UN submission: make gay marriage legal
The Australian Human Rights Commission will call on Australia to allow same-sex couples to marry at a United Nations meeting in January.
A draft submission by the Commission 鈥� as part of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review 鈥� highlights same-sex marriage as an area of discrimination Australia should address.
The completed submission, already lodged with the UN, reads, 鈥淭he Commission recommends that 鈥� the Government take all possible steps to enable equal recognition of same-sex marriage鈥�.
The submission will be considered as part of a review of Australia鈥檚 human rights in January.
The Commission also noted, 鈥淭here is no federal law prohibiting discrimination on the ground of sexuality鈥�, and called for reform.
It also found that GLBTI people 鈥渆xperience significant levels of violence, harassment and bullying in the workplace and the community鈥�, and called on the Government to be more attentive when tackling violence against GLBTI people and other vulnerable minorities.
Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby co-convenor Dr Anthony Bendall told Southern Star the Lobby supported the AHRC鈥檚 recommendation for same-sex marriage, however, the recommendation could be more inclusive of the transgender community.
鈥淲e do support AHRC鈥檚 recommendation on marriage, and encourage it to continue to press the Government to amend the Marriage Act as a matter of urgency,鈥� he said.
鈥淗owever, AHRC frames the restrictions on civil marriage as being a problem only for gay, lesbian or bisexual people and uses the term 鈥榮ame-sex marriage鈥�.
鈥淭he requirement in the Marriage Act that marriage is only be between a man and a woman equally disadvantages pre-operative transsexual individuals and intersex people (who are legally neither a man nor a woman).鈥�
Bendall said the Lobby would like to have seen the term 鈥榤arriage equality鈥� used instead of 鈥榮ame-sex marriage鈥�.
The Lobby welcomed the AHRC鈥檚 call for federal anti-discrimination legislation covering sexuality and sex and gender diversity, and for a more rigorous human rights framework, including a national Human Rights Act.
