My submission to the Australian Senate inquiry into marriage ...

Dear Committee Secretary,

As an Australian who believes same-sex couples should be able to marry, I strongly support the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2010.

The Bill is an important step towards providing legal equality for same-sex partners and removing discrimination against them.

The Bill will strengthen relationships, families and marriage, and will make Australia a fairer and more inclusive nation.

I support provisions of the Bill that will allow a celebrant who is a minister of religion to refuse to marry same-sex partners.

I oppose civil unions as a substitute for full equality in marriage for same-sex partners. Civil unions can reinforce ideas within parts of our community that gay and lesbian people are not equal members of our society. This in turn can consciously and subconsciously help justify discriminatory language and behaviour within our society. The basic fact is that without marriage equality, gay and lesbian people are not equal members of our society.

Without marriage equality the government is condoning unequal treatment of gay and lesbian people within society more broadly. The government is saying that gay and lesbian relationships are not of the same standard as heterosexual relationships, which condones discrimination and mistreatment in the schoolyard, the workplace and the street. When a sub-community is given fewer rights the government is saying that these people are lesser people and not worthy of the same level of protection as the rest of society.

I have experienced the loneliness and despair of being discriminated against because of my sexuality in school. I know how so many young Australians have suffered. And there are far too many who have suffered more than they could cope. As a society we need to agree that this type of discrimination is not acceptable and no one should be the subject of such behaviour.

I have been with my same-sex partner five years. We have made a commitment to spend the rest of our lives together. We have supported each other emotionally, socially, physically and financially ? and will continue to do so going forward.

As citizens of two different countries we have had our relationship assessed by both the Australian and Swedish governments to ensure we could continue to live together. In order to gain appropriate visas, we have had to prove that we are in a committed and serious relationship. Both governments held our relationship to the same standards as any heterosexual couple in making this assessment, which we believe to be both fair and just.

While holding our relationship to the same standards, the Australian government does not afford us the same rights as those in heterosexual relationships. Despite having proved that we have the same level of commitment as a heterosexual couple, we cannot get married in the country we call our home. It does not make sense that the government recognises same-sex relationships as equal in all respects when making an assessment of our commitment to each other, and yet does not afford us the same rights.

I know a number of Australian couples that have gone overseas to marry due to their strong desire to demonstrate their commitment to one-another. For each of these couples the decision has been fraught with conflicting emotions. While they are sure of the commitment they are making, they are forced to do this in an environment away from most of their family and friends ? an important element in almost all marriages.

Although Australian, I lived in Sweden for over four year. Sweden supports marriage equality in law. During my time in Sweden I saw the positive impact that marriage equality provides the gay and lesbian community. However, I failed to see any negative impact on the broader community. It has not otherwise changed the nature of the institution of marriage in the country, nor has it affected how straight people perceive their own relationships or families.

Opening up the common vernacular that used to describe relationships in our society is very empowering. I have seen how the ability for gay and lesbian couples to use the same words in Sweden allows all people to talk about their relationship with a level of confidence and pride that I have not seen in Australia. Having a common language for everyone means that gays and lesbians in equally committed relationships can have their relationships viewed on an equal level without being questioned.

In Australia gay and lesbian people are left searching for words as ?boyfriend,? ?girlfriend? and ?partner? fail to demonstrate the level commitment they have in their relationships. Describing a partner as a ?husband? or ?wife? is often met with the response that ?that?s not possible,? when all the person means is ?that?s not possible in Australia.? Within the broader community these same words are used before a couple has decided to make a life-long commitment to each other. Ultimately, this situation degrades gay and lesbian relationships.

While this is not a religious issue, it has become necessary to highlight that many religious groups support marriage equality. The Church of Sweden, which claims 70% of the Swedish population as members, is one of the greatest supporters of marriage equality in Swedish society. And there are many religious people and groups within Australian society that also support marriage equality.

For me marriage equality ultimately comes down to a legal argument. If the government believes gay and lesbian people are considered equal members of our society they should be afforded equal rights. The government already recognises that gay and lesbian couples share an equal level of love and commitment as heterosexual couples ? as demonstrated by the common process to assess couples for partner visas. The government recognises that gay and lesbian people should not be treated differently due to their sexual orientation as described in anti-discrimination laws. Thus the government should enshrine marriage equality into law to remove discrimination against a group that it recognises as equal.

Yours sincerely
Sebastian Barney

adam shulman adam shulman nfl power rankings week 13 nfl power rankings week 13 patrice patrice tether