Almost fifteen days after the majority of Australians voted “yes” for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Australia, the local Senate approved, despite the objections of conservative sectors, same-sex unions. Now, the agenda goes to a vote in the Chamber of Deputies, but should have the same result. With the plebiscite that opted for the regularization of homosexual marriage, the majority of parliamentarians committed to respecting the decision of the polls. In the Senate, there were 43 votes in favor and 12 against. The overwhelming victory was celebrated by the LGBT population and activists. For Penny Wong, a Labor lawmaker and one of the most active voices for gay rights in Australia, the decision “tells many Australians that this Parliament, this country, accepts them for who they are”. “Your love is not something inferior, any more than you are,” says Wong. If, as expected, the agenda is approved by deputies, Australia will be the 26th country in the world to legalize same-sex unions. Also in 2017, the German Parliament made history by approving gay marriage, despite Chancellor Angela Merkel's opinion to the contrary. PUBLIC CONSULTATION On November 15th, through a public consultation commissioned by the post, 80% of Australian voters (voting there is not mandatory) gave their opinion on whether the issue would be approved in the country or not. The historic result was surprising and showed that 61% of the population is in favor of same-sex unions. After the vote, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull committed to speeding up the matter and approving the agenda by the end of the year. “It’s unequivocal, it’s overwhelming. They spoke in their millions and voted overwhelmingly yes for marriage equality,” said Turnbull in a statement after the vote.
