Out British singer Sam Smith will
reportedly donate a large portion of ticket sales from his upcoming
Sydney show to the campaign for marriage equality in Australia.
The Australian government is spending
an estimated $120 million on a postal survey which asks, “Do you
support a change in the law to allow same-sex couples to marry?”
Participation in the survey is non-compulsory and the results,
expected November 15, are not binding.
Smith is scheduled to perform at
Sydney's Opera House in January.
The Australian Marriage Equality
campaign told the Sydney
Morning Herald that Smith has donated a third of his profits
ahead of his performance to maximize its impact.
(Related: Macklemore,
Mary Lambert perform gay anthem Same
Love
at NRL grand final.)
“Sam knows all too well about the
challenges faced by LGBTI Australians and his generosity towards them
will help us achieve fairness and equality for all,” said
Australian Marriage Equality co-chair Janine Middleton.
“Sam doesn't need to do this. He
isn't Australian but he understands what it feels like to be in a
relationship that isn't considered equal,” Middleton added. “Soon
we hope to realize the equality he enjoys at home in the United
Kingdom will soon be a reality here in Australia.”
(Related: Sam
Smith urges Australia to “change for the better” as same-sex
marriage vote begins.)