In Australia, supporters of same sex marriage (SSM) continue to celebrate the result of the postal survey taken during the months of September and October.
Around 62% of Australian voters answered yes to the simple question: ‘Should the law be changed to allow same sex couples to marry?’ Press coverage of this result has generally taken the line that the Australian people have overwhelmingly supported SSM.
Masking the details
Of course, such macro statistics mask myriad details. To speak of ‘the Australian people’ as a monolithic block on such a contentious topic is misleading. Almost 5 million Australians voted against SSM. The country is clearly divided on the basis of voting statistics alone.
