same-sex marriage plebiscite
2 min read

A week has gone by since the same-sex marriage plebiscite was announced by the Australian Government and we are starting to see both the yes and no group’s set up their campaigns and their spokespeople.

As the postal vote gets closer, each week eikon will look over the latest news and decipher it for our readers.

Court Swings Wildly for the No Campaign

The Australian writes that Australian tennis champion Margaret Court has thrown her weight behind the campaign against same-sex marriage, following her previous threats to boycott corporate marriage equality advocate Qantas earlier this year.

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Court has now urged her supporters to enroll to vote No in the upcoming postal plebiscite.

“Thankyou for your support from across Australia and around the world. But now I need your help,” she writes in an email that is understood to have been sent to thousands of followers.

Margaret Court
Margaret Court

Thorpe Leads Yes Campaign

Olympic Gold Medallist Ian Thorpe has joined the Marriage Equality campaign as the head cheerleader.

Even though the organisation is still challenging the postal plebiscite in the High Court, they have appointed Thorpe as an official spokesperson and the champion, who has only be a gay man for just over a year, appeared at Sydney’s City to Surf fun run on the weekend to spruik the the message of voting yes.

Thorpe joins Margot Robbie, Tim Minchin, The Veronicas and Ruby Rose who have already got behind the Yes vote.

No Group Use Bisexual Flag For Logo

The Independent reports the logo chosen by a new Australian anti-same sex marriage campaign looks a lot like the bisexual pride flag.

The Coalition for Marriage, which consists of groups including the Marriage Alliance, the Australian Christian Lobby and the Christian Schools Association, is campaigning against equal marriage in the country.

It claims to give a voice to the “silent majority” and stand up for the “freedom of religion”.

Yet the group recently launched a campaign with a blue, purple and pink logo – the colours of the bisexual pride flag.

The flag, designed by activist Michael Page in 1998, was created to give the bisexual community its own symbol other than the gay pride rainbow flag.

The bisexual pride flag was designed in 1998 Wikimedia Commons
The bisexual pride flag was designed in 1998 Wikimedia Commons

Muslims for Marriage Equality

Out in Perth have reported that a new organisation has appeared on Facebook encouraging Muslims who support marriage equality to come together and work towards a ‘Yes’ in the upcoming postal vote.

Muslims for Marriage Equality was formed by LGBTI+ activist and former educator at the AIDS Council of New South Wales, Fahad Ali.

“There is a diversity in belief and opinion on equal marriage within the Muslim community,” Ali said.

“The notion that all Muslims are opposed to equal rights for same-sex couples is absolutely incorrect. There is a strong threat of egalitarianism and social justice within the Qur’an and we think that it is very applicable to the question of same-sex marriage.”

Last Updated on Aug 16, 2017


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