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So get this: as of April 2017, Married At First Sight was ranked the #1 television series on Australian screens with over 1 million people tuning in for part one of the finale. One million three hundred and seventy nine thousand Australians to be exact, tuned in to watch as couples who had only just met decided whether or not they wanted to be bound in holy matrimony, albeit not in a legally binding marriage but rather in a ceremony of commitment. Coincidentally, as of June 2017, Marriage Equality remains one of the most openly discussed and covered topics in our media outlets.

 

How can we, as a nation, allow this to happen?

 

Not only are we lagging behind in the marriage equality front, we are also blatantly giving it a giant middle finger. As of March 2017, Finland joined a growing list of nations like Belgium, Canada, Spain, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, The Netherlands, Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, Brazil, England, Wales, France, Uruguay, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand, Luxembourg and the United States, as the nations which allow same-sex couples to legally marry. Shocking, isn’t it? Twenty-one developed countries and we aren’t on the list. As Australians, why are we so okay with complete strangers tying the knot than couples that have been in love for years? All the while tweeting and reading about what shock revelations, dramas and yep, which couple was the first to realize that marrying a total stranger was a bad idea.

 

It should be noted that Married At First Sight did include a gay couple – but to feature them on the show the cast and crew had to travel to New Zealand to film the episode. Plus, when the couple came back to Australia they were in no way legally bound to each other, as Australia’s ban on same-sex marriage includes a ban on the recognition of same-sex marriages entered into by Australians overseas.

 

The fact that marriage has to be a ‘union between a man and a woman’ was legally determined back in 1961. But this is 2017, a time when a woman can hold any job they damn well please and cars that drive themselves exist. The 1961 rulebook shouldn’t apply anymore. Polls show that 62% of all Australians, 72% of Australians with children, and 74% of Labor voters believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. 75% believe that reform is inevitable. So, what’s the hold up?