by blanket » Wed Nov 15, 2017 11:01 am
today the australia bureau of statistics announced the results of the same-sex postal survey. 61.6% of people voted yes to "Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?" In every australian state, a majority voted yes. for the past weeks i have been watching people dear to me suffer so much pain and stress and anguish because of this postal survey and the burning heat that surrounds it.
there was a big party in the street next to mine. all the restaurants opened their doors. bright lights were hung from store to store and colourful chalk covered the ground. everyone was so happy. not merely happy, but joyful.
there were old people and toddlers, uni students and young professionals, people of all ethnicities and professions and backgrounds. drag queens and office workers dancing together in the streets.
it feels like a great weight has been lifted off many shoulders, at least for a day. there will be more pain and stress to come. moreover, anyone who falls outside man-woman, man-man and woman-woman was left behind in this survey. but for now, there is a tangible lightness in the air.
I hope that the people who feel angry about the results of the vote will be able to see and listen to and taken in the joy and relief that the results of the vote has brought to the people around them.