Youth Stand Up for Marriage Equality: Get involved!

Rallies calling for marriage equality were held in major cities across Australia over the past few weekends. The turnout was large, with numbers reaching the thousands. The overwhelming presence of youth was particularly noticeable. In many areas of the LGBTI struggle today, youth are helping lead the charge. Opinion polls conducted by Australian Marriage Equality found that 80% of those under 24 support equal marriage, the highest percentage for any demographic group. Resistance: Young Socialist Alliance (RYSA) has noted the strong presence of youth in the marriage equality campaign and encourages younger activists to take their campaigning beyond the big rallies. RYSA has started a campaign for youth, by youth, to organise those who are interested in marriage equality and the LGBTI struggle at large. There is a national Facebook page for the campaign titled “Youth Stand Up for Marriage Equality”. Those wishing to take part can “like” the page and keep up to date with developments. There has already been a great response from Australian youth excited to see a space for more permanent organising. Young Australians need a space to collectively discuss and organise around this issue, as they face challenges in having their voices recognised in many spaces of political discussion. Young people need to secure the future, as the decisions made by politicians today determine the kind of world that they will inherit. The marriage equality movement is an important step towards raising awareness around LGBTI issues. It provides an opening for the fight for a future in which the safety and rights of all gender and sexual identities are guaranteed. Anyone under the age of 26 is invited to get involved in the campaign! Find out more through the social media page