Equal rights means same-sex marriage

Few issues so neatly symbolise a whole system of oppression as the ban on same-sex marriage. It seems so clear to gay and lesbian people and our supporters that we deserve the basic civil right to be able to publicly celebrate our relationships with the same standing and recognition that straight couples do. It is so blatantly unfair.

It is for this reason that marriage rights has been such a big issue since the banning of same-sex marriage in 2004. For gays and lesbians who want to marry some day, and for those like myself who don't, winning the right to marriage is about proudly asserting that we have a place in this society that is equal to everybody else's, a place that no one but ourselves should have the right or ability to determine, and we will fight every step of the way to win that right before the law. There will never be full equality until we have the same rights as everybody else, and this means equal marriage. No ifs. No buts.

As the latest Galaxy poll demonstrates, 60 per cent of people now support same-sex marriage. It is hugely positive that those who support equality, gay and lesbian and straight, are in such a clear majority. Within the lesbian and gay community itself, support for marriage, over any other scheme for so-called equality, is even higher. In the 2007 poll 57 per cent of respondents supported same-sex marriage. Amongst the gay and lesbian community support for marriage, over registration or civil union schemes, was 86.3 per cent.

What exists is a clear line in the sand - between those who support civil rights for same-sex partners, and those who oppose them. In this, as with all other questions of equal rights, there is no middle ground.

This is important because there are some who claim to stand for equality, but do not truly support equal rights. The Labor government is a perfect example. They claim to support equality and oppose homophobic discrimination, but will not grant all the legal rights that would make this possible. They have recently begun recognising same-sex partnerships for Centrelink purposes - which allows them to cut the social welfare payments to same-sex couples who were previously recognised as individuals and not as a legal partnership - yet they will not give us the same rights that straight couples naturally enjoy. They support the Orwellian position that all relationships are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Others on the right who oppose marriage have also begun to advocate supposed "equal rights". One striking example is the Republican Governor of Utah, Jon Hunstman, who recently endorsed a civil union scheme for same-sex partners in the US. He, and other right-wing figures, believe that civil unions may be an effective means to buy off the lesbian and gay community and their supporters, and to prevent a fight for marriage rights.

The ultimate goal for socialists is the total liberation of all oppressed groups, and this requires getting rid of the rotten system of capitalism that perpetuates these oppressions and allows them to flourish. But in the here and now, we want to throw ourselves into every campaign and movement where the oppressed are struggling for their rights. Today, that means marriage rights. This issue goes well beyond simply whether or not we are allowed to marry. It is about demanding equal recognition of our lives and our loves, and our right to celebrate our sexuality publicly without fear of persecution.

No compromise position could ever substitute for true equality, which is why we will continue to demand equal marriage rights now.

Liam is National Queer Officer in the National Union of Students