Say YES to Marriage Equality – open letter from students of Nowra High Class of 2001
It’s hard to believe it’s been 16 years since we finished high school.
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Our year, the class of 2001 at Nowra High, was fun. Sometimes we were even a bit academically competitive. Every lunch-time in our final year, we played hand ball in one big group, using the game to get over the stress of study and exams.
Sixteen years later – we are in our thirties (time flies) – and many of us have families and children of our own. Many of us are paired off in loving relationships and we are entering our stride in careers far and wide.
No matter where the years have taken us, we still call the South Coast home. This is where we grew up, formed friendships and became adults. Some of us live in the area today. And for those of us who have moved away, we come back like homing pigeons at Christmas and whenever we can, to visit our families, walk on the gorgeous white sand at Jervis Bay and just enjoy being in this place we love.
And, love is the reason for this letter.
Nowra and the wider South Coast is a place where families of all types live and grow together. It’s where our stories started.
We want that spirit of community – and of welcome – to come to the fore when Australians are asked to vote on marriage equality over the next few months.
We are asking the South Coast to return a resounding YES to the politicians in Canberra.
This is where we grew up, where we began to discover who we are and what we value in life. We have discovered for ourselves that life is not always easy but when you surround yourself with people who love you for who you are, you don’t have to face any obstacle alone. Nowra – our home town – grew us, it played a big part in shaping us into who we are today. For all our differences, here is our common ground.
Matthew ended up with Richard, and they have been in a committed relationship for the past year and a half. Matt believes all love is equal and wants his relationship with Richard to be treated as any other in Australia.
Joy married Stephanie in 2015, in a ceremony in New Zealand where Marriage Equality is already the law. Joy wants to see her marriage recognised in the country she calls home.
Leah is raising her two children with her fiancé Joanna in the Nowra home they bought together. They have been together more than five years, and Leah feels the hardest part of this debate has been having to explain the process to her daughter.
Madelaine is the proud single mother of a wonderful 3 year-old boy. Her journey into motherhood began as part of a 6 year-long same-sex relationship. She will do anything to protect her son’s sense of belonging and ensure his inclusion into his peer’s world. Madelaine believes we have the opportunity now to make our community a more accepting and respectful place, and we need to take it.
Aaron and Alison (both from the class of 2001) got married in 2007 and have two beautiful children. They want a future where both their children are free to marry the person they fall in love with, just as they did.
Tina and Patrick from our year are married too, and are bringing up two children in Nowra. They will be voting YES to marriage equality in the hope that their votes may count towards achieving equal rights for some of their closest friends and family members.
All of us have different, loving families and relationships.
One should not be more equal than any other.
But right now, the law means that some relationships are discriminated against.
Some love, and some families, are not seen as equal. It is long since time for this to change. This vote is not about anything other than recognising that loving relationships, which already exist, are treated equally in Australian law.
So, say yes to love South Coast.
Say yes, when you get your postal ballot, to marriage equality.
Signatures:
Matthew Jorgenson
Joy Kyriacou
Leah Pringle
Madelaine Chinnery
Alison and Aaron Balding
Tina and Patrick Claven
Rachel Bartolo
Jarrah Bassal
Melinda Boxsell
Leah Butcher
Josh Burgess
Matthew Daly
Sarah Dickson
Joshua Edwards
Matina Economos
Verity Fallon
Jessica Fields
Christie Green
Sarah Hancock
Rachelle Hitchcock-Moore
Simon Hutchinson
Mitchell Keen
Tom Lowe
Glenn Marando
Kelly Marshall
Kristie McGarrell
Sarah Moore
Kerryn Nesbitt
Jing Ou
Chani Page
Jared Ransom
Fez Riches
Julia Rodgers
Merrin Ross – Teacher
Hollly Templeton
Lyn Upton – Teacher and Year Adviser
Libby Walsh
Carmel Yeates – School Captain:
Sam Windley
If you have a letter, an opinion, or a story you would like to share regarding the upcoming postal vote, please contact journalist Rebecca Fist via email: rebecca.fist@fairfaxmedia.com.au