Sinn Féin councillor Caoimhe McKnight has welcomed the historic vote in Australia in favour of marriage equality.
Its comes after a two-month national postal survey came out "overwhelmingly" in favour of legalizing same-sex marriage. More than 12.7 million people across Australia, 79.5 % of voting age took part in the survey with every state and territory returning a majority "yes."
Cllr McKnight said: “In June Germany voted in favour of Marriage Equality now we have this historic result in Australia.
"12.7million of the Australian population took part in a postal survey with a vote of 61.6% in favour of same-sex marriage.
"The opposition to marriage equality in the north of Ireland is discriminatory and clearly out of step with the people of these islands, Europe and many countries around the world.
"This is another powerful demonstration that the demand for equality and in particular marriage equality is building. Sinn Féin is calling for marriage equality in the North and we’ve pursued that in Derry City and Strabane District Council, the Assembly and through the negotiations.
"The continued denial by the DUP and Tory government of rights, including language rights, marriage equality and the right of families to coroner’s inquests that all other citizens enjoy in every other part of these islands is untenable.”
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