Gay marriage ribbon call for Logie stars
Exclusive: Hollywood has worn White Knot ribbons for same sex marriage, now Aussie TV stars are being asked to do the same at the Logies.
- Published by David Knox
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EXCLUSIVE: They have been worn by T.R. Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Jessica Alba, Cyndi Lauper, Kyle MacLachlan, Gus Van Sant, Christina Applegate, Lucy Liu, Dave Stewart and Jennifer Beals. Anne Hathaway even wore one at President Obama’s Inauguration.
Now, advocate group Australian Marriage Equality wants to see White Knot ribbons at Sunday night’s Logie Awards.
The White Knot ribbon symbolises a push for marriage equality, and has been seen at a number of award nights including Oscars, Grammys and the GLAAD Media Awards.
Alex Greenwich, spokesperson for AME, says he would like to see Australian television celebrities show their support for same-sex marriage by wearing a White Knot ribbon.
“It’s a great opportunity for Australian celebrities to show their support for same sex marriage and for the gay and lesbian community as a whole,” he told TV Tonight.
He hope to see it worn by Logie invitees, including Brothers and Sisters actress Rachel Griffiths, who is presenting an award.
“Brothers and Sisters covers gay storylines and it would be even better to continue that theme through at the Logies. It would be great to have one of Australia’s best representatives in Hollywood wearing a ribbon for the White Knot cause at television’s ‘night of nights.’
“A lot of television shows touch on gay and lesbian issues, like Home and Away did recently. This is an option for them to bring it from the screen to the audience.”
Greenwich is also putting out the call to openly gay television presenters and visiting fashion expert Carson Kressley.
Australian Marriage Equality wants equal marriage rights for all Australians regardless of their gender or sexuality. It has been involved in the Human Rights Commission consultation process towards drafting a Bill of Rights.
“Within the Marriage Act in Australia there is clear discrimination against gays and lesbians preventing us from the rights of marriage. Not being able to get married leaves us in a second or third tier status,” says Greenwich.
“We can supply White Knots to any television stars if they contacted us. We’ve produced a lot of them and could deliver them in Victoria and other states as well.”
Alex Greenwich can be contacted at [email protected] or via australianmarriageequality.com
In his final plea to Rachel Griffiths, Greenwich said: “Hollywood has really helped bring the issue of same-sex marriage rights to the wider community.
“Can you please help us bring attention to it at home?”
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- Tagged with Academy Awards, Brothers and Sisters, Grammy Awards, Home and Away, Logie Awards
35 Responses
Paul everything you say is a contradiction mate. If you’re against gay marriage, fine, you’re entitle to your opinion. But don’t say things like you being “against gay people being treated as sub-human” because by removing their right to marriage, you are indeed doing that.
I know what you’re trying to do, you’re trying to come off as a good Samaritan and make yourself look good……too bad people here are sharp as tacks.
I’m absolutely disgusted to read some of these comments on an Australian blog. I really thought Australians were more accepting than this.
Fact is; saying one thing is ok for one group of people and not for another is discrimination and down right offensive. How someone can have such strong opinions on something that doesn’t effect them is really beyond me.
All we are asking for is equality. Do you have the right to refuse us that?
@Paull: You have just as much right to discriminate against homosexuals as I have to defend their right to equality. That’s public debate, and it’s encouraged in Australia. However, you’ve proclaimed yourself to be “against gay people being treated as sub-human”, and then openly supported GLBT discrimination in the very next sentence by proclaiming that you “strongly disagree with gay marriage”. That makes you, in short, a hypocrite. You’re either lying to us by saying that you’re anti-GLBT discrimination, or you’re lying to yourself in thinking that your views don’t constitute GLBT discrimination. Either way, while I can respect your right to an opinion, I can’t respect the opinion itself.
@Juzzy: valid points, but while the GLBT community appreciates the public support, it wants action. Gestures, not words. Rights, not discrimination. At the end of the day, discrimination with 57% public sympathy is still discrimination.
Hopefully, a public show of support by the Australian television industry will be a step in the right direction.
@juzzy: You’re allowed to believe whatever you want about anything, provided you don’t act on something like that (in regards to black people).
I honestly don’t see where you can justify yourself in that anger and name calling though, honestly. All i’ve said is gays shouldn’t be allowed to get married. I haven’t said they aren’t allowed to be gay. I haven’t said they should all be locked away. I’ve simply said if there was a vote, i’d vote against gay marriage because I believe it should only be for males and females. Yet the way you’re taking it, you’d think my name was sadam hussein, responsible for mass-killing of his people.
Well please, i’d ask that you don’t think like that, and hold your anger, because I’m not here to be violent in any way against the gay community.
If you would, please tell me how I can more politely disagree with gay marriage and not be made out as a terrorist. Thanks.
Lots of opinions, let’s stay respectful and on topic tho…
Also, just heard Carson Kressley has agreed to wear one.
@paull & matthew: the majority of Australians are actually in favour of marriage equality: a Galaxy poll last year showed 57% of Australians supported same-sex marriage. In fact, Australia is one of the few western nations left that actively discriminates against gay & lesbian people, and has no marriage equality laws.
At the risk of straying off-topic, I’m sick of the “it’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it” justification. If your opinion is bigoted and discriminatory, you are not entitled to it. Am I entitled to believe that Black people should take separate public transport? Or that women have no place in the workforce? It’s a long bow but there really is no difference.
I really hope that people come on board for the Logies, but I doubt they will. Good on AME for getting the issue into public discourse. This issue is very much on the agenda.
It would be nice to see which celebrity support the community that is known to be very loyal and fierce to those who support them. Just look at Kylie on her down time, only us gays have enough good taste to stick by her and look at her now.
Just like choosing products, I tend to go for companies that have conscience.
And I very much agree with Matt, it’s people like Paull who force us to use any opportunity we can get to raise awareness to this issue.
@Matt: For simplicity’s sake, I hear what you’re saying and couldn’t agree more, don’t know what got into me, but to avoid persecution i’ll gladly change my views and not stand up for what I believe in.
Hope we can still be friends 😉
-Paull
@Mikey: A bit harsh, but I guess there’s no way to say that you’re against gay marriage without being insulted.
Now I really understand how you feel about me not agreeing with your view, and I know you aren’t happy about it. That’s fine, and I do sympathise with you, however you do have to realise that you need to exercise a little more tolerance in a world where not everyone agrees on the same thing. That’s free speech, but just because we don’t agree, doesn’t mean we can’t be friends, generally speaking. I can assure you that we all wouldnt have many friends if friendship required one to repress their own view and accept the view of their friend. True story.
And for the record, I know you don’t believe what i’ve said up there, but i want to assure you that i genuinely feel sorry for anyone who is mistreated.
2 questions.
Who invented marriage?
Who has copyright over it?
So Paull, just to clarify…You’re opposed to any type of discrimination against any type of person, and you believe that we should all be treated equally as human beings; but you believe that marriage is somehow ‘sacred’? ‘Sacred’ to whom, exactly? Are lifelong commitments and public declarations of love somehow exclusive to heterosexual couples? Are you saying that you’re 100% supportive of equal rights, as long as the GLBT community doesn’t pursue the sorts of equal rights that you actually care about, like marriage?
Honestly, it’s opinions like yours that have created this kind of environment. An environment in which we need to use public events like the Logies to publicise basic, fundamental rights on our own doorstep; rather than promoting global causes like third world poverty, breast cancer awareness and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Now, personally, I don’t think that wearing a white ribbon is going to achieve much meaningful progress for the GLBT community. But when heterosexual people declare their rights ‘sacred’, and then use religion to justify the exclusion of other human beings; I get really, really angry. So Paull, if you’re watching the Logies on Sunday night and you find yourself getting annoyed at all the white ribbons and talk of same-sex equality, remember this…
It’s people like you who created this situation in the first place.
The problem with this sort of campaign is, if you choose not to wear the ribbon, wrist band, button etc you are immediately labelled as “anti” whatever the cause is.
This article is very biased towards the pro gay minority
I say minority as the majority of Australians agree that Marriage is sacred and it is between a man and a woman
Americans think this way as well considering how PRO 8 was defeated a couple of months ago
matthew
Only the so called ‘stars’ that are trying to be cool will wear it. Why does Aust TV always have to copy what the US does…..
@Paull – You are a bigot yet you describe things as if you are not. “im against gay people being treated as sub-human ” Oh please.
I think it’s a great idea but will ch9 have a say?
You disagree, with two people living happy together? Why may I ask? So if your straight and you meet the right person and you marry them you can live happily ever after but if your gay you have to live a life of being misserabley single. Thats just plane selfish. And I’m sorry but its attitudes like that which are holding the world back.
If a man and a woman have the right to be a married couple then so should a same sex couple.
I think this is a great idea and if any agent or PR person out there is reading this article – they should encourage their client to jump on board by contacting Alex and wearing a whiteknot.
And for those worried about piercing their dress – do what Anne Hathaway did, tie the knot around your wrist…
Well first off, I think there are more pressing issues out there. Such as every 3rd world country, cancer and any disease. So this issue really isn’t life threatening, and gay people aren’t allowed to be discriminated against in society anymore, so it’s nothing like people under sadam’s regime who were be oppressed and tortured (for whatever reason). Marriage, however, is something sacred and should be kept between male and female, not same-gender.
I disagree with any minority being presecuted for their beliefs, provided they don’t affect others (ie terrorism organisations). So obviously im against gay people being treated as sub-human and that’s because all people are human beings, and deserve to be treated like that. However, I disagree with their actions, and as such strongly disagree with gay marriage.
It’s my view, and people are entitled to theirs, and as i’ve said a few times in this post, I entirely disagree with human beings being treated as something less, so I am not discriminating against them as human beings, rather their actions, just as I don’t agree with heterosexuals living as married couples before marriage.
Can’t see this happening I’m afraid.
Oh jeeze
Here we go….
Since when has gay marriage been on the political agenda in Australia?
Seriously marriage is a joke anyway? Surely there are more pressing issues than a Hollywood politically correct fad. Australia is not a Californian County.
Good move!
So Tim Campbell & Anthony Calea will be wearing it then?
Maybe this will be a way to see who wears them could be gay or not homophobic.. lol
spot the white ribbons on logies night!
This would be very impressive.
Aus stars don’t do all that much in the way of forward thinking.
I’m still disgusted everytime I see Scott Cam on 20 to 1 with a homophobic comment always at the ready.
It’s about time!