yes

http://www.equalitycampaign.org.au/voteyes

Conservatives are rallying against same-sex marriage in a desperate attempt to defend a backward system of inequality that is crumbling around them, says John Passant. 

I DON'T KNOW WHY people dismiss Malcolm Turnbull’s achievements.

Unlike Donald Trump, Malcolm Turnbull has built a wall. It stretches all the way around Parliament House to stop people walking on top of "our" politicians.

Symbolism is important. Romaldo Giurgola, the architect, wanted to convey a powerful message by putting the Parliament underneath the people. Politicians are there to serve us. They are not above us.

It was, of course, always a hope, never a reality. What Malcolm Turnbull has done, using the excuse of terrorism, is confirm in everyone’s minds what we already knew — politicians think they are above everyone else.

The symbolism of the same-sex marriage survey is also important. It was couched in democratic terms by those troglodytes who pushed it but, just like Turnbull’s wall, it puts a barrier between us and politicians. It is a deliberate strategy that is unleashing hate against the LGBTI+ community.

The more sophisticated sophists for the "No" case are not going to indulge in verbal "poofter bashing". They can leave that and actual physical attacks to those they inspire, as the bashing of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s godson shows. 

So many warnings to Turnbull about what the postal vote cld unleash. Now my godson Sean has been punched standing up for#MarriageEquality pic.twitter.com/6maLZkNmfC

The same-sex marriage poll is insidious and privileged bullying, since gay people will never participate in a government-initiated opinion poll on the sexuality of straight people and their right to marry, writes Jennifer Wilson.

IT'S RATHER DIFFICULT to empathise with the marriage equality "No" crowd’s insistence that they are being “bullied” by the "Yes" side.

Rather, the postal opinion poll on the issue is, in itself, one of the most outstanding examples of government and social bullying that we’ve seen in quite some time.

Subjecting groups to the judgement of their fellow citizens on the basis of their sexuality is bullying of the most insidious and damaging kind. Sexuality is an integral part of who we are. It ought not to be the business of anyone other than ourselves and those we choose to share it with. And yet here we are, bullied into participating in a bullying opinion poll on our bullied fellow citizens.

The

On Wednesday, the former Prime Minister said the season-ending event should not be “politicised” by the pro-LGBT rights song, after the former rugby league player Tony Wall launched a petition on Change.org to stop its performance.

But his daughter, Frances, who this week appeared in a video backing same-sex marriage, has come out in support of the rapper, writing on social media site Instagram that “this is what we need right now”.

“I still remember the first time I heard this song. I was sitting in my car, about to get out and go to work ... but stopped and listened. And that same day I went and bought the album and kept it in my car and listened to it over and over again.

“I can’t think of a better song for all the hundreds and thousands of people to listen to on Saturday. This is what we need right now.

“Go harder @macklemore.” 

She also wrote “press play”, a reference to the song’s lyrics: “we press play, don’t press pause. Progress, march on.”

It came after Abbott’s senior colleague Brandis defended Mackelmore and labelled Abbot’s stance “bizarre” earlier on Thursday.

read more: 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/sep/28/brandis-criticises-abbotts...

Prominent LGBTI advocates Rodney Croome, Kerryn Phelps and Ivan Hinton-Teoh have all complained that their marriage law survey forms went to the wrong addresses and have raised fears some Australians will miss out on a vote.

The trio each told Guardian Australia that their forms went to old post office boxes, despite all of them updating or checking their enrolments with the Australian Electoral Commission before the 24 August deadline.

Phelps, the former Australian Medical Association president who appeared in the first Equality Campaign ad, said she was “not calling it a conspiracy” but “indicative of some flaws in the process we always knew would be there”.

read more:

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/30/no-conspiracy-lgb...