Tasmania has been the punchline of many a joke, most of which make reference to convicts, incest or it being the place progress went to die. But this week Australia’s Island State has shown just how progressive a place it is when the state’s lower house of parliament voted in support of legalising same-sex marriage in Australia, becoming the first state or territory to do so.
After the vote getting passed on Wednesday (21 Sep) the Tasmanian state government is now calling for the Federal government to amend the Marriage Act allowing for same-sex marriage across the country. The fact that Tasmania was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality makes the fact that it’s now leading the marriage equality movement all the more powerful.
No more ‘backward’ jokes for you, Tasmania. Instead, for being a culturally-advanced and socially progressive kind of place, have this free link to your tourism website: www.discovertasmania.com.au.
SMH
Title Image by Torsten Blackwood via Getty
