The debate around the marriage equality plebiscite in Australia has never been more fierce, and many allies are calling for the plebiscite to be called off in favor of a vote in parliament.
For some, marriage equality is about rights. For Dan and Miki, a couple of cute cattle ranchers from Northern Rivers, New South Wales, it’s especially a pertinent expression of how much they mean to each other.
‘Commitment [is showing] you’re willing to work together, to get through whatever it is you’re going through. Getting married would be a way of demonstrating that,’ the two men said in a video promoting the #EqualityCampaign, which advocates for a parliamentary vote.
The pro-equal marriage campaign says the cost of the plebiscite will be too high, an estimated $525m (€477m), and the effort of campaigning could be stressful for same-sex couples.
The two men hope rural Australians like themselves will approach their members of parliament and sway how they vote.
The long-awaited Australian plebiscite on gay marriage goes to the Senate on November 7.
A petition from 114 members and allies of the LGBTI community has called for the Senate to strike down the proposed plebiscite in favor of a parliamentary vote.
PFLAG UK said the Australian plebiscite would be ‘hurtful, expensive, divisive and unnecessary‘, citing the ‘human cost’ of the Irish popular vote on marriage equality.