Narrowly Defeated – But Equality is Only a Matter of Time.

On the defeat of the Same-Sex Marriage Bill in NSW Parliament today, NSW Greens Spokesperson on Sexuality and Gender Identity, Dr Mehreen Faruqi, expressed disappointment but reaffirmed that it is only a matter of time before Parliament catches up with the overwhelming public support for Same Sex Marriage. The bill was defeated 19-21.

“As a member of the cross party working group that introduced this bill, I am disappointed in the defeat of the Same Sex Marriage Bill in the NSW Upper House.

“But the very narrow defeat shows that many MPs have changed their mind throughout the course of this debate.

“Views in the Parliament are now increasingly aligned with the community but there’s more work to do.

“Some MPs who are supportive of same-sex marriage voted against it because of the misconception that it would be struck down in court. Our legal advice suggested that this would not be the case.

“Since this debate began in Parliament last week, two states in the US have passed same-sex marriage bills.

“There has been huge community support for this campaign and I’d like to thank the LGBTI community and supporters of human rights.

“I am proud of my Greens colleagues who have once again proven to be the only party that can deliver every MP, every time on same-sex marriage and marriage equality.

“I congratulate my colleagues in the Cross-Party Working Group who worked together to bring this bill to reality, the close vote is a credit to their work.

“This is only the first step towards challenging institutionalised discrimination in our society. It is only a matter of time before the law reflects the will of the people on marriage equality on a state and federal level.