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s must remember that it is LOVE that brings us together. We are not interested in any government incapable of providing an inclusive leadership to Australia; to make this an equal, fair and safe place for ALL Australians to live. We need legislative change that will support an understanding of love and acceptance in our society and communities. We need our government to do their job of leading, not keep us stuck in a place where the LGBTQIA+ community continues to be treated as second-class citizens. The psychological ramifications of being treated as unequal in the eyes of the law, continues to present itself in the most damning statistics. I challenge anyone who cannot understand the importance of Marriage equality and equal rights to close their eyes, and imagine with me for a moment. Imagine living in fear every time you walk out of your home. Imagine looking over your shoulder every time you hold your partner's hand. Imagine waking up wondering if today is the day you're going to be beaten for looking "too gay", "too butch", or "too transgender". Imagine growing up being made to believe you have to hide who you really are. That being rejected by your family, friends, church is a part of reality. Imagine living in fear of losing your job or career, if they find out you're gay; or being unable to find employment because you're trans. Imagine being told that because of who you love, you're going to hell. That you have a mental illness. That you don't deserve to be alive. For those that still fail to understand, imagine people struggling to treat you with basic human decency. Prime Minister Turnbull - what you're offering the Australian public is not enough. We've seen the rise of hate speech directed towards the LGBTQIA+ community following the tragedy in Orlando. While our political leaders continue to treat our community as second-class citizens, this will continue to happen. Prime Minister, every time you choose to make marriage equality a religious or political issue, you're handing ammunition to the bigoted and homophobic. You are enabling hate crimes against our community. Every time you refuse to acknowledge that this is a human rights issue, you're telling Stephanie McCarthy that she is not worth protecting. Every time you refuse to acknowledge that this is a human rights issue, you're teaching our next generation that it's OK to discriminate, if you pick the right target. And every time you refuse to acknowledge that this is a human rights issue, you're telling those currently hiding their sexuality for fear of violence or discrimination, that they should probably keep hiding. It's time the Prime Minister, our Political leaders, and those still trying to oppress our community, understand that no one, anywhere, deserves to be treated as anything less than a valued human being who deserve the same rights as everybody else. Prime Minister, You are still standing on the wrong side of history. Listen to the people here today, listen to the majority of Australians demanding equal rights, and listen to your own conscience.