A Symbol of Equality..and the lack of it.

On Saturday morning I went to Victoria Park and planted a pink heart to commemorate the unfortunate first anniversary of the Federal same sex marriage ban. This visual statement was an event organised by the Gay and Lesbian rights lobby who have successfully led the fight for a number of significant reforms and legislative reforms in Australia including:

The introduction of anti-vilification legislation in 1993
Relationship law reform for same-sex couples in NSW in 1999
The equalisation of the age of consent for gay males in 2003
Superannuation reform in 2004

The Lobby has also been at the forefront of the fight for social justice for lesbians and gay men, achieving the following:

Establishing the Anti-Violence project, to combat violence against lesbians and gay men
Lobbying for the introduction of Gay and Lesbian Liason Officers in police stations across NSW
Lobbying for a Gay and Lesbian Liason Officer in the Attorney-Generals department.

Although the institution of Gay Marriage is not something I can see myself getting personally ensconced by anytime soon it certainly does not make the fight for basic equal rights in regards to this issue any less important. Attending and supporting efforts like this one is the least I can do to honour those in the generations before me who fought so hard to pave the way for the level of acceptance that we enjoy now everyday without a care.

We clearly though still have battles to win and while the attendance levels on Saturday were not as high as they could have been it was still a great event to participate and contribute to while having a good catch up with friends as well. One of those friends I caught up with was Margeaux who has just written a terrific post covering the morning with some cool photos as well that can be found on his blog at www.dwatson.com.