61.6%) responding Yes and 4,873,987 (38.4%) responding No. Nearly 8 out of 10 eligible Australians (79.5%) expressed their view.

All states and territories recorded a majority Yes response. 133 of the 150 Federal Electoral Divisions recorded a majority Yes response, and 17 of the 150 Federal Electoral Divisions recorded a majority No response.

The vote is non-binding. What happens next is the government will facilitate introduction of a private member’s bill to legalize same-sex marriage. This would allow parliamentary debate and a vote.

Developing…

In Melbourne, Luke and George are matching in floor-length op shop chic #MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/bOBb4ou6xH

— Tom Cowie (@tom_cowie) November 14, 2017

Nick Higgins and David Brine. Nick’s feeling “optimistic”. “I just wish the government would do their thing properly.” #marriageequaility pic.twitter.com/EGXui6jOuG

— Michael McGowan (@mmcgowan569) November 14, 2017

And suddenly there are thousands of people here outside of the State Library in Melbourne for the Equal Love gathering. pic.twitter.com/C1YBlEnWgB

— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) November 14, 2017

Queens Gardens in Brisbane #MarriageEquality @couriermail pic.twitter.com/4rlycfprfa

— Paul Syvret ? (@PSyvret) November 14, 2017

 

The post Australian People Vote ‘Yes’ for Marriage Equality appeared first on Towleroad.


Australian People Vote ‘Yes’ for Marriage Equality

BREAKING: Australia Votes in Favor of Marriage Equality in Nonbinding Postal Survey

BREAKING: Australia Votes in Favor of Marriage Equality in Nonbinding Postal Survey

Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, hailed the outcome of Australia’s Marriage Law Postal Survey, where results show that XX percent of Australian voters who participated in the survey endorse marriage equality. Since the results of the postal survey are non-binding, it is now up to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s government and the Australian Parliament to enact legislation ensuring marriage equality becomes a reality.

“We congratulate Australia’s LGBTQ advocates and allies who worked so hard to ensure a victory in this postal survey,” said Ty Cobb, director of HRC Global. “It’s crucial that loving, committed same-sex couples in Australia have the same rights and protections that come with marriage. We urge the Australian Parliament to take swift action ensuring marriage equality becomes the law of the land.”

The voluntary postal survey was held between September 12 and November 7, with the results announced today. The postal survey came after years of stalled efforts to bring marriage equality to Australia. After the country’s governing party refused to allow a conscience vote on the issue in parliament, it took the controversial step to introduce this expensive, voluntary postal survey in an attempt to settle the issue. The survey was widely criticized for once again delaying the arrival of marriage equality, but today’s results are clear proof that the majority of Australians want marriage equality to become the law of the land.

HRC is proud to support the efforts of Australian LGBTQ advocates and allies to achieve marriage equality in their country and has partnered with Australian Marriage Equality (AME) — a prominent national organization leading on the issue. HRC Global visited Australia in 2015 and 2016 to share strategic advice from the successful campaign for marriage equality here in the U.S.

Learn more about HRC Global’s work around the world here.

www.hrc.org/blog/breaking-australia-votes-in-favor-of-marriage-equality-in-nonbinding-postal?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Minnesota Lawmaker Attacks Newly-Elected Transgender City Council Member Andrea Jenkins

Minnesota Lawmaker Attacks Newly-Elected Transgender City Council Member Andrea Jenkins

andrea jenkins minnesota

Minnesota State Rep. Mary Franson (right) is in hot water for an offensive tweet following the election of Andrea Jenkins, the first transgender woman of color elected to the city’s governing body.

Commenting on Jenkins’ election to the Minneapolis City Council last week, classy Franson tweeted: “A guy who thinks he’s a girl is still a guy with a mental health condition.” The tweet has since been deleted.

In a half-assed apology last Thursday, Franson wrote:

“There are times I don’t practice kindness. For that I am sorry. While I do believe that one can’t change their gender based on their feelings, I didn’t need to tweet out my thoughts. God created man and woman but then sin entered the world and disrupted his perfect plan. He then sent His one and only son, Jesus, to take away our sins and to restore a broken relationship with God. I should have shown grace and not come across the way I did. For that I apologize. I do not apologize for not conforming to the PC world where I’m supposed to go along with fantasy and participate in it. This isn’t the first time I’ve offended the social justice warriors and it won’t be the last.”

.@MaryFranson is still an embarrassment to Alexandria and Minnesota. @RepMaryFranson pic.twitter.com/NL4EuUpzcD

— Mike McFeely (@MikeMcFeelyWDAY) November 9, 2017

Blah blah blah, because god, so it’s okay.

In response, Jenkins wrote:

“Thank you, Representative Franson, for showing all Minnesotans your true bigotry and unapologetic transphobia. As a tax-paying citizen, I am extremely disappointed in seeing my public officials displaying such discrimination against and complete disregard for transgender residents of the great state of Minnesota.”

Think Progress reports:

“Franson’s transphobic comments follow a long history of anti-LGBTQ comments. Earlier this year, when she was campaigning for legislation banning female genital mutilation, she drew an unfortunate juxtaposition as she dismissed concerns about President Trump’s ban on transgender military service.

“In a 2012 debate, she defended her opposition to marriage equality by explaining that she doesn’t believe homosexuality is “normal behavior” and she wanted to protect children from being taught to normalize it. Two years later, she opposed legislation to protect LGBTQ students from bullying because she deemed LGBT organizations to be “special interest groups” that were trying to impose “fascism” on schools.

If you’re upset about transgenders being banned from military service; not appalled that parents can #FGM their daughter – you’re hopeless

— Rep. Mary Franson (@RepMaryFranson) July 26, 2017

Phillipe Cunningham, a trans man of color, also won a seat on the Minneapolis City Council alongside Jenkins.

(Mary Franson image via Twitter)

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Minnesota Lawmaker Attacks Newly-Elected Transgender City Council Member Andrea Jenkins