As a long-standing organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting the visibility and rights of Australia’s LGBTQI community, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras fully support the push by Australian Marriage Equality for a Senate Enquiry into Marriage Equality.

“We congratulate Sarah Hanson Young for her vision and see the Senate Enquiry as a common sense approach towards gaining full equality for the LGBTQI community,” says Peter Urmson, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Chair. “We fully support this move and thank the hard lobby work completed by Australian Marriage Equality in making this happen”.

As tabled by the Greens, the Senate Enquiry will highlight new research that has emerged over the past two years and between the last enquiry. While the annual Sydney Mardi Gras parade celebrates diversity, it remains a demonstration of the right to equality, where marriage equality is promoted and supported before a captured audience of hundreds of thousands.

“The issue of marriage equality has played a significant role in the parade and will continue to do so until marriage equality in Australia is reached,” says Urmson. “The fact is that countries where marriage equality exists have doubled in numbers since 2009, and moral codes and religious ethics of these countries have not been in any way compromised.

Anyone who feels threatened by marriage equality needs to look at these numbers and re-evaluate their position based on the right to equality for all Australians.