So what's next? Australia yes vote...
Thoughts post plebiscite – going forwards.
On the 15th of November, Australia lit up in a rainbow when the yes vote was handed down. After months of “respectful” campaigning and emotional labour, the LGTQIA community emerged victorious.
Being an Australian abroad, it was a moment of great pride and a resounding “fukin’ finally” rang out among myself and my Australian friends, queer and alike. Penny Wong crying at the results still remains the highlight of the day, nay, the year. Don’t fight me on this.
As incredible as that day was, I celebrated with a massive asterisk hanging over my head. Though it was a victory, it comes with a plethora of qualifies we all have to keep in mind going forwards. Trust me, I’d love it if one vote could change everything, but unfortunately (and in some international cases, fortunately) this isn’t the case. Our work is still cut out for us, and it’s essential we don’t forget that after we’re done dancing in the streets covered in rainbow confetti.
So as the post-plebicite buzz dies down, it’s worth keeping these things in mind so we can use this election win as effectively as we can.
Same sex marriage still isn’t legal
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s misinformation- and this misinformation could be dangerous. As incredible as the yes result is as a (long overdue) symbolic gesture towards the LGBTQIA community, it’s still a non-binding survey that has no impact on Australia’s marriage law. We absolutely can and should take a moment to appreciate the outcome of the vote, but we also can’t let ourselves get caught up in the celebration and forget that the real battle is yet to be won.
Now that the vote has come through, there really is no excuse left for politicians to flounder around the issue. We need to hold them to their promise with the same fervor as we did to inspire the yes vote; we have to seize this momentum to finally get it done. Victory fatigue is not an option because the real victory hasn’t been achieved.
We played by their rules, and it’s time for them to uphold their end of the bargain.
One vote doesn’t erase discrimination
One look at racism and sexism today can tell you that discrimination doesn’t end when rights are afforded on paper. Even with this vote, and even when the marriage law passes through parliament, homophobia isn’t going to magically disappear. There’s still 40% of voters out there who disagree with our existence, who drove a spike in calls to LGBTQIA mental health hotlines throughout the campaign. So it’s important that we don’t halt our efforts just as we get through the threshold.
It falls to us to continue to rally and champion the LGBTQIA community, and the change we need for the protection and empowerment the community needs to feel like equal members of society.
Don’t fight homophobia with racism
Now that the yes vote has prevailed, I’ve seen some people backpedaling their fervent no campaigning, and articles have popped up pointing to high “no” votes among areas with high migrant populations. As a second gen migrant I want to flag this behavior before it becomes a thing. Because this kind of thinking conveniently forgets all the white homophobes who spearheaded the no campaign.
And it’s the logic of these arguments that really get me. Once the yes vote passed, it represents Australia, so inversely, everyone who voted no is suddenly “un-Australian,” so why not shift the blame to migrants, right? They’re culturally incongruent anyway, so of course they’d vote no and “hold Australia back.”
So what’s your excuse?
Let’s be honest, if the migrant community were the chief opponents of marriage equality, it wouldn’t have been such a political football, and would’ve been dealt with years ago. Guess what? The face of homophobia in Australia is largely white, and shifting the mask to migrants once the no campaign is stuck down is a handy way to show your racism alongside your homophobia.
I’m not trying to defend any of the NO voters by any means. I just want them to remember that they’re more than one colour- just like the YES voters, and just like Australia.
Don’t use the migrant population as a scapegoat because your bigotry was rejected by the general population. Accept that the times they are a changing, and let’s try open our collective minds.
The fight continues
The battle may have been won, but the war is far from over. Marriage equality is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to LGBTQIA rights, and we need to make sure the fight rages on. From bathroom access to discrimination to mental health, there is still a plethora of battles left for us to win, and I hope that we approach each with the same fervor that pushed our nation to a YES.
We’ve got our foot in the door, it’s time to blow it wide open.
