Reasons to vote...
The world is full of so many hateful things, the news is a never-ending reel of disappointment and pain. To be able to turn the news on on the 23rd of May and see that the Marriage Equality referendum has passed would bring joy and happiness to so many people who it means so much to. Marriage is a sacred thing, it has grown into something beautiful since it first began, allowing couples to vow to stay together because of love rather than out of arrangement. It has gone through so many changes, from an alliance agreement to a love match, from only members of the same race or creed being allowed to marry, to members of different races, cultures and religions being joined together because of love. Allowing people to marry regardless of gender would only be the next step in a long history of change for what Marriage means. The thought of turning on the television on the 23rd of May and finding out that the referendum has been rejected is unbearable. It would confirm that this country has not evolved. That our people are either too backwards or too careless to allow everyone the same happiness. We have the power and it has never been so important to wield that power. This will affect your neighbours, your friends, your families, people you care about and people you don't even know exist. Imagine if it was you, imagine if someone who didn't even know you existed had that much power over your personal life choices? I want my friends and family to have the same constitutional entitlements as me. I want them to be able to add to the number of already happily married couples there are in this country, the figure of successful marriages rising can only be a good thing. I want those people I don't know whose lives will be affected by this to feel the breath of fresh air that is acceptance, to know that they live somewhere that promotes happiness, and doesn't mind what or who leads to theirs. There have been a lot of reasons why on both sides of this debate. Recently it has become heated and turned into a catfight, with nitpicking and bitching on both the YES and the NO side. This has unfortunately masked what it is about. It is about love. It is about letting everyone know that who you love doesn't matter, the fact that the love is there is the best thing in the world and if a couple is willing to put the time and effort into maintaining a loving marriage then that is brilliant. To find someone you can live your life with for better for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to trust in someone and have their trust, to have a bond on that level, that's the basis of marriage, those are the promises that are made. For those that are lucky enough to find someone to make that promise to and trust them to make that promise back, that should be celebrated, encouraged and validated. Sure, it's cheesy, sure some may not agree, but Love is the best thing in the world and it should be encouraged, regardless of who it is found with. Every vote counts next Friday, the 22nd. Don't leave it to chance. Don't think that just because you feel it might go a certain way that it will. Don't think that just because I've put up a status like this, or anyone else has or that you saw a load of yes posters on the way into town that it's a dead cert. It's not. It's anything but. The thought of this being rejected is unbearable. The sense of defeat and rejection felt by those it will truly affect would be tremendous and I don't want to have to witness the hurt that that would cause. Don't leave it to chance. Use your voice, use it to make our country a beautiful place. Vote YES!