By: Matt Akersten, SameSame, Mon 7th Apr, 2014
Aussie broadcaster and comedian Julie McCrossin has married her long-term partner Melissa Gibson in New York.
The two live together with their two children in Sydney, but decided to marry in the US state of New York, one of several states where marriage equality is legal.
A well-known campaigner for women’s rights and LGBTI equality, McCrossin was there at the dawn of the Mardi Gras protests in the late ‘70s, and has recently often advocated for marriage equality. An experienced TV presenter and journalist, she’s now an in-demand public speaker.
McCrossin and Gibson have been together 18 years. “When Jewel first proposed, I told her I look pasty in white and I ain’t the marrying kind!” Gibson cheekily told The Commitment Project in 2012.
“She then went about extending and enriching me beyond belief,” she added. “We raise two great kids together and nurture the very best in each other.”
While McCrossin’s marriage ceremony in New York was an unforgettable moment for the couple, they realise their marriage will not be recognised here in Australia.
“Like all other Australian couples who marry overseas, Julie and Melissa’s joy will be tempered by the fact that their solemn vows of lifelong commitment will count for nothing when they walk back through Australian customs,” points out Australian Marriage Equality national director Rodney Croome.
“Many Australians will be appalled that someone like Julie McCrossin, who has contributed so much to our nation’s cultural life, is treated in such a petty and disrespectful way by the law,” he adds.
“I urge the Government to respect the solemn vows of couples like Julie and Melissa by legally recognising overseas same-sex marriages.”
Greens’ Senator Sarah Hanson-Young recently announced she would introduce legislation to allow the recognition of overseas same-sex marriages.
The Government said it will allow same-sex marriages to occur in UK consulates in Australia but these marriages will not be recognised under Australian law.
Originally published: