The City of Sydney has showed their support for the “vote yes” campaign and is even giving special privileges to same-sex couples.
Gay couples, and not straight couples, will be able to marry for free in well-known government buildings and parks if marriage equality is legalized.
This was made official Monday night in Australia to make many government locations free for the first 100 days if the vote goes through.
This is just like the promise that recently elected mayor Darcy Bryne made late last month.
In a Facebook live session, Byrne asked for newly elected city councilors to support the proposal of this motion and added, “On the day that this country finally accepts that love is love, I want couples to know that the inner west will welcome them with open arms if they want to celebrate their marriage in our public facilities.”
That said, only the locations will be provided for free. All other services like catering, security, tech, and so on will be the responsibility of the couples.
Even though Darcy Bryne openly supported the motion, it was Labor councilor Linda Scott who moved it into succession and Lord Mayor Clover Moore who whipped the necessary votes.
That said, some are feeling that this act goes against the very idea of marriage equality.
One such person is openly out politician Christine Forster who voted against the motion after trying to get it to apply to straight couples as well.
"This has been a fight for equality before the law and it's my belief that we can't ask for equality for ourselves and then deny it to others," she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"It's also been about making marriage inclusive not exclusive, and this motion flies in the face of that."
That said, opposition to that argument says that this act is not discrimination but a practical way to combat and move past the many years of discrimination gay people have suffered.
The currently public survey for marriage equality ends on November 7 and the results will be announced on the 15th. If the vote comes out as a yes, then we could be seeing marriages happening as early as Christmas time.
