Quiz a pollie on equality

Does your MP support marriage equality?

Only a tiny number of federal politicians in Australia have been willing to declare their support for same-sex marriage. Equal Love hopes to change this over the coming year, but we need your help! We want you to meet with your Member of Parliament, and ask him/her to fill out a short questionnaire about marriage equality.

One-on-one contact with politicians will be vital if we’re going to win the battle for equal marriage rights in Australia. We need to show them that discrimination in the Marriage Act has a human face. This approach has been instrumental in other campaigns to secure LGBTI rights. Let’s make marriage equality personal for our pollies, and build the pressure for change.

What we would like you to do

1. Look up your federal MP

To find out who your federal Member of Parliament is, go to the Australian Electoral Commission website and enter your postcode or suburb, then click on the name of your electorate. Your Member's name will appear. His/her current contact details are available on the Australian Parliament House website.

2. Contact your federal MP

Now that you have the contact details of your Member of Parliament, call his/her office and try to arrange a meeting. Alternatively, you may wish to email or write to the Member. If you don’t hear back, don’t give up! Your Member represents you, and should be willing to hear your ideas. Be sure to note that you’re in his/her electorate.

3. Meet with your federal MP

If you’re successful in arranging a meeting, jot down the time and date so you don’t forget. Take your partner along with you if you’re in a relationship, and you’re kids too if you have any. The more of you, the more effective. Explain why marriage equality matters to you. Don’t get bogged down in facts and complex arguments — just tell your own story! That’s what your MP needs to hear.

4. Ask him/her to fill out the survey

Finally, before you conclude the meeting, ask your MP if he/she would be willing to complete our marriage equality questionnaire. Explain that we would like to know his/her personal views on the issue, not the party policy. The survey has details of where it should be sent to.

5. Tell us how the meeting went

We would love to hear how the meeting went, so please email us and let us know: contact@equallove.info. We’ll place the completed survey from your Member of Parliament on this website. If we haven’t received it within six weeks of your meeting, we’d encourage you to make contact with the MP’s office and remind them that we’re expecting it.

Tips for a successful meeting

1. Work out in your mind what you’ll say

Before you meet with your Member of Parliament, have a good think about what you’ll say, and even sit down with a friend or your partner and run through things. Why is marriage equality important to you? What effect does the discrimination in the Marriage Act have on your life? Would you get married if the law were changed? Does the law affect the way that others perceive your relationship (if you’re in one)?

2. Avoid getting into a verbal fight

Marriage equality is a touchy topic, and there’s every chance that your Member of Parliament will say something that you passionately disagree with. You shouldn’t be afraid of making this clear, but always try to remain polite. You’re unlikely to convince him/her to support marriage equality by being aggressive or rude. You can vent your anger with friends and family afterwards!

3. Be prepared to be asked about civil unions

Your Member of Parliament might want to know whether you would support a national civil union scheme. Equal Love believes that there’s no good reason for setting up a separate system for same-sex relationships. Separate is not equal. But you’re of course free to answer this question however you wish.

4. Insist on completing the survey

Your politician might be reluctant to agree to fill out the marriage equality questionnaire, saying something like “I’ve already outlined my position to you” or “My position is the same as what’s in our party policy”. Insist that you want to have an official record of his/her position so that we can place it on our website. Constituents have a right to know where their elected representative stands on this issue.

Ten arguments for marriage equality

1. Discrimination is not acceptable

Many same-sex couples wish to marry. They want to do so for the same reasons as opposite-sex couples. There is no compelling reason why the Marriage Act should continue to discriminate against us on the basis of our sexual orientation or gender identity. There is no place for such discrimination in a modern, tolerant Australia.

2. Equality would challenge homophobia

The same-sex marriage ban says loud and clear that it’s acceptable to exclude lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people and that our relationships are inferior. Marriage equality would challenge homophobic forces in this country, and lead to social acceptance of LGBTI people.

3. Other countries have marriage equality

The number of countries allowing same-sex marriage is rapidly growing, and now includes Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden, as well as parts of the United States. Many Australian same-sex couples have tied the knot in these countries, but their marriages aren’t recognised upon their return.

4. Marriage equality would harm no one

Marriage equality would bring great happiness to many thousands of same-sex couples, their family and their friends, yet it would harm no one. Ideas that it would lead to the disintegration of society have no merit, and are based on the myth that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice and must be discouraged.

5. A majority of Australians support it

A Galaxy opinion poll conducted in June 2009 showed that 60 per cent of Australians support same-sex marriage, and just 36 per cent oppose it. Two other previous polls provided similar results. There is clearly a popular mandate for the government to end the discriminatory same-sex marriage ban.

6. You’re resisting the tide of history

The Australian Government is resisting the tide of history. Young people overwhelmingly favour change. The main resistance to equality comes from older generations. One senior government minister has described the movement for marriage equality in Australia as “unstoppable”.

7. Marriage must evolve with the times

The idea of marriage as an unchanging institution does not hold up to historical examination. Traditionally, marriage laws treated wives as the property of their husbands, and prohibited inter-racial and inter-religious unions. It has evolved with the times. If marriage is to remain relevant in Australia, it must be expanded to permit same-sex unions.

8. Our laws shouldn’t be based on religion

Australia is a secular society, and marriage under the Marriage Act is a civil institution. Therefore, religion shouldn’t dictate who is and isn’t entitled to marry. It is also worth noting that many religious adherents support same-sex marriage, and some are themselves in same-sex relationships.

9. Our relationships are no different

Same-sex relationships are not qualitatively different from heterosexual relationships. Therefore, they shouldn’t be treated differently under the law. Gay men and lesbians are no less capable of forming loving, committed relationships than their heterosexual counterparts.

10. Automatic recognition is important

For many same-sex couples, automatic recognition of their relationship is important — both in a legal and social sense. They should not be required to show that they are living together, share bank accounts, have a sexual relationship and so on in order to prove their status as a couple.

Finally, good luck!

Please email us if you have any questions before or after your meeting: contact@equallove.info