With just a week to go before submissions on the marriage equality bill close gay Green MP Kevin Hague is urging glbti people who believe same-sex couples should be able to legally marry to quickly get their views before the Parliamentary Select Committee. Hague, who will sit on the select committee, says opponents of the Bill "have amassed a large number of submissions, but we believe that they are essentially ‘form submissions’ that are really just a single submission with lots of different names on it." He believes submissions based on people's personal experiences will carry more weight than form submissions. "Personalised submissions, particularly ones that tell stories, will cut through the fog of reading literally thousands of submissions for MPs on the Committee," he says. "Tell your story about why marriage equality matters to you. It would be great if you can encourage your family and friends to do the same." Hague says he believes a lot of people feel intimidated by the process, "but please don’t be. It doesn’t have to be super-formal - it’s just a letter or online submission from you saying why the Bill should be passed. And if you want to include a video clip, or photos, or anything else to add to what you want to say, go right ahead!" Links to the Greens' guide to making a submission on the Bill, plus Hague's Parliamentary speech the night the Bill was voted into the house, are included in the links below. Submissions close this Friday.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 20th October 2012 - 12:54am