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