Marriage equality advocates have applauded high-profile Australian radio announcer, Derryn Hinch, for admitting he was wrong to oppose same-sex marriage.
The announcer declared his support for marriage equality in an opinion piece published in today’s edition of The Australian newspaper.
Australian Marriage Equality National Secretary, Peter Furness, said Hinch’s support shows the issue is mainstream.
“Derryn Hinch’s statement underlines what opinion polls already show – support for marriage equality is growing throughout Australian society while opposition is increasingly restricted to a small but vocal minority”, Mr Furness said.
“We call on Julia Gillard to follow Mr Hinch’s example and admit she is wrong to oppose full legal equality for gay and lesbian Australians.”
In his column Mr Hinch declared opposition to marriage equality “ignorant, almost homophobic”, labelled Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s opposition to equality “hypocritical”, compared the struggle for same-sex marriage to the black civil rights movement and counselled gay and lesbian Australians that “equality will come, one day”.
A link to Mr Hinch’s article is included below.
Last night an Argentinian Senate vote in favour of marriage equality means same-sex marriages will begin in that country soon.
Mr Furness said,
“The Australia Government has brought shame and dishonour on this nation by not allowing same-sex couples to marry when an increasing number of other countries do, including Portugal, Spain, Mexico, South Africa and now Argentina.”
“The Argentinian parliament has supported marriage equality because it is an important, mainstream, democratic reform – something the Australian Government has yet to grasp.”
Same-sex couples are allowed to marry in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Mexico City, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, Washington DC and now Argentina. Same-sex marriages from other places are recognised in Israel, Slovenia, Luxembourg, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island and several Mexican states. Marriage equality is pending in Nepal.
Click here for Mr Hinch’s op ed.
Further information:
Peter Furness
0425 848 723