Australia is presently voting on whether or not they think marriage equality should be legal. It's a heated debate, and the final result will hopefully influence Parliament to finally vote to make same-sex marriage legal.
Everyone is rooting for them from afar.
Australia has a show called Q&A where citizens can ask politicians and other influential leaders about the hot political items on hand.
One such young man, Gordon Smith, talked about his experience being gay and aksed why Senator Matt Canavan wasn't fighting for his right for equality.
His full questions reads,
Mr Canavan: I am a young, gay man, who had the misfortune of attending an underprivileged public school.
I endured slurs on a daily basis, was spat upon by the more aggressive bullies, and found a countless number of notes stuffed into my locker, decrying me as bringing shame to my family, of being riddled with AIDS, and telling me that I was wasting my life. I was also told I was a threat to children, and that being gay was no better than being a pedophile.
Now you Mr Canavan, have criticized my community as being “delicate little flowers” who need to “grow a spine” in the face of abuse.
Isn’t the role of leadership to support society’s most vulnerable, rather than to kick them while they’re down in hopes of a bit of conservative point scoring?
Sadly, Canavan didn't have a good response. He argued that he lived in a democracy and would lose his right to voice his support of traditional marriage if marriage equality passed The other members on the panel also jumped in to call out Canavan and hold him responsible for previous remarks.
The entire whole foray is quite interesting to watch. The entire episode is below, but skip to 34:30 to catch all the action.