Canada, France and even Israel allow it, but when will Australia?

It was Christmas Eve 1976 and I had some “enchanted evening” moment and within a month we moved in together. It was tough in those days but we persevered, holding two jobs and delivering junk mail, eventually buying our first house for all of $40,000, then renovated, sold it and moved up and up. Now we live in an apartment in Southbank, Melbourne complete with a 10 square balcony. Our second apartment in Carlton is nearing completion and that is part of our pension fund. However, being together for 37 plus years, we came to accept that as two males we would always be together but not together, as a married couple.

We are just finishing a five-month extended long service leave trip through Europe, Israel, Canada and US of A, including Toronto, Quebec, Boston and New York. We stayed in a variety of accommodations, mainly using Air BNB.

In our current travels we visited Belgium, France, Netherlands and Israel, who all allow equal marriage. Yes, even Israel also allows surrogacy.  What a joy to find Canada has a full equality law that they extend to all people, whether they are citizens or foreign visitors; Canadians have 100% equal rights.

So in Toronto, Canada we were married. It was a civil union as we are Buddhist and it was at Casa Loma Castle (who paid for it) as it was part of World Pride. Unfortunately, since we were so far away, only one friend now living in New York witnessed our union. We had six interviews with the national press who were amazed we can’t marry in Australia as they all consider it to be a progressive and open-minded society. They were even more amazed when told the constitution says marriage is between natural persons, but one person decided to intervene in a Marriage Act change.

We are too old for children but when I read at the cost in raising one and what is happening to the climate, who would want one? Why bring a child into the mess now being created that they are going to very expensively have to clean up? That said, there are many same-sex couples that do want children, as they can in Canada and Israel. People will argue children need a mother and father then get divorced, leaving single parent families – I guess they can send them to grandparents at times? So the law re: divorce should be removed as well.

Nothing has really changed after our marriage but there is a different feel and connection between the two of us. I know some readers will not be comfortable with this but think back to when people lived in sin and the sky did not fall in then either.

Animal Farm is Australia today. All are equal, but some are more equal than others, and this applies not just for the marriage or for gay people but workers, aboriginals, pensioners the list becoming almost endless.

Gay marriage is a small issue in the larger field of issues but one that can be quite easily fixed.

What do you think? Should gay marriage be allowed in Australia? Do you know any happy same-sex couples?