The same-sex marriage vote, which passed through federal parliament last week, brought relief to Orange couple deputy mayor Joanne McRae and academic Heather Cameron but it’s the legal changes, not the prospect of a big party, that’s got them celebrating.
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“One important thing, and it’s what I’m for, is next of kin issues,” Miss Cameron said.
She said in the past, partners were excluded from hospital visits and while working in a hospital in Sydney she saw long-term partners prevented from going into the ICU to see their loved ones.
Ms McRae said as well as helping with next of kin, marriage could also help with purchasing properties and filling out education forms for schools.
“There’s a lot of little things now because we are equal under the law,” she said.
Although they welcomed the decision and found it emotional, it was their heterosexual friends and family members, including Ms McRae’s mother Kathryn McRae, who were most excited.
“I think most gay people I knew were fairly emotional, I think it brings up a lot of feelings about the lack of acknowledgement from over the years,” Miss Cameron said.
“For me it was a relief but everyone was so excited it was overwhelming,” Ms McRae said.
“It just shows we’ve come such a long way, I left Orange as a 17-year-old to go to boarding school in 1992 but I stayed away for 10 years because I didn’t think I could be in Orange and be myself.
“I grew up here and there was nobody gay in the media, Martina Navratilova lost her sponsorship, Ellen was sacked and her show was cancelled.”
At the moment, the couple is not planning to rush out and organise a wedding.
“It’s been off the table for so long … It’s nice now to have the option to choose,” Ms McRae said.
“It opens conversation for people to really think about what relationships are really about.”
She was also thankful towards member for Calare Andrew Gee who voted for same-sex marriage based on community sentiment.
“I’m just so glad the government has finally done something,” her mother Mrs McRae said.
“I have four children and Jo is the oldest and the three boys are all married and I’ve been calling Heather my daughter-in-law for a long time.
“It’s made me think of some of the traditions like who changes their name, do you get a hyphen?”
Mrs McRae said she hoped that now people will be more open about homosexuality.
“I have so many friends who have gay children and it hasn’t been a topic of discussion … maybe now there will be more openness.”
Tanya Marschke
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
I am based at Orange and cover a wide range of subjects as well as the weekly business column. I've worked consistently in the the media industry since 2006 including the past seven years at the Central Western Daily. Before moving to Orange, I worked as a journalist at weekly newspapers the Beaudesert Times and the Gold Coast Sun in Queensland, as well as the Scone Advocate in the Hunter Valley. I started my career at the Ridge News in Lightning Ridge while I completed my journalism studies remotely at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.
