It’s not a religious issue folks it’s a secular one.

One could be mistaken for believing that the Marriage Act of Australia is a document under the auspices of the ultra conservative churches of the nation. Not so.

Sure, marriages in Australia have traditionally occurred in churches, and many still do to this day. I myself experienced this not once but twice. Funnily enough though all the actual documents required in order to have these marriage ceremonies were documents required, not by the church but by the Commonwealth of Australia.

The marriage certificates I received after the signing of the registry, were embossed, not as some would seem to believe a seal of the church but the logo of the Commonwealth of Australia.

When one seeks to divorce, it is not a process of the church, but a process of the federal courts of Australia. Why? Because it is the absolving of a contract enacted under the law. It may well have been officiated by a church minister or similar but that is because that minister is entrusted by the laws of the country to officiate such proceedings.

Marriage is a secular matter, not a religious matter, when it comes to the legality of it. And if that is the case there can be no justifiable argument before the law against marriage being available to all it’s citizens.

Any argument religious or otherwise says at its very heart, I hold one form of being human as somehow more or better than another. It says essentially if you are not heteronormative you are less than me, other than me, not allowed the same privilege to marry another human person as me.

It can be taken by those of us that are not heteronormative in only one way when it comes down to it. In the eyes of those that want to uphold marriage for heterosexual couples only, that I am somehow of less value, and not entitled to enjoy the same rights as you. In short, it says that we do not and should not stand in equality before the law with you.

It is plainly wrong, unjust and discriminatory. There really is no more basic way to say it than that.

Any religious argument, no matter how fervently you believe it is simply irrelevant, even if it was sustainable it would remain irrelevant. Australia is a secular democracy and therefore its law should be based on that principle.

Religious freedom is enshrined in our law, as it should be. It should be thus, regardless of faith or tradition. Marriage, though may have a religious connotation, it may have religious symbolism and that’s all well and good, but when it comes down to it, there’s no escaping the fact that it is a legal contract before the law of the land. Not the law of the church, the mosque, the synagogue or whatever.

Any question that this debate is about freedom of religion is nothing but an attempt to shift the argument away from the ground it rightly occupies. That ground, is, of course:

Is Australia a land where all humans stand equal before the law or not. If you believe it is then there can only be one answer, marriage equality must become a reality.

It seems we may be stuck with this crazy postal survey/plebiscite instrument. I hope the high court strikes it down, but if we are stuck with it, regardless of anyone’s religious leanings, there really is only one correct way to vote, and that is to vote yes. It’s not just a vote for marriage equality, though it surely is that, it’s a vote for the very essence of equality. It’s a vote or the very essence the secular democracy we supposedly live in.

If this law is not changed and inequality is allowed to remain in this realm, the very concerning thought that comes to mind is, what other areas of equality will our governments now and in the future feel is appropriate to legislate for.

There is only one correct response to the question Australia is being asked and that is to change the marriage act, to enshrine marriage equality in law once and for all.

Vote Yes, equality depends on it. Democracy depends on it.