Is true equality even possible ?
Welcome back, I hope
your week is going well and thank you for taking time out to join me
today...so what has got me thinking? Well, unusually for me, I am
going to dip a toe into the increasingly-unjust world of legislation,
focusing on the issue of same sex relationships. Now before you reach
for the ‘delete’ button or perhaps flip to a new webpage,
possibly that one you noticed in passing but decided you weren’t
really interested, it was a ‘factual’ (!?) account of some
scandalous hijinks of certain celebrities as told by someone, who
knew some else, who had driven past the place concerned when there
was clearly a light on...let me assure you, I won’t be getting very
‘political’ at all, it’s just recent events have left me
wondering what kind of world we are living in….let me explain…
As a UK citizen, I
am very fortunate to have been in a country, where as long as you’re
consenting adults, you can love whoever you choose...same sex
marriage is no longer an issue for the vast majority of my fellow
citizens. In fact, even though there still are a few diehard
homophobes within our midst, the whole LGBT movement is just
considered a part of our community, so the same rights and laws apply
to everyone. Perhaps I took this for granted, as it seemed completely
fair, however you defined yourself – be it gay, straight,
transgender or even one of the emerging ‘furry’ group – we are
all equal and therefore have to uphold the same laws, and be
protected by them too.
Sadly, it seems
these ideas of equality and acceptance do not stretch around the
world which considering we are now in the 21st century,
is almost impossible to comprehend. Now, before I go on, I do
appreciate and respect, there are some cultures and religions who
struggle with how the world is changing with regard to sexual and
gender preferences, for them, I can fully understand how confronting
such changes must seem- speaking personally, I hope, in time, some
kind of resolution can be found. But my unease is not directed at
those nations, no, my unease is completely focused on those who talk
about equality and yet their actions speak louder.
Let me give you an
example...the USA, a beautiful, diverse nation, filled with amazing
cities and breath-taking landscapes, with songs celebrating being the
‘Land of the Free’. But, in certain states, this freedom does not
include a gay couple being treated the same as a heterosexual one.
It’s true, legislation was passed to make it ‘illegal’ to
discriminate, but almost before the ink was dry, various states were
poring over their legal books, hoping to find loopholes, which they
now exploit as much as is deemed necessary. It may seem hard to
believe, but there are still states where it is legal to marry your
horse, but against the law to marry the same gender.(I should stress,
I have absolutely no problem with horses finding true love, it just
seems a little bit healthier for them to find that with another
horse!).
But the US is not
alone, there are still many countries which, for any number of
reasons, cannot allow true equality for their citizens. Surprisingly,
one of the most reticent to recognise the validity of same sex
marriage, is Australia, which when you consider its close ties with,
amongst others, the UK and New Zealand, both of whom have such
legislation, does seem unbelievable. The current government is
following its predecessors, promising all manner of legal/political
processes to ‘look into’ the whole issue – while doing
precisely nothing. You have to wonder, why? As a regular visitor, I
have had no personal experience of witnessing any lasting anti-gay
feeling amongst the everyday people in Australia. I guess, much like
the UK, they don’t really care who you might be involved with, as
long as you’re both adults and nobody gets hurt. But it does seem,
those in power do not share this view...and that very attitude causes
pain to people, who have committed no crime, other than wanting to be
treated the same as everyone else.
But this apparent
prejudice reaches further than even the borders of Australia, and
it’s this which has truly shocked me. It seems, if you are from
overseas and wish to legally marry an Australian, you can go to your
home country’s consulate, and the ceremony can be performed –
(always assuming your country recognises same sex marriage). So, you
might think, the couple is legally married, so surely this has to be
accepted by the Australian authorities? Sadly, the answer is a
resounding ‘NO’...your marriage certificate means nothing more
than a piece of scrap paper, their sole argument being, ‘We still
don’t like it, so it doesn’t exist.’ This closed view means,
the Australian government can put its own prejudices above the laws
of many respected nations around the world. But again, why? Why do
they feel so threatened by a few people who want to love someone of
their own gender, who want to build a life with them – hardly a
revolutionary idea, is it? But the government really doesn’t want
that happening, so even if you decide -despite all the obstacles- you
want to set up a home with your partner- they have yet one more trick
up their sleeve to stop you.
In order to live and
work in Australia, you need a visa, which is completely acceptable,
in fact, most countries have much the same laws, but what they don’t
have, is the frankly exorbitant fee for the so-called ‘partnership
visa’ – which can cost an eye-watering $10,00 Australian dollars!
As for the application form, well, I am fairly certain the ‘Lord of
the Rings’ trilogy wasn’t as long or as complicated. Actually,
that’s an accurate analogy, because much like Bilbo Baggins, you
too have to go on a quest to find everything you need to save your
world- just as an aside, the hobbits had it easy compared to trying
to assemble enough paperwork to satisfy the government requirements.
The true sadness, is even if you manage -somehow- to not only
complete the form, and sell everything you own to pay the fee –
they can STILL turn down your application and without returning your
money either! Obviously this results in you not only being forced to
leave your legally married spouse, but you’re penniless too!
But once more, ( and
I do promise this is the last time I will ask) WHY? What frightens
those in charge so much about a loving couple? Do they somehow have
the belief, if they are seen to accept those who aren’t ‘normal’,
Australia will be seen as ‘weak’ or ‘perverted’ by the rest
of the world? Because if that’s it, they could not be more wrong.
In fact, if they finally did change their viewpoint, they would
simply be joining the many other nations who don’t just talk about
equality, they legislate to ensure it for ALL their citizens.
Australia is an extraordinary country, filled to the brim with
wonderfully, welcoming people, I can only hope their innate sense of
decency and fair play will win in the end.
Just one last point,
so often, nations point their collective wagging finger at those
countries who do not uphold ,what are perceived to be, basic human
rights – surely equality is one of those, yet its those very
finger-pointers who occasionally need to look at themselves.
I am sorry if this
post has sounded like a political speech, I didn’t set out to write
one – but, like many of you, I’m sure, I feel sometimes you do
have to put your head over the parapet and speak out when you feel
something just isn’t right – even if you can guarantee you will
be criticised by someone for speaking at all….until the next time…
Take care out there
xx
