My dad is a stubborn man.

Dear Gai Brodtmann,

My dad is a stubborn man. He often drives me insane around the house with silly habits he can’t throw because he is so set in his ways. Growing up through school he was the only kid in his class not to get a pen licence. Because of this he only knows how to write block capitals and unfortunately this means caps lock is always on. He doesn’t understand technology, he doesn’t understand fashion and he doesn’t understand some things now that have changed a lot since when he was young.

In the last few years a couple of our family members and close friends have come out about being gay. At first I know he found this difficult to face. Growing up, he was told it was not something to share let alone be proud of, and here was one of our close friends asking a homophobic man for acceptance. But watching him over the last few years, I could not be prouder of him. Not only now is he comfortable talking about the subject but he speaks about our loved ones with pride and true happiness that now after coming out, they are leading fearless lives, happy and comfortable in their skin.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been brought up in a family of loving values, to treat everyone equally regardless of gender, race and sexuality. I support Gay Marriage 100% and I think that if my father, someone so set in their ways is able to form new ideas and new attitudes towards homosexuality, everyone can.

With your vote for equal marriage rights, my dad will be in the front row of three beautiful weddings, blinking the happy tears from his eyes.

With this vote we will be one step closer to a more tolerant Australia.

- Anon. 

Dear Andrew Leigh,

I write this letter with hopes that it will assist in persuading you to support marriage equality. It has no doubt come to your attention that the current legal situation in Australia in regards to same sex marriage is considered unacceptable by a huge proportion of the population. Marriage equality is something that can and should be changed, and yet the government consistently lets down Australian citizens by not supporting their right to this equality.

What sort of message is this sending? We are told discrimination is wrong, but even in such a progressive country as Australia, legislation exists that discriminates against people based solely on their sexual orientation! All people deserve equal rights, as Australians agreed when they chose to support the legal equalisation of women and Aboriginals. Not allowing rights to people because of their sexual orientation is so very similar to not allowing rights to people because of their race or gender.

There are no relevant arguments against legalising gay marriage. Arguments that same sex marriage will demean the institution of marriage are simple prejudice. Marriage has a wide range of meanings, none of which specifically include the role of procreating or raising children – also popular arguments against same sex marriage by bigoted individuals. Many married couples decide not to procreate or raise children, and many same sex couples have raised children with no ill effects caused by their parents’ sexuality. Marriage is not a religious ceremony, and civil marriage is distinctly distinguished from religious marriage, negating any stance religious institutions can rationally take against it.

You seem to be under the impression that a majority of voters in your electorate do not want marriage equality. While I’m very much in doubt as to whether this is true, it is seemingly a valid point. It is a politician’s job to make sure they are representing the views of their voters, isn’t it? You may then think that it’s rude of me to throw around words like ‘prejudice’ and ‘bigotry’ when referring to these people, but I believe that they should not have the right to choose whether or not I can marry another woman because they don’t think it’s ‘normal’. I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone telling a heterosexual person that their relationship is ‘wrong’, and I wish that all people had that same courtesy. Homosexuality is normal, and it is your responsibility to make sure that my rights, and the rights of everyone else in your electorate and in Australia, are not impinged upon by those with no grounds on which to make that decision.

The laws and ideas of what marriage is can change and have changed substantially, both historically and currently, in countries all over the world. It is time for change here and now. Marriage equality is just one more step towards a non-prejudiced society. Australians want this equality. We want same sex marriage legalised. But we need the support of the government to make it happen.

Sincerely,

Laura Brazier

We have seen more than 100 pieces of legislation changed to remove discrimination of GLBTI people.

Dear Dr Andrew Leigh MP,

I am writing to you as my Federal Member for Fraser to ask you to continue to take your positive and public stand in the ALP on Marriage Equality.

When I came out to my friends and family, surprising I was laughed at by my best friend. He laughed, “I was wondering when you would finally summon up the courage to come out”. 

The ALP is now being laughed at by the Australian and international community. For Joe de Bruyn to hysterically allege that same sex marriages will trigger a social collapse is absurd. We need politicians like you to continue to publicly state your support for this important issue.

I am proud of the achievements the GLBTI community has been able to make towards a fairer society with the support of the ALP. We have seen more than 100 pieces of legislation changed to remove discrimination of GLBTI people. 

I am disappointed there is still discrimination in Australia where marriage is still defined as the “union between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others”. I am equally disappointed same sex marriages entered into overseas in countries which recognise the rights of GLBTI communities to marry, are not recognised in Australia. 

Just as my best friend laughed at me, people will continue to laugh at the ALP until we can summon up the courage to stand for marriage equality. 

Yours sincerely

Andrew 

Over time it will make a great and noticeable difference.

Dear Dr Andrew Leigh

So I noticed that in amongst the media storm surrounding the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill’ in Uganda the Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, had a very interesting thing to say. Although I understand you are aware of his and the Governments stance on the issue I thought I would share this quote with you:

“Australia is a global advocate in support of non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and will continue to take opportunities through the United Nations and other channels to urge all governments to end such discrimination.”

As a person who identifies as Queer I should find this quote reassuring, comforting, but I do not. If I were to imagine myself as a queer or non-heterosexual identifying person living overseas, looking to come to Australia I would like to assume this comment would make me feel at ease about coming to this country, but I very much doubt that.

It seems that the Australian Government feels it is ok to talk the talk on the international stage, but when it comes to standing up and walking the walk at home you seem to forget what God gave you legs for. Yes I believe in God, I am in fact Catholic, but what I would like you and your colleagues to understand before you read on is that this is not a discussion based on religion, it is about equality, the right for every human being on this earth to be treated equally.

My name is Frank Gafa and apart from being Catholic I am a First Nation member of the Australian community, I identify as queer and I am living with a disability. All of these facets come together to make me the person that I am, and I would like to think as elected officials that you would not discriminate against me based on any of these facets, but in fact you openly do.

The question of marriage equality in Australia is much more then the right for non-heterosexual identifying people to be able to engage in marriage. It is about societies embedded perception of the other, in this case the others being queers, gays, intersex people, transgender, Bi-sexuals, lesbians and all who do not fit into the perceived norm of heterosexual identity. This perception, of people being immoral, being abnormal, basically being different is made an even easier target by legislation actively saying that these people are not good enough to get married in the eyes of our elected representatives. This fuels the fires of hatred and ignorance which will see many people, young and old, take there lives every day because they feel like an outcast, like they are lesser then others purely based on their sexuality.

Dr Leigh growing up as a First Nation in this country I faced extreme discrimination from my peers about my race. Because of this I could not face two parts of my identity, being queer and living with a disability, because I thought if I did people would hate me even more, and I did not want to lose the only friends I had. My best friend in high school in fact was quite religious and when I decided to come out I was honestly so scared that he would seriously harm or even kill me upon finding out, that I organised to do it at a friends house. Because of the added pressure from society of then being an Indigenous Australian and identifying openly as queer it took me nearly three years to properly accept and get on top of my disability, something that had damaged relationships and caused torment in my life for reasons I could never bring myself to admit to others let alone myself.

Dr Leigh because of discriminatory policy still accepted by your Government, still enforcing the social norm, there are many kids out there who will never be able to admit they are ‘different’. There are kids, even adults who are heterosexual and married out there who are too scared of society, too scared of their mother, father, brother, sister, sibling, their best friend because the Government states that the only relationship that is acceptable enough for marriage is between a man and a women. I can guarantee you that as I write this letter, as you read it, these people are contemplating whether they should lie to themselves to be ‘normal’ or even worse giving up, deciding that this society is not worth being apart of, deciding that life living as the other is not worth it.

I am not saying that giving the right to marry to all citizens in Australia will change all of this, what I am saying is that over time it will make a great and noticeable difference. All I want, all many Australians want is for the Government to live up to their words of being “a global advocate in support of non-discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation”. 

All we want is equality.

Sincerest Regards

Frank Gafa

Come along to the next Rally to show that Labor really does support equal rights.

Dear Andrew Leigh

I recently attended a rally for equal marriage rights here in the ACT.  Rallies just like this one have been occurring monthly in every State and Territory all across Australia. And although the numbers were small compared to others I have attended, I was as always inspired by the convictions of all of the people who were there.  

I cannot imagine what it must be like for many of these young men and women growing up in a society that judges you based on your sexuality and then imposes restrictions on your ability to make life choices because of this. 

I am a unionist and a feminist. I understand firsthand the challenges when fighting for equality in workplaces and in people’s lives.  I am proud and privileged to be part of this campaign for equality and I invite you on their behalves to join with us.

I reckon it would be great if you could come along to the next Rally to show that Labor really does support equal rights.  I strongly urge you to be that messenger.  

The next Rally is not too far away and your support will be another step forward in delivering equality to everyone in our community.

Dr. Leigh, embrace this campaign and support marriage equality.

Dear Dr. Leigh,

Like many other Canberrans I am writing to you in the hopes of influencing your actions in regards to marriage equality, to encourage you to make the right choice.

I am a heterosexual currently in a relationship. If I choose to ask my girlfriend to marry me, she can choose to say yes or no. If she says yes, we can choose where to hold the ceremony: at a church, in a garden, this list goes on. We can choose to invite all of our friends and family to celebrate our love. We are then recognised as a married couple.

Dr. Leigh, you have a choice to make which affects more than you or your wife; you have a choice that affects the lives thousands of Australians.

My gay friends cannot make these choices, which so many Australians take for granted. You can choose to use your office to embrace political engagement from your constituency and to enact political change. I wish that this choice belonged to the people, and it can if you choose to let it.

Please, Dr. Leigh, embrace this campaign and support marriage equality.

Sincerely,

Nicholas Elmitt.

I have never been ashamed of my sexuality

Dear Dr Leigh.

I am twenty years old, I am female, I have lived in Canberra since I was eight and without question consider this my home. When I turned eighteen I was more excited about the prospect of voting, of having my voice heard, than I was about being able to go clubbing in Civic.

 I am political and compassionate. I am optimistic and argumentative and educated. I was raised by wonderful, intelligent, open-minded, progressive parents who told me that I could achieve anything and as such have never let anyone attempt to dissuade me from reaching my goals. I smile at strangers, I believe whole-heartedly that I can and will make a difference in my lifetime.

I am also a queer.

I have never been ashamed of my sexuality, but it is not the sole component of my identity. It is difficult for me to understand how despite everything that I could be defined by, the label of queer is the one that seems to become the most important. Even more frustrating is that it is generally used in the context of telling me that I am not able to do something as simple as have my love for a partner of the same sex recognised as equal to that of the relationships of my heterosexual peers. 

Dr Leigh, I implore you to consider for a moment how you would feel if the Australian government told you that your love for your wife was invalid, that the fact that you are a heterosexual man was the be-all-and-end-all of who you are, that no matter what else you say or do, everything hinged on one tiny facet of your identity. It’s complicated, and confusing, and upsetting, and this is how so many members of your electorate feel every day. 

Yes, I am queer, but it is not all that I am, or all that I will ever be. The gender of those I choose to date, to have sex with, to fall in love with, does not define me, nor does this constitute a valid reason for discrimination against me. 

I’m only twenty years old, and I feel I have so much life to live. I am not going to stop voting or caring about human rights. I am probably not going to stop arguing for the sake of debate or yelling at rallies or figuratively sticking my middle finger up at anyone who ever tries to tell me that I can’t do something because I’m a girl. I will never stop smiling at strangers or singing obnoxiously loudly in my car. I will not stop loving and caring and feeling. I will never stop being queer.  I hope that in my lifetime, the Australian government stops treating my sexuality as the only thing that I am, and recognises my right to express my love for whom ever I choose. 

My peers and I are going to change the world, Dr Leigh. It is up to people like you to help us. 

Emily Bissaker. 

Nothing to lose except bad attitudes!

Dear Dr Leigh,

Last weekend my boyfriend and I made the five hour trip up to Newcastle to attend his cousin’s wedding. It was a simple, traditional ceremony on a bush property that held a special place in the family’s heritage. The rain and the mud and the smell of aeroguard did nothing to detract from the smile on the bride’s face as she made her way down the aisle. It was a beautiful affair.

However, throughout the ceremony it was constantly on my mind that some of my closest friends at this time are unable to take part in a ceremony that holds such great importance in our society. Conservatives often put forward the argument that marriage equality will erode the significance of heterosexual marriage and so-called ‘family values’. The decision to marry is one of the most important decisions an individual can ever make, but how can I enter into and uphold an institution that is so blatantly discriminatory?

Bigoted attitudes continue to tear at the fabric of society, and have even caused division among members of my own family, and the government’s continued opposition to marriage equality is a prime source of these attitudes. Thus, a government committed to ‘family values’ is a government that upholds equality in marriage regardless of orientation.

Please vote for equal marriage rights - there is nothing to lose except bad attitudes!

Yours faithfully,

Rebecca O’Neill

Our parliamentarians are elected to lead us, and not to follow.

Dear Mr Leigh,

I write to you to ask that you do all that is in your power as a parliamentarian, both within the confines of our party and outside of it, to achieve marriage equality in this country as soon as possible.

The present conventional wisdom seems to be that this is merely a matter of time and in the media much fuss is now being made over whether 'Australia is ready' just yet. I hope you will agree that the readiness or otherwise of an ever-dwindling minority of the electorate is entirely besides the point. Our parliamentarians are elected to lead us, and not to follow. As Edmund Burke once said: 'Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion.'

Discrimination against LGBTI people within our marriage law may not be the gravest injustice in our society. It is, however, one of very few which can be fixed with a single line of amending legislation and not a cent from the Treasury's coffers. It is an overdue reform, and the moral imperative on the Labor Government to act now should not be abdicated in the name of increasingly dubious arguments of political expediency.

Yours sincerely, 

David Rowe

Marriage is a sacrament.

Dear Andrew Leigh,

Have you taken your marriage to your wife for granted? When you kissed your wife this morning, you probably didn't think about the legal and political connotations of the marriage you two have.

Marriage is a sacrament. It's about two separate individuals, from different families and backgrounds, coming together to become one indivisible entity. It's in the Gospel of Matthew. It's even in "2 Become 1" by Spice Girls, if you will. This coming together may be religious, social, political and legal in nature. In essence, however, marriage is a profoundly personal and spiritual institution. You have yours - now please let others have theirs too.

Lucia Lee

Marriage equality is just one more step towards a non-prejudiced society.

Dear Andrew Leigh,

I write this letter with hopes that it will assist in persuading you to support marriage equality. It has no doubt come to your attention that the current legal situation in Australia in regards to same sex marriage is considered unacceptable by a huge proportion of the population. Marriage equality is something that can and should be changed, and yet the government consistently lets down Australian citizens by not supporting their right to this equality.

What sort of message is this sending? We are told discrimination is wrong, but even in such a progressive country as Australia, legislation exists that discriminates against people based solely on their sexual orientation! All people deserve equal rights, as Australians agreed when they chose to support the legal equalisation of women and Aboriginals. Not allowing rights to people because of their sexual orientation is so very similar to not allowing rights to people because of their race or gender.

There are no relevant arguments against legalising gay marriage. Arguments that same sex marriage will demean the institution of marriage are simple prejudice. Marriage has a wide range of meanings, none of which specifically include the role of procreating or raising children – also popular arguments against same sex marriage by bigoted individuals. Many married couples decide not to procreate or raise children, and many same sex couples have raised children with no ill effects caused by their parents’ sexuality. Marriage is not a religious ceremony, and civil marriage is distinctly distinguished from religious marriage, negating any stance religious institutions can rationally take against it.

You seem to be under the impression that a majority of voters in your electorate do not want marriage equality. While I’m very much in doubt as to whether this is true, it is seemingly a valid point. It is a politician’s job to make sure they are representing the views of their voters, isn’t it? You may then think that it’s rude of me to throw around words like ‘prejudice’ and ‘bigotry’ when referring to these people, but I believe that they should not have the right to choose whether or not I can marry another woman because they don’t think it’s ‘normal’. I don’t think I have ever heard of anyone telling a heterosexual person that their relationship is ‘wrong’, and I wish that all people had that same courtesy. Homosexuality is normal, and it is your responsibility to make sure that my rights, and the rights of everyone else in your electorate and in Australia, are not impinged upon by those with no grounds on which to make that decision.

The laws and ideas of what marriage is can change and have changed substantially, both historically and currently, in countries all over the world. It is time for change here and now. Marriage equality is just one more step towards a non-prejudiced society. Australians want this equality. We want same sex marriage legalised. But we need the support of the government to make it happen.

Sincerely,

Laura Brazier

Donating a 'you-can-marry' card.

Dear Mr Leigh

I am single, hetrosexual woman in her 20's and I have no desire to marry.

There are, however, plenty of people in my demographic that do. It may surprise you to learn that some of these people-these people in a community for which you have political responsibility – are homosexual. 
I’m writing to campaign my support for an individual’s right to marry, irrespective of their preferences. As a society, we are increasingly critical of the choices of others. This doesn’t align well with our increasingly progressive, educated and open-minded society.

Mr Leigh, many members of my family have experienced loveless marriages, which impacted them significantly. They had miserable lives, and that extended to others around it that witnessed it,heard about it and shared the burden.
What makes it more right for a man and a woman that don’t like each other to marry, but not for a homosexual couple that are very much in love, and wanting to marry for the right reasons? I’ll happy happily donate my special, heterosexual ‘you-can-marry’ card to someone more deserving of the privilege.

More to the point, Mr Leigh, if they were allowed to marry, how would this affect you? Specifically, you? And more importantly, how would the marriages of others affect the government now? The government should not be effected by the relationships of the Australian public and shoudl focus its efforts more so on creating good public policy than domineering the decision-making capacity of others.

This decision is not about what is meant by ‘marriage’ in the Church, the constitution, or any other public document. This is a decision for an individual, for people, not for a government. 

And so, I pledge to you that the Government should no longer concern themselves with this issue. Divert the resources spent on this issue to causes for public good, and leave this choice to an individual’s discretion.




Regards,


Kerrie Robertson

Even the Soviet Union managed to get past the issue of sexuality.

Dear Dr. Leigh,

I am a bisexual male living in the ACT. It may not surprise you to find that I am in support of gay marriage rights. The fact that this is even an issue in the modern world, in countries such as Australia that trumpet the cause of freedom and liberty, is a crude joke at best. Like many others, it took me a very long time to come to terms with my sexuality. So long, in fact, that I've only felt confident and courageous enough to declare myself bisexual in the last few months. As others have explained, this is because of the terrible consequences of making such a declaration, i.e. the social stigmatisation and loss of legal rights in some cases. Surely you are a man who can recognise that a democracy should be able to move beyond such a reactionary and hate filled policy. Hell, even the Soviet Union managed to get past the issue of sexuality, and very few people would argue that it was a positive and progressive system that stood for freedom. So if, as we are consistently reminded by the government and media, Australia does indeed stand for progress, freedom, liberty and equality... if that is indeed the case, why are we fostering social divisions and minority exclusion?

If that argument does not persuade you, perhaps this one will. The Labor party is quickly selling itself into irrelevance by mimicking the Liberals. Labor is supposed to stand for centre-left ideals: worker's rights, equality, government intervention, substantial welfare programs etc. Here's a novel idea: start embodying those ideals and stop attempting to become a carbon copy of the Liberals! Represent your voter base for the first time since the 80s by making a stand and siding with a just cause!

Give us the equality that we deserve, it is a basic human right that you are denying us.

Cordially yours,

Jason Abela

I'm a student, a young person, a lefty, a daughter, a woman, a friend, a comrade, a bad-dresser, a Chinese person, a café worker...

Dear Andrew, 

Hey mate, so I’m a queer. 

I’m also a student, a young person, a lefty, a daughter, a woman, a friend, a comrade, a bad-dresser, a Chinese person, a café worker, a sister, a Danish person, a quasi-intellectual, a house-mate, an Australian, a folk music fan, a feminist, a short person, a (closet) red head, a wannabe classical music aficionado, a roller derby player, an organiser, a yoga-doer, a self-denying hipster, an iphone owner, a tax-payer, an op-shopper, a literature lover, a messy-room keeper, a beer drinker, a facebook addict. In no particular order. 

I would never feel that any of these identities would be a legitimate reason for the state to openly discriminate against me. So why would it be ok that as a queer, I am denied my right to marry? 

I will not stand to be treated as lesser than the next person; especially something I have no control over. Because in the end I am simply human. 

Emma Eriksen,

I want to see the Labor Party take up its rightful place as the champion of just and progressive values.

Dear Dr. Andrew Leigh MP,

Two weeks ago I sat in a room at the Labor Women’s Conference listening to wizened baby-boomers lament the loss of young people from the party to organizations such as GetUp. How could it be? they asked, throwing solutions such as ‘getting onto Facebook’ into the mix as though young people simply sat around waiting to be plugged in and told what is happening. The truth is, the things young people care about are not being addressed by their representatives. 

Upon arriving in Canberrra over four years ago, a Labor-member friend of mine said in an off-hand way, “only the Labor party will allow same-sex marriage”, but after sitting through meeting after meeting of Labor MPs and Senators crowing that they were doing all they could behind the scenes, I was no longer sure. On numerous occasions, I declined joining a party that supported the status quo: institutionalized discrimination on the basis of sexuality.

I didn’t want to write a letter that talked about my sexuality, or the sexuality of people I know because I could not begin to imagine what it is like to live in a country that does not allow one to participate fully simply because of their sexuality.

Dr. Leigh, you are a supporter of reforms in this area however, many in your party are not. I ask you as a member of your electorate, as a young person and as someone who wants to see the Labor Party take up its rightful place as the champion of just and progressive values, to be that member that does not simply ‘work behind the scenes’, but stands up against what is a disgusting remnant of times gone by. I ask you to strongly support same-sex marriage at the upcoming party conference and that any ‘behind the scenes’ work is in actively convincing your colleagues to do the same. 

Yours sincerely,

Courtney Sloane

One for the thoughtful, educated, professional, Anglo-Saxon, male, heterosexual chaps.

Dear Dr Leigh,

I know that unlike most of the people we call politicians in this country you are actually very intelligent and reasonable. I know about your noted work as an economist at the ANU and I know you have a PhD from Harvard and that you once worked under then Chief Justice Michael Kirby — which is pretty cool. I’ve also had the pleasure of talking with you and can personally attest to your impressive knowledge of policy and your acute ability to reason.

I also know that you are not an ideologue and that you are not beholden to some outdated, monolithic political stance but that you are instead a modern, free-thinking person who aligns himself with the progressive heritage and commitment to social justice of the nominal Left in this country. I know all this because in 2010, for the first time ever, I voted for someone I actually knew something about.

And so because of all this I almost feel stupid in asking when you will show your fulsome support for equal marriage, because it is so evident from your admirable political and intellectual pedigree that you obviously realise it is 2011 and that we still don’t have equality for same-sex couples. It seems unnecessary for me to plead with you to do so, when you’re a clear thinking man who couldn’t help but be aware of the facts of life. It is surely redundant for me to mention, for example, that gay people have been around forever and that marriage has been around forever and that it seems strange that these two things are so rarely allowed to coincide. And so I won’t go further and mention that when we look back in thirty years at this disgraceful situation and feel about the lawmakers of 2011 how we now feel about the lawmakers who presided over racial or gender inequality in previous decades — well I needn’t go on and finish that thought, because for a person of your learning and your commitment to progressive politics, you’ve already had that rather obvious thought yourself.

Most issues in politics are nuanced affairs with strong arguments from the Left and the Right and I’ll be honest: I don’t commit to any political party because I can’t possibly decide on any of these things; like what are we supposed to do about Afghanistan? You know what I mean? But luckily there’s one issue, Dr Leigh, about which thoughtful, educated, professional, Anglo-Saxon, male, heterosexual chaps like you and me can easily come out in support of and that is equal marriage rights. Well, there is another one but we’ll leave tax reform for another day.

Anyway I know this whole thing was pointless so please just discard this letter, as I’m sure it will find you just as you are about to issue that statement calling for equal marriage rights. And so in anticipation of that likely outcome, I commend you for doing what should have been done a long time ago.

Sincerely,

Jamie Freestone.

There is a life you can save.

Dear Dr Leigh,

You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to be writing you this letter as a resident of Canberra. I hail from the progressive paradise known as Kempsey, whose historical claim to fame includes a stop from the Freedom Ride bus in 1965 as well as being the birth place of none other than Slim Dusty (you know that bloke who loves to have a beer with Duncan?).

Growing up in Kempsey was not a great start for me. As the daughter of a preacher man, the student of a Christian school and a resident of a town that seemed devoid of any culture beyond pubs and churches, things were looking bleak. From a very young age I knew that I was attracted to girls, but I was also taught from a very young age that this was wrong. The only laws I knew was my fathers law and gods law, and they were one in the same. As the pastors daughter, not only was I constantly exposed to the hatred of LBGTIQ people, but I was expected to exemplify it. At first I thought I could teach myself not to be attracted to women. I kept a rubber band around my wrist, and every time I thought about a girl I pulled back that band and let it snap my wrist. This self corrective behaviour led to extremes of cutting and deprivation of food. By the time I was in my early teens, I no longer had an answer. I had lost my faith and everyone around me seemed to condemn me for what I was, and it was something I knew I couldn't change. In the darkest period of my life, I often contemplated suicide and would regard it as my solace. But then something happened.

In some ways, it is fair to say that a google search saved my life. In late 2004 I became aware of the legislative changes made by the Stanhope government in the ACT and it was this discovery that gave me hope. For the first time I was exposed to people advocating for me, and politics became my new law. Politicians were my champions and Canberra became my oasis. I told myself that I could hold on for a few more years and make it to a place where I would have no fear to hold a girls hand, or ask a girl out on a date. I am now here in Canberra with no fear and writing to you Dr. Leigh to tell you that I have faith in you. I have faith that you will put Equal Marriage on the agenda for Labor and I have faith that you will do whatever you can to make Australia a safe place for LBGTIQ kids. When you think about it Dr. Leigh, if gay marriage was legalised in Australia, it would not kill anyone who is opposed to it. However if equal marriage is kept off the agenda and not being talked about by our politicians, it may very well kill a LBGTIQ kid from Kempsey.

I believe that you will do the right thing,

From your proud and hopeful constituent,

Renee Jones

Support Marriage Equality!

Dear Andrew Leigh MP,

I write to you in the hope that you will actively support the fight for marriage equality. As far as LGBTIQ-identifying people go, I believe that marriage equality is one of the final frontiers for recognition of LGBTIQ people as members and equals in society, as it finally provides the legal backing and social equality from this country that everyone deserves.

Here is why;

History is proof as to how much law affects the way in which people think and act. In the past, previously accepted forms of discrimination justified by law such as segregation have since disappeared thanks to a number of leaders acting in a forward and progressive way. At the times of discriminatory laws such as apartheid and segregation, discrimination from everyday ‘normal’ people against those affected by these laws was undoubtedly far more rampant , cruel and normal than it is today. After the removal of these laws, and treaties such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination(UN, 1966) the integration of cultures in these countries has become far more extensive – that is, people have become less racist. If for no other reason, the acceptance of groups into society is what is the aim of any equality proposition. I believe that segregation is an accurate analogy as to the issue of LGBTIQ people in our society.

LGBTIQ-identifying people are still discriminated against by Australian law, and this inherently identifies to ‘normal’ people that there is a difference, or segregation between themselves and the LGBTIQ-identifying. It is hard to expect society not to discriminate a group, when the very laws they live by discriminate that same group. Marriage equality is extremely important for this reason, yet same-sex marriages and all are still illegal in Australia.

I look forward to an Australia where being different in a way that does not define your character will not be an issue. I look forward to an Australia where young people do not have to worry about ‘coming out’ due to the way people will judge them, or how it will affect their lives (I for one will not be able to get the same benefits as heterosexual couples). I look forward to an Australia that is not discriminatory to it’s own members either by law or by society. I look forward to an Australia that will look back on these days the same way that we look back on segregation and apartheid.

Regards,

Daniel Fox

The most powerful, profound and yet most common feature of human existence.

Dear Mr Leigh,

I am writing to discuss the most powerful, profound and yet most common feature of human existence. Love.  

Love is something I am blessed to have a lot of in my life. I have an amazing family and a truly remarkable group of friends whom I love more than words can say.  And I know there is more love to come. One day I will fall for a beautiful man and we will get married. My friends and family will be there with me to shed a tear, to sing and dance the night away and to celebrate our love.

Yet this institution of love is not open to all. I will not be able to be to celebrate the love of my gay friends and family members because the laws of our country only recognize the union of a man and a woman.

I find this ridiculous and absolutely devastating. To think that in this day and age some of the people I care about most in the world are not treated by the laws of this country as equals but rather as second class citizens is disgusting.

Therefore I urge you, in the name of your friends and family, your neighbours and electorate, in the name of all those who you love and love you in return, to support gay marriage.  

Sincerely,

 

Kate Worrall 

Freedom to pursue their own happiness.

Dear Dr Andrew Leigh MP,

I am writing to express my great sadness that certain members of the Australian community are not given equal rights before the law. Yes, I’m talking about the right of homosexuals to marry. To be honest, I don’t understand why it hasn’t happened. They are human beings, just like you and I, with the same hopes and fears. They have the same capacity to feel love and pain, to feel joyous, to set goals and achieve them. Yet, in this one aspect they still remain second-rate citizens. 

Some of my friends are homosexual. I’ve watched them fall in love and listened to them lament the fact that they can’t make the ultimate commitment to each other. And isn’t that the point of marriage these days? To stand before your family, friends and community and proclaim your love and devotion to each other? To recognise each other as imperfect beings that somehow, when together, just work. I don’t see why it should be different for homosexual people. 

I have wonderful dreams for my friends. I hope that they will experience a loving life, and I hope that they are prosperous and generous.   But most of all, I want them to have the freedom to pursue their own happiness. Marriage equality is a part of this. 

I hope that you too, will join me in my dreams for my friends and support marriage equality. 

Kind regards,

Natasha Lindfield

There are many voters who feel this way, I am only one.

Mr Leigh, 


I have a friend, a best friend, who has supported me greatly through the years that I have known him. 
I have laughed, cried and grown up with him.


 When my grandfather died, he, without question drove me 300km to my family, because I couldn’t drive myself, and because he knew I needed him. 


Some time in the future, when I have fallen in love, and am walking down the aisle, he will be there.
I want to watch him do the same, I want to see him declare his love for someone. I want to dance at his wedding.


My friend is honest, generous, intelligent and loyal. He also likes men. Why does that make things different? Why can’t he marry the man he loves?

I’m writing to ask that this be addressed, and that equality in the community becomes a priority. There are many voters who feel this way, I am only one.


Yours, 


Kimberly Barnes

It Just Isn't Fair.

Dear Ms. Brodtmann,

I am writing to you not only as a member of your electorate and as someone who voted for you, but as a young woman who has grown up in a world where my teachers forgot to tell the class about non-hetero sexualities thirteen years in a row, where my peers used the word ‘gay’ as an insult and where my government denies equal rights to anyone who dares to deviate from the heterosexual mould.

It is because of these factors that I have found it so hard to come to terms with who I am. I am bisexual. I can love and have loved both men and women.  I like to joke that I am only half a lesbian, but that does not mean that I only get half of the homophobia. There is more confusion, more questions of identity, and more pressure to just repress the side that loves women and indulge in my heterosexual privilege. There are more people questioning the validity of my identity, more people telling me that I can just wish it away and be normal. But I can’t change who I am, and nor should I have to. 

It just isn’t fair. I need you, as my representative to not just support, but to fight for my right to marry a woman, if I so choose, just as you support my right to marry a man. And I hope that you will.

Yours sincerely,

Zoe Rothfield

More Australians support equal marriage rights, than Australians who do not.

Dear Andrew Leigh MP, 

You’ve received enough measured and peaceful letters quietly urging you to adequately represent a section of our community whom after decades of trials and tribulations deserve your ear.

I refuse to add to this dust-gathering paper tower on your desk as anything less than a very troubled individual. 

This is not a peaceful, measured letter. This is not the part where I say please and thank you for so humbly allowing me to peel back the cotton wool from your ear momentarily and let a quick five hundred words of deep concern and common decency trickle in. This is the part where I say that anything less than an unfaltering and wholehearted support of gay marriage rights on your behalf renders your opinions out-dated and immoral. 

I know politicians seldom have time for those silly, finicky little things that the common man refers to as a fact, so, instead of getting on my soap-box and spewing out the all too familiar diatribe on all of the other politicians that have had the base moral fortitude to stand up for equal marriage rights, and rattling on about the Howard government’s homophobic construction of the legal definition of ‘marriage’, and instead of getting sidetracked into an essay on why I think Bob Geldoff is a schmuck as so many of my letters to distinguished members of our community end up becoming, I have one fact to share with you. It is the most relevant of all facts regarding this issue and more pertinently a fact that when systematically left ignored will rattle the fundamentals of this democracy to its very foundations: more Australians support equal marriage rights, than Australians who do not. 

As our collective head of hair thins and greys by the second as too many major-party members stand inactive as if their fears of equality are their seats’ last bastions of societal order, it’s your constituents’ obligation to take a step back and ask ourselves why. Why is suck a lack of passion for equality tolerable? Why are our elected officials ignoring their constituents’ call for change? Why are we once again settling for second-best?

Mr Leigh, why am I being forced to write to you on behalf of my contemporaries when you already know what we’re asking you for?

You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. I don’t want my twilight hours stained with the ever-cloying knowledge that while my fellow students’ calls for equality were ignored, I stood alongside the head-shaking machine and waited out the storm. 

While the statistics which reflect Queers’ plight and right to fend off persecution and bigotry stack high against the fortress of irrationality and fear governing successive governments’ Queer policy, as my local member I want to know which side of the wall you stand on, and I want to know why before I dare approach that ballot box next time.

Sincerely (frustrated),

Joshua Dabelstein. 

For a more inclusive society.

Dear Sir,

The prohibition on same sex marriage is sexist. 

It discriminates against a couple sharing love and commitment based on

the gender mix of the couple.

There is no moral difference between discrimination against a couple

based on gender mix, and discrimination against an individual based on

gender.

Please promote an inclusive community view that marriage is about love

and commitment.

Please vote to remove the morally repugnant discrimination against

same sex marriage from federal legislation.

Sincerely,

Peter Lavers

Aiming for a harmonious society...

Mr. Leigh,

I don’t know what your personal attitudes to gay marriage are. I would not presume to name them. I would neither presume to coat you with the slick of wider party policy.

I write to you because I am troubled. I cannot see the question of gay marriage as anything but divisive in our society. I don’t propose that by supporting it, you can instantly force the miners of the Pilbara region to do the same. You are yourself, not the holder of the leash of the many people in Australia who are frightened by the prospect of further fragmentation of their nation, painted with the summer hues of their childhood, reluctant to relinquish the last time they were sure of anything in their memory. 

All I ask is that you, as an elected leader of the people of Canberra, as someone who must give succour and strength to those you lead, take a first step. I do not claim that you can make people change. But you can show them that the world you want, is not going to dissolve their lives, and leave them billowing on the winds of change, with no sure place to take shelter. You must show them that this question, this poisonous argument turning the characters of homo- and heterosexuals alike into hardened leather and vicious lashing tongues, is not something to be feared. It is only the progression that Australia will take, as we move towards a harmonious society that gives all the same place before each other.

You will never change the opinions of those who do not want to believe, or accept, or consider. What you, as someone with the power to do so vested in you by the electors of Australia, can do, is change the world around them, and then have the courage to weather the storm that will come while they struggle into the world that you have made.

The way forward is not the infighting that we are suffering now. It is through love and inclusiveness, and letting the outliers come back to the fold, when they have overcome their fear. You must let them feel that they will not be vilified or singled out for their opinions, and you must try to protect them if those already touched by this debate attempt to do so. You have the responsibility to lead in this. I want nothing more than that my fellow man should love me as I love him in turn. I need you to make the first steps.

I hope that you choose wisely in this matter.

Yours, 

Connor Drum