Marsdens Law Group senior partner Jim Marsden says voting yes for marriage equality is a nod to fairness and our national values

RESPECTED community leader Jim Marsden is calling on Macarthur area residents to embrace fairness and to give the whole community their basic human rights by voting yes to legalising marriage equality in Australia.

Jim Marsden is supporting a yes vote in the same-sex marriage survey. Picture: Melvyn Knipe

• Editor’s comment: Policitians need to take a stand

RESPECTED      community leader Jim Marsden is calling on Macarthur area residents to embrace fairness and to give the whole community their basic human rights by voting yes to legalising marriage equality in Australia.

Registered voters across the region are from Tuesday being sent their Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, and they have until 6pm on Tuesday, November 7, to answer yes or no.

Mr Marsden, the Campbelltown-based Marsdens Law Group senior partner, said marriage equality was a subject close to his heart as three of his five siblings are gay, including his fellow lawyer brother John, who died of stomach cancer 11 years ago, and two of his sisters.

He said it pained him that his gay siblings had suffered discrimination virtually their entire lives.

Mr Marsden’s late brother John Marsden was a well-known civil libertarian and gay rights activist.

Jim Marsden said it pained him that his three gay siblings had suffered discrimmination virtually their entire lives.

“Out of six siblings, three of us were able to marry and three were unable to marry and they never had the opportunity to lead that wonderful life that myself and my heterosexual siblings had,’’ he said.

“They’re not going to go out and get married after the vote but they have suffered discrimination their entire lives and I would love to allow them to see that the nation, by this vote, now accepts who they are.’’

Mr Marsden, a father of four and grandfather of five, said a yes vote would ensure everyone was treated equally under the law, make a lot of people’s lives better and not harm anyone else.

He said that when he left school at the end of 1968 and after a full Catholic education at St John’s Primary School and St Gregory’s College if someone had asked him how he would vote, in a question about equality in marriage, he would answer why would you want that?

However, he has since witnessed the discrimination his gay siblings faced and he had also reconciled his view with his Catholic faith.

“I know in my heart that inevitably there will be equality of marriage in Australia,’’ he said.

“I know it because the values we have as a nation are such we are loving, tolerant and we are accepting.’’

Jim Marsden, pictured with a portrait of his brother, the late John Marsden, in 2013.

Mr Marsden said after the High Court ruled on Thursday that the postal vote would proceed his two sisters were concerned about potential harmful comments of the No campaign and how it would affect them, their friends, children and others.

“My advice to them is it (marriage equality) will happen so don’t be distracted and don’t get engaged in the commentary. Just focus on the real question of yes or no to equality and fairness in Australia,’’ he said.

“If it’s a no vote, I would urge the gay and lesbian community not to lose hope and to say we have been defeated once on this but we won’t be defeated a second time.’’

As a grandfather, he said if one of his grandchildren was gay how could he explain to them that as a lawyer who had treasured the law his whole life, the law did not treat them as equal.

“Yes should be the vote considering the values in Australia that we uphold,’’ Mr Marsden said.

HOW THE POSTAL VOTE WORKS

PEOPLE registered on the electoral roll can have their say in the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey from Tuesday.

The marriage equality postal survey, which is being conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, will be sent to eligible voters across the Macarthur region and nation.

Voters will be asked the question “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?” and answer yesr or no.

The survey is voluntary and completed forms must be returned by 6pm on Tuesday, November 7.

The result will be announced on Wednesday, November 15.

If the majority of people vote yes in favour of marriage equality, a vote will then be held in Federal Parliament to make marriage equality legal.

If most people vote no, a parliamentary vote will not proceed.

Details: 1800 572 113.