The following is part two of this post. If you would like to read about why it’s so vital we allow gay people to have the same right to marry as the rest of the country, I highly suggest reading this touching statement on the Australian Marriage Equality website. They also respond point by point to some of the anti-gay rhetoric.

Consider this issue a real opportunity to affect change – and how often do we get to do that? Many problems of the world are so big, so complicated, they leave us feeling powerless as individuals to do anything about it. But bringing about gay marriage in Australia is relatively simple; If you want it, let the government know, and tell others to let the government know.

And when enough do the laws will change.

The day where gay people in Australia are allowed to marry is all but inevitable. But let’s make it happen sooner, rather than later. And let’s, with joy, become a part of that process.

Level: Make It Quick

1. Support the Greens bill: The ball is already rolling. Last month the Greens entered a bill called the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009, which looks like this. If passed, gay people will finally be allowed to marry (yay!). Click here for quick and easy ways you can support this bill.

2. Contact your MP: Make a phone call, send a letter or email, pledging your support of gay marriage. And in that order you have levels of effectiveness.

If you’re not sure of your electorate, just use this Australian Electoral Commission search. Type in your suburb, click “find”, and in the results click the electorate name that comes up to find the name of your MP. Once you have that you can use this page to find their contact details.

The Australian Marriage Equality website lists some great tips for what best to say when contacting your representative.

You can also contact the dudes at the top!

3. Join and/or donate to the AME: The Australian Marriage Equality (AME) is a national organisation working for equal marriage rights for all Australians regardless of their gender or sexuality. Join online, and membership is $40, or $20 for concession. Or donate money.

4. Join a facebook group: Where there’s a cause, there’s facebook! The first lists some great events you can participate in.

- Gay Marriage Rights in Australia (requires login)
- Lets start with just 1,000 people to support Gay Marriage in Australia
- Australian Marriage Equality

5. Wear a white knot: Wear it every day to show your support for marriage equality. Srsly, everyone’s wearing one. Find out more about white knots here, or click here to buy one, or here to find out how to make your own.

Level: Relatively Radical

6. Attend the National Day of Action For Same-Sex Marriage: A national day of protest is happening on August 1, with a wonderful mass illegal wedding ceremony at Darling Harbour. Plus a march from Town Hall to Darling Harbour to protest outside the national Labor conference. Head to the Community Action Against Homophobia website, or facebook page for more details about attendance, getting involved, and registering to marry on that day. (UPDATE: My photos from the event. – 02/08/2009)

7. Meet with your MP: A phone call is one thing, but letting your rep know in person is the best. Again the Australian Marriage Equality website lists tips on how to go about doing this. And contact them once it’s over to let them know how it went.

Hilariously, my MP is Phillip Ruddock who in 2004 introduced a bill that specified marriage to mean the union between “a man and a woman” and is therefore a staunch advocate of keeping gays out of marriage.

Level: Super Hardcore

8. Get involved: The AME are looking for bright-eyed individuals to setup local branches, that can lobby local MPs and educate the community. Get in touch with them if you’re keen.

Many of these national and state/territory lobby groups are also looking for volunteers and members.

9. On top of these things, think about what else can be done, and start putting those ideas into action or pitching them to these lobby groups. One nutty idea I had was to use the online tool The Point, which is a pledge that those who sign make to give money or act only once the pledge has reached a certain number.

For example, as straight, unmarried people, who do have the right to marry, we can promise that once the petition reaches 5 million, we’ll carry out our threat of refusing to get married, until that right is extended to all people of this nation.

10. And most importantly, spread the word. Email this post around. Direct people to the AME’s case for gay marriage. Send invites to your friends from those Facebook groups you joined. Blog about it. Let’s keep this ball rolling!

In my next post I’m going to write about what it was like to do some of the things listed here.