By Peter Sinagra
The difficult issue of legalising gay marriage may have slipped out of the headlines but the campaign for marriage equality in Western Australia is very much alive.
It’s a battle of words being fought mainly on social media with people creating hate pages and also groups and pages that are for gay marriage.
Melissa Denhoet and Kimberly Klose in their home
Two well-known organisations in Perth pushing for marriage equality in Australia are the gay newspaper and magazine Out in Perth and Equal Love.
These organisations report generally on the gay community in Perth and, in particular, on the issue of gay marriage.
“I think I’m seeing more of a change in favour, more people are actually cheering on in the rallies that are taking place,” said Sophie Joske, a journalist with Out in Perth.
It’s a hot topic with a diverse range of opinions creating difficult situations for those lobbying for the legalisation of gay marriage.
“We try to represent the community as best as possible in all its different opinions and keep people up to date, it doesn’t hurt anyone to let gay people get married, it’s as simple as that.”
Lesbian couple Melissa Denhoet and Kimberly Klose of Perth aren’t optimistic the law will be reformed.
“With our current Prime Minister I don’t think the chances of being able to get married here in Australia will change anytime soon,” said Kimberley.
“Marriage is for love … you don’t fall in love with a gender you fall in love with a person and you can’t really help who that is.”
Debates about gay marriage are hottest in the online world.
“The reality is that it’s often behind the scenes conversations which are the real things that push particular things forward,” said Graeme Watson, editor of Out in Perth.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is opposed to marriage equality and is on record as saying it is not a priority for a Coalition government.