A gay couple living in Wollongong is
urging Australians to vote against marriage equality.
Ben Rogers and Mark Poidevin appeared
on the nightly current affairs program 7.30 to discuss their
views on a non-binding public postal vote on same-sex marriage.
The couple, together 15 years, said
that they are committed to preserving marriage as a heterosexual
union and would vote against equal marriage for gay and lesbian
couples.
Poidevin, a Roman Catholic, said that
he worried that extending marriage to gay couples might lead to
plural marriages.
“If we make one exception for one
community, that being the same-sex couples, where does it stop?” he
asked.
“Do we then see other cultures being
allowed to have multiple marriages? Do we see the age of consent
being lowered for another group of minorities? That is my concern, of
where it would lead.”
Rogers pledged that even if the law is
changed, he and Poidevin would not be getting hitched.
“We personally will not be getting
married,” Rogers
said. “We stand by our commitment to each other, we don't need
marriage in our lives. Definitely not.”
While voting is not compulsory, a
recent survey found that 67 percent of Australians plan to
participate in the vote and 63 percent support marriage equality.