We, the undersigned, request the legalisation of same-sex marriages throughout Australia. There has not been any satisfactory reasoning behind the new laws banning gay marriage. The reported reasoning that it is "a traditional institution which should not change" is inadequate. There have been many traditional customs in history. Slavery, for example. Why isn't that legal in Australia? Because it's wrong. It's wrong to deny homosexuals the rights that every heterosexual person in Australia has. Why shouldn't same-sex couples marry each other? How could a same-sex couple who are in love and want to legally commit to each other, hurt anyone else? Marriage is a way for two people, who love, honour and respect each other to join their lives together, legally and religiously, and partake in the ultimate commitment. To declare in front of their loved ones, their God and to each other, that they wish to spend the rest of their lives together. How can a couple of the same-sex not offer the same things to each other? Do heterosexual couples love each other more than homosexual couples? No. We, the undersigned, believe the move to redefine the Marriage Act to ban same-sex couples from marrying is homophobic and completely unfounded. We ask that same-sex marriages be legalised throughout Australia. Please note that the undersigned consists of different people from the Australian public, not exclusive to those identifying as homosexual.