Same-Sex Marriage: Debate In Parliament Begins Over Bill
The people of Australia have done their part to champion marriage equality, with 61.6 percent voting 'Yes' in the historic same-sex marriage survey. And now, it's the politicians turns to do their bit.
Today, debate in the Senate begun on a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.
The bill was introduced by Liberal Senator Dean Smith—a gay man and a Christian—who fought back tears while delivering a powerful message for his colleagues in the Upper House.
"We saw a glimpse of the country that we all yearn for — a country that is fair-minded, generous and accepting,” he said of Australia's ‘Yes’ vote, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
"We saw a country that was willing to embrace its hopes rather than hold on to its fears.”
He said the proposed bill recognised the "special place of marriage that transcends our civic and religious life,” the ABC reports.
Senator Smith added that the blessing before marriage “will no longer be denied to our LGBTI children.”
The bill has the support of both Labor and The Greens and has been co-sponsored by eight senators across all sides of politics.
A “very confident” Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has expressed his hopes that the law will be passed by Christmas.
RELATED: A Just Married Same-Sex Couple Tells What The 'Yes' Vote Means To Them
