'The vote means gay people in Australia feel accepted'
- Published
Joshua Badge, right, and his partner Henry Small at a marriage equality rally earlier in the year
Outside the state library in Melbourne, families, couples and students waved rainbow flags after Australia voted in favour of legalising gay marriage.
"It was an incredible moment," says Joshua Badge, 24.
"Confetti went up, there was colourful powder, all the flags suddenly launched into the sky.
"You had people who were laughing, people who were crying, people hugging and couples kissing each other.
"People were dressed up in wedding dresses and there were rainbow families and their allies, so you had prams decked out in rainbows.
"Everyone was so glad that it went the way it did."
A large crowd gathered outside the state library in Melbourne to hear the result
After eight weeks of postal voting, the result showed more than 60% of people supported allowing same-sex couples to get married.
Joshua, a philosophy tutor, joined crowds outside the library to hear the vote announced.
He says there was a wave of relief at the result because it "could've gone either way".
"The last two months have been a bitter time for us," he says.
"The very first week it started there were neo-Nazis putting posters up claiming that all gays were paedophiles.
"It was a brutal experience. No-one has come away unscathed.
"To have the result come, it's not as high as what we were looking for, but to have it come back as a yes was pure relief.
"It was a weight lifted off our shoulders."
Joshua says the result means gay people will feel accepted
Joshua says the survey has meant people had to have "difficult conversations" with family and friends about their views on same-sex marriage.
Members of the gay community also had to deal with being "defamed" as the for and against campaigns took place.
But he says the outcome has proved that "gay people feel accepted" in Australia.
"To have the yes vote, it means that Australia saw through these lies and misrepresentation in order to ensure people were given a fair go and that equality was achieved.
"It means people recognise the force of arguments for marriage equality and equality more generally.
"At the end of the day, what it means for gay people is they feel accepted and Australia has said they're deserving of every right that any other citizen might have."
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