WISHIN have submitted an open letter of support to Australian Marriage Equality in the lead up to the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey.
The Australian Marriage Equality Campaign is a national campaign 
to win marriage equality for all Australians. Marriage is about love and commitment and, in a country based on equal citizenship; it should be available to everyone.
WISHIN recognises the rights of our LGBTIQ employees, clients and community to live and work free of prejudice and discrimination, and that this includes their right to marry the partner of their choice.
The letter can be read in full below.
25th August 2017
AN OPEN LETTER FROM NON PROFIT ORGANISATIONS IN SUPPORT OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY IN AUSTRALIA
We, Women’s Information Support & Housing in the North (WISHIN) write to express our support for marriage equality.
We recognise the right of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) employees, volunteers, clients and customers to live and work free of prejudice and discrimination. This includes the right to marry the partner of their choice.
Australians are increasingly supportive of marriage equality, with a recent Crosby Textor survey showing seventy-two percent, believe same sex couples should be allowed to marry. We agree. Of the remaining twenty-eight percent only fourteen percent strongly opposed the proposition.
Globally, over twenty countries have passed laws to allow same sex marriage, including countries that are culturally similar to ours like New Zealand, the United States of America, Canada, and Great Britain. These countries did so with lower support for marriage equality than Australia is seeing right now.
On May 22nd 2015, the Republic of Ireland held a referendum to sanction same sex marriage. A Yes vote was supported by the Government, all major political parties and the voters themselves.
On June 26th 2015, the U.S. Supreme court returned a judgement in favour of legalising same sex marriage across all 50 states.
These two events see Australia isolated among countries with English as a first language.
Not only is marriage equality the only the right thing to do, it also helps improve workplaces and service delivery by allowing everyone to be treated with equal respect and feel included. We therefore support marriage equality.
In Solidarity,
Jade Blakkarly
Chief Executive Officer
Women’s Information, Support and Housing in the North (WISHIN)
