Today (well, today in Australia), Australian Labor Senator Louise Pratt delivered one of the most eloquent arguments for marriage equality that I’ve ever seen.
Senator Pratt, whose partner is transgender, gave an emotionally charged speech dissecting the logic of discriminatory marriage laws and their effect upon the nation—and truly, it doesn’t get much plainer than this:
“I think it is one of the bitterest, bitterest ironies of this debate that historically, gay people have been stigmatized as promiscuous and immoral while being denied by the law the right to demonstrate the importance and consistency of their relationships in the way that any other Australian can. Think about that.”
BOOM. And just in case your heartstrings needed a good tug:
“We exist. We already exist. Our relationships exist. Our children exist. Our families exist. Our marriages exist. And our love exists. All we ask is that you stop pretending that we don’t, that you stop pretending that our relationships are not as real as yours. Our love is as true, our children as cherished, and our families as precious.”
You said it, lady.
Give the clip a watch, and feel free to forward it to those pro-"family values" relatives. This might be the statement that changes their minds.
Photo via towleroad.com; video clip via youtube.com
Maggie Carr has written about TV, feminism, fashion, and other kinds of lady business for BUST and Thought Catalog, among others. She's never not tweeting about Kanye West at @racecarr.
