Thousands march for same-sexmarriage

www.samesame.com.au
  • 42
  • 16
  • 8720

Over 4,000 people took to the streets in Melbourne, over 1,000 rallied in Sydney, and many more protested in Brisbane, Wollongong, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth this afternoon as the ongoing fight for same-sex marriage continues across Australia.

Lord of the Rings’ wizard star Sir Ian McKellen stirred the Melbourne crowd outside the Victorian State Library with his coming out story, telling the crowd why the ongoing struggle for LGBT equality around the world is so important to him. One of the biggest petitions ever presented in the nation, 100,000 signatures from Australian citizens demanding equal marriage rights for all Australians was presented to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young. The assembled protesters also enjoyed a show from drag diva Pollyfilla (pictured).

Meanwhile in Sydney, gay radio personality and newsreader on 2dayFM Geoff Field MC’ed a 1,000-strong rally outside the Town Hall. An audio message from Dannii Minogue pledging her total support for the casue was played to the cheering throng. Armed with a mixture of signs, banners, and a giant rainbow flag, the rally then made its way noisily through the streets of central Sydney to Hyde Park, where a 100,000 signature petition supporting same-sex marriage was handed to a Green MP to present to parliament, before gender-free campaigner Norrie May-Welby performed a show.

Community Action Against Homophobia (CAAH) co-convenor Ben Cooper tells Same Same he’s very happy with the crowd numbers in Sydney, which are easily double those of the last rally back in March.

Other major Australian cities also held marches, with many including light-hearted ‘kiss in’ photo opportunities.

Another day of protest action is planned for 14 August, marking the anniversary of the date former Prime Minister John Howard sought to outlaw same-sex marriage Australia-wide.

Check out Same Same’s gallery of images from this afternoon’s rally in Sydney.

UPDATE: Photos from the Melbourne rally are here.

And take a look at our gallery from Brisbane’s same-sex marriage protest event here.

Social

  • vincentfromfr
  • Mann
  • Anthony Mahera
  • brodes13
  • Travis de Jonk
  • sojealous
  • gigabytegrrl
  • danny corvini
  • daisyfields
  • Tatsuya
  • munijy
  • Walsy93
  • Neptune
  • hazyinseptember
  • SapphireRose
  • pantone801

Comments

www.samesame.com.au arrow left
16922
rudeboy86

rudeboy86 said on the 17th May, 2010



No the reason why I did not show up and never will show up is because the idea of marriage of all sorts offends me considering I am polyamorous among other things.

Which photo were you talking about by the way?

For the record, I have spent most of my life involved in Leftist groups. Was a part of a Socialist youth group that has history going back to 1897 in Eastern Europe. I was there for 10 years and spent one year as a member of the leadership group so I grew up in the movement for your information. Throughout highschool I was involved with the Socialist Alliance and for one year I was a Greens member. It was only in the last couple of years that I really grew sick of the bullshit pushed by S.Alt members who could not argue further than what they read in their own literature, it was about then that my sympathies to Anarcho-Syndicalism became much stronger. I did a lot of campaigning for Union Solidarity when the group was still active, I helped coordinate industrial actions and pickets and the most major one being the strike at the Boeing plant in Melbourne a couple of years ago where I spent 6 weeks doing overnight and day shifts on the picket line.

I have been active in going to demonstrations since I was 11-12 years old and I am still active and these vary from workers' rights, to anti-racism, anti-war, G20...etc In relation to Queer rights I am more likely to possibly help organise or rock up to an action based around issues that I find are more important to the Queer community than the desire to jump on the sinking ship that is the institution of marriage and try to assimilate. The issues that concern me as a Queer male are Queerphobic violence, Trans rights, rights of sex-workers (there are heaps of Queer sex-workers), actions outside mad Pentacostal Churches that preach hate (eg. Catch The Fire Ministries), the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis, Pink Dollar capitalism (the way that capitalism exploits the Queer community), support for Queers of Colour..etc

My main reason for my attitude about the Socialist Alternative is due to their unforgiving hostility towards Anarcho collectives (I'm lovin the solidarity there comrade) whereas other groups on the Left seem to be more inclined to set our few differences aside and have some form of open line of communication.


Again I need to explain my name...it is a 1960's Ska/Reggae reference...look it up I'm not going to explain it AGAIN.