Australian marriage equality advocates are seeking help from overseas in the wake of the establishment of a Youtube channel designed to persuade the nation’s Prime Minister to support equality.
Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said 2011 will be the make or break year for equality Down Under, with the governing Labor Party set to debate marriage equality at its biennial national conference and the Catholic Church beginning to campaign against reform in earnest.
“We’re putting out the call to Aussie expats, and all supporters of marriage equality around the world, to help us achieve reform”, Mr Greenwich said.
“Financial donations are very welcome to help us combat the Church campaign against equality, and we also welcome letters to Australian political leaders and newspapers from people living in jurisdictions with equality.”
The call comes in the wake of a Youtube video from emerging North American comedian, Daniel-Ryan Spaulding, in which he expresses disbelief that Australia’s Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, an unmarried, atheist who is Australia’s first female Prime Minister, opposes marriage equality.
“Its my belief, deep down, Julia Gillard is a Fag Hag waiting to emerge. If she understood the joys of having a Gay Best Friend, it is highly doubtful she would take such an discriminatory and ignorant stance on same-sex marriage,” Mr Spaulding says, before calling on others to share their views on a Youtube channel dedicated to persuading Ms Gillard to support equality.
Mr Greenwich responded, “Daniel-Ryan Spaulding’s Youtube is helping raise the profile of Australian marriage equality in North America and we hope to build on that with our appeal for support”.
Opinion polls show support for marriage equality in Australia is as high as 62%. Following last year’s federal election, where Labor lost votes and a seat to the Greens, many senior Labor Party and trade union figures came out in support of marriage equality.
For more on what people overseas can do to support marriage equality in Australia visit, www.australianmarriageequality.org/?page_id=1632