'Marriage equality isn't a gay problem, it's an everybody problem'

A friend recently recommended I listen to a podcast called ‘The Guilty Feminist’. I loved the name – what’s not to love? It combines my two most prevalent mental states.

The host is a woman called Deborah Frances-White. The show gets guests to talk about various aspects of being women in society.

There was one recent episode that particularly struck a chord with me. Deborah went into a high school in London and spoke to a group of boys. She asked them what they would do in various situations. One was:

You are on a bus. A gay kid is getting picked on. Do you intervene?

One boy answered that he wouldn’t step in, as it was ‘none of his business’.

In response to this, Deborah went on to ask him:

You are on a bus. You are getting picked on. Do you want me to intervene?

The boy answered that yes, he would want her to step in. She replied ‘but it's none of my business’. The boy immediately understood.

It was such a succinct way to describe social responsibility. We have a responsibility to stand up for those around us.

Last week Australian Marriage Equality asked me to join a panel of women who were speaking at one of their events.

I am a straight married cis gender (cis meaning that I identify as the gender I was born) woman. The host asked me why I was on the panel, arguing for the rights of a minority I am not a member of. My mind went back to that podcast.

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I replied that inequality is ‘a straight lady as well as gay lady problem. Inequality is an everybody problem.' A section of our society is being denied something that the rest of us have. This is injustice. It is something that we should all be behind as it is unfair. These people pay their taxes. Why shouldn’t they get married?

Hell, we allow rapists and murderers to get married, but not same sex people? This is insane.

I truly don’t understand the argument against marriage equality. How could this have a negative impact to society. This is a matter of adults who love each other being able to be stand up and be recognised. So that they can be family. So that they can have security, support and dignity. And some economic researchers for ANZ bank reckon it would be a $500 million boost for the economy annually. Come on!

If this is a Christian concern, I am still at a loss. God created Adam and Steve. And Eve and Niamh. So lets show some compassion and legalise this as soon as possible, please.

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