UPDATE 7/12/17 - AUSTRALIA ACHIEVES MARRIAGE EQUALITY!
In Australia right now we are being asked to vote in a postal survey. The question is 'Should the law be changed to allow same sex couples to marry?' Yes or No. There are many who argue that this should have been decided in the parliament and not waste tax payers money and we agree. Many warned that a plebiscite would see hate speech and attacks on certain sections of the community, and they were right, this is happening.
We've spent some time researching both sides of the marriage equality debate and we are saddened by the amount of disrespect shown to one another from both sides. A simple question, essentially about human rights, about unity, love and commitment between two people, has resulted in so much division, in many respects driven by fear and ignorance. Members of our families have different views to us and that's ok. We love and respect them regardless of how they vote. It's ok to vote yes or no. We may not agree with the reasoning for a no vote, however it's not our place to judge anyone for their views.
We were compelled to enter the debate because we were concerned about certain propaganda and misinformation being shared by some organisations and individuals. Love is Love is an audio visual collaboration between New York photographer Braden Summers, singer/songwriters Chris E Thomas, Shawn Lidster, Scott Bird and Riversong Music. As artists, we felt that the best way for us to enter the debate and have our say was to create art. The result, in our view, is a simple and beautiful message that all love is equal.