Mia Freedman: "Straight, married women want marriage equality too."

I’m married. To a man. It could be argued – in fact it is being argued by some – that giving all Australians the same rights I have to marry will somehow affect my marriage. Diminish it. Change its meaning or definition.

It won’t. It absolutely and unequivocally won’t.

This argument is bollocks and must be loudly refuted and rejected by all of us who are legally allowed to marry the person we love. Did allowing indigenous Australians to vote in 1965 make anyone else’s vote count less? Did allowing women to vote 100 years ago affect men?

Listen: Mia asked Malcolm Turnbull about marriage equality during an episode of No Filter.

Marriage equality won’t make anyone who is married today less married tomorrow. It won’t make anyone who is straight today, more gay tomorrow.

What it will do – what it must do – is ensure that all Australians are treated equally under the law.

I have children, three of them. I have no idea whether any of them will come out as gay or lesbian one day. No parent does.

So consider this: if you have children or want to become a parent in the future, don’t you want your kids (real or imagined) to have the same rights no matter who they choose to love?

Of course you bloody do.

This is not a fringe issue. This is not a distracting issue. This is not an issue we must leave our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and sons and daughters and mothers and fathers and workmates and friends to fight for alone.

This is human rights issue. This says everything about who we are as a country, just like it did when women and indigenous people were given the vote. Marriage equality is that important.

So. Politicians? Do what we damn well elected you to do. Vote for legislation. Do it for free instead of burdening us all with a staggering $122m bill for a non-binding postal plebiscite that is nothing more than an opinion poll which you already have dozens of. The numbers are in. Australians are overwhelmingly in favour of equal rights for all couples who wish to marry. You do not need to waste millions our precious taxpayer dollars to tell you what is already abundantly clear.

Stop sending the message that you are capable of making laws about all kinds of things – big and small – but not this.

Stop telling us that this one issue is so….different that you can’t possibly do what we elected you to do. Fix a problem. Rectify an injustice. Move us forward.

I am married. I am straight. I vote. Do not be so foolish, arrogant or reckless as to dismiss this as a ‘gay’ issue.

Because which line of history do you want to stand on? It’s time to show some of our more gutless politicians what to do.

TAKE ACTION: There are ways you can help the marriage equality campaign. Get involved by signing the petition and contacting your local MP. For more information, visit equalitycampaign.org.au