Party for Marriage Equality (In Sydney, Australia)

This week has been eventful for the LGBT community 'Down Under'. And now, instead of the need to follow in the Beastie Boys' footsteps and 'Fight for Your Right To Party', there's a party to fight for our right to marry.

First, former naysayer to marriage equality, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the focus of an reimagining of our iconic Obama 'Hope' poster, was ousted from office by his own political party. Talk about a vote of no confidence!

In his short time in office, Abbott was known for introducing policies that profoundly negatively affected the LGBT community - such as making himself the 'Minister for Women' and holding control over that portfolio, despite his repeated statements that women ought to be home-makers, and that they were likely mysteriously physiologically incapable of performing basic functions. If you enjoy satire, you might want to read about what has happened to the women of Australia now that that particular Minister for Women is no more.

Abbott also infamously has directly opposed the right of his own sister to marry, on political grounds - a position that had been increasingly unpopular, and quite plausibly positioned him directly to fall. So this has been a real issue at the core of the leadership changes.

That same party then replaced him with a man who had made statements of his own support of equal marriage rights, Malcolm Turnbull. Which many have believed might spell a change in his party's policies with this shift, and certainly change the tide of the country's rights framework towards marriage equality.  But it seems that is not to be. 

Meanwhile people across the land have RSVP'd to THE party for marriage equality in the southern hemisphere, which is a celebration to remind Mr Turnbull that he has commitments to see through. According to the invite, "Let's party on Wednesday night with our friends, families and colleagues to show Prime Minister Turnbull that the 72% of Australians who support marriage equality have very high expectations of him, and are very excited to see him pass the bill!"

And in only a few short hours, the facebook RSVP list hit the 2.7 thousand mark! Supported by the groups Australian Marriage Equality and DIY Rainbow (a wonderful group which pushes for self-made rainbow remakes of crosswalk markings). If you're anywhere near Sydney, you might want to grab your sidewalk chalk, put on your dancing shoes, and join the party.

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