So the High Court doesn't agree...

This is a follow up post to my blog from earlier on in the week entitled 'Everyone Deserves the Right to Marry'.

Apparently the High Court doesn't agree. 

Even though it doesn't affect me, today Australia took a step backwards when the High Court repealed the Marriage Equality Law in the ACT was repealed. Unfortunately, as much as we hoped this wouldn't happen, it did.

In my opinion, everyone deserves the right to marry, and the definition of marriage has changed dramatically from when it first came to light. No longer should marriage be defined in the biblical sense as solely between a man and a woman. No, we are smarter and more advanced than that. 

The world has changed and we need to change and adapt with it. 

In an article by The Australian, they say that the High Court wanted to ensure that the laws were concurrent with Federal legislation and that states and territories did not operate as separate countries when it came to marriage legislation. 

Fair enough. But going so far as to repeal the law altogether? Why not just fix the Federal laws so that everything is concurrent and that everyone in Australia is entitled to the right to marry. Sure, it might be difficult, but as the saying goes: 'I'm not saying it's going to be easy...I'm saying it's going to be worth it.' Australians need to work together to encourage the government to develop laws which aren't seen as unconstitutional and that can be recognised as concurrent with legislation.

In the end though, the spark left behind by the Marriage Equality Law has lit a fire. Though the  law has since been repealed and the marriages that have occurred in the past week aren't legally recognised, I highly doubt that it will stay this way forever. Times are changing and we need to keep up. 

I think this picture says it all. Underneath everything, we are all human.

For the link to the article in The Australian that I mentioned, click HERE

Everyone Deserves The Right To Marry

The chiming of midnight in Canberra this morning marked a momentous occasion for homosexual couples from around Australia. The Australian Capital Territory's Marriage Equality Law is currently still in the process of being challenged by the Australian government. But really, we all know what this means!

It means that Tony Abbott has struck again. Despite the fact that his sister is a lesbian who is happy with her life, Mr Abbott cannot come to terms with the fact that homosexuality in this day and age is widely accepted and that the church should have no place in political decisions. 

I dream of a day when homophobic comments
like the one at the top no longer exist.

However, whilst the law is being challenged in validity, there was no denying that it officially came into effect at midnight. There were two couples scheduled to marry in the ACT at 12:01am this morning, with approximately 40 more over the weekend from states and territories across Australia.

Whilst their marriage is legal in the ACT for the time being, many are questioning whether it will stay that way after the High Court's decision, predicted Thursday. Whatever the outcome though, it has started a spark in Australia that can never be extinguished. Though this new law may fail (though hopefully it won't!), Australia has had a taste of the future and there is no going back.

In the meantime though, this is a time for celebration for all of those same-sex couples in the ACT who have waited patiently for it to be their turn. I wish these happy couples the best of luck and the happiest of lives together. They've earnt it! 

For more information, check out this ABC article HERE

Source: Upworthy

It's December... which means Christmas!

What. What happened to the rest of my year?

I'm sitting here trying to remember what happened to all of the months in between January and December this year. Racking my brains furiously isn't working at all, and I've finally come to the conclusion that I must have some sort of Amnesia.

Because it's December, and we all know what that means.

Welcome to the month of way too much food, holiday road rage and Christmas shopping. It's finally the festive season!

Don't take this as me being a Grinch! No! Take this as well-meaning advice with only the best of intentions! Let's face it, as good as the holiday season is, there are always those little things to look out for and avoid.

Bad drivers are notoriously bad at this time. I don't know what it is about this time of the year. Blame something in the air or water or food. But drivers seem to lose the ability to drive properly and it becomes a time where indicators, speed limits, road rules and common curtesy seem to be optional.

I'm not saying that every driver loses their cool at this time of the year, nor am I saying that I am perfect. However, I am saying that this holiday season, it'd be nice if we checked ourselves and didn't overreact to tiny, insignificant things. If we make it home safe at the end of the day, that's the main thing.

In order to make it home safe, you've got to survive a shopping centre at Christmas. If you're like me, and often leave your Christmas shopping until the last minute, then you'll know what I'm talking about.

Crazy and frazzled mothers with prams, rude business people who talk on the phone whilst surreptitiously pushing in front of you in the line and screaming kids all make for those joyous and fun-filled shopping trips at Christmas time. To avoid this scenario though, there is a quick-fix solution!

Ready?

Don't leave you Christmas shopping until the week before Christmas. That is a week when good driving is especially optional, parking is impossible and you're huddled like penguins beside the checkouts in what kind of is, but isn't really, a queue. This a week when, if you must go shopping, you shouldn't go to browse. You should be like a lion spotting a gazelle on the Serengeti.  You should have your eye on the prize and not stop for anything else. Your trips to overcrowded shopping centres with pretend 'Christmas' sales during this week should consist of you going in, paying and leaving. If you choose to skip the second step, that's illegal and you will probably get caught.

So Christmas Day. Relatives and food. It's up to you with how you deal with relatives, but all I can say about food is just enjoy yourself. Christmas comes once a year, so don't stress about your diet, alcohol consumption or wasteline. It's one day, I'm sure it'll be fine!

All in all, remember to stay calm and have a good Christmas! It'll be over in no time (until next year!)