Canberra Airport Sends Shining Message of Support for Marriage Equality

Photo via Facebook/Canberra Airport

For the Snow family, who own Canberra Airport, the fight for marriage equality in Australia is personal. Their son, Tom, legally married his partner in New Zealand, but their marriage is not recognized at home. As the Australian Parliament returns from recess, a proposal to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples is high on the list of priorities for many across the political spectrum, depsite continued oppossition from Prime Minister Tony Abbott. In order to stress the importance of marriage equality, the Snow family lit up the airport with rainbow colors, complete with a #WeCanDoThis sign.

Prime Minister Abbott, whose sister is a lesbian and has been actively campaigning for the legalization of marriage equality for years, has time and again refused to allow members of his party to vote with their conscience. Polls show that at least 72% of Australians support same-sex marriage, and efforts have therefore been directed towards demonstrating that it is a non-partisan issue. Massive rallies have been held across the country, businesses and public figures have lent their support to the cause, and a #WeCanDoThis campaign was recently launched in anticipation for the latest introduction of a bill to extend the right to marry in parliament.

Tom Snow told Fairfax newspaper, "The support of corporate Australia and families such as ours is critical in demonstrating the strong community support for equality. Equality will mean that our family will be treated just like any other, and not have the stigma of a second class relationship."

Clearly, Australia is ready for marriage equality—let's hope the goverment finally falls in line. 

[H/T Gay Star News]