I first saw this video from Boys in Pixels. It was one of the best video I’ve ever seen that promotes equality when it comes to gay marriage. The video tells the story of two guys meeting at a cruise ship and started a relationship that eventually led to a marriage proposal.
The story is from the point of view of one of the guys. He’s taking picture of the whole thing – from their first meeting, to a date, argument, meeting the parents, until the proposal. At the end of the video, the guy taking the recording was revealed. It was a fantastic video. It has everything that a gay guy like me would love in a relationship.
The organization responsible for the video is Get Up! Here’s a brief description of this movement/organization from their official website:
GetUp is an independent, grass-roots community advocacy organisation giving everyday Australians opportunities to get involved and hold politicians accountable on important issues.
GetUp members are committed to fairness, sustainability and social justice. Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members take targeted, coordinated and strategic action.
GetUp members make a difference.GetUp does not back any particular party, but aims to build an accountable and progressive Australia - an Australia with economic fairness, social justice and environmental sustainability at its core.
GetUp is a not-for-profit and receives no money from any political party or the government. We welcome donations as we rely solely on funds and in-kind donations from the Australian public.
I’ve always thought that Australia’s constitution already accepts same-sex marriage. I’ve read Wikipedia and learned that not all the states/provinces of Australia accept same-sex marriage. To quote Wikipedia:
Australia bans recognition of same-sex marriages. The ban is somewhat supported by the Catholic Church and the two largest political parties. The current Gillard federal Labor Party government is reluctant to progress toward same sex marriage asserting that marriage remains the preserve of heterosexual couples only. In February 2010, the Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young's Marriage Equality Bill was rejected by the Senate. Senator Hanson-Young re-introduced the bill to the Senate in September 2010. The bill will sit on a notice paper until the major parties agree to a conscience vote on it. A Greens motion urging federal MPs to gauge community support for gay marriage was passed by the House of Representatives on 18 November 2010.
The Australian Capital Territory is the first jurisdiction in Australia to legalise civil partnerships ceremonies for gay couples. However, they are not recognised in Australian jurisdictions outside of that territory. Registered partnerships are available in New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria. From 1 July 2009 Centrelink recognised same-sex couples equally regarding social security – under the common-law marriage, de facto status or unregistered cohabitation. There is a bill before the Tasmanian Legislative Council to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
I’m not surprised that it’s the Catholic Church who opposes gay marriage. It would do everything to retain its tradition and customs. I’m just surprised that Australia has a large Catholic population that it influences the government’s decision. I’ve always thought that Australia is similar to the US when it comes to religious freedom.
Anyway, going back to the topic of gay marriage, I could imagine how long it would take before same-sex marriage would be recognized here in the Philippines. It probably won’t happen in my lifetime. If Australia is still debating on the subject, in spite of the fact that Australians in general accepts same-sex marriage (in different polls conducted), how much more here in the Philippines?
