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Story and pictures by Iain Clacher
A Brisbane lesbian couple say they are "elated" the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has accepted the Intent to Marry notice they submitted on Valentine's Day.
Sharon Dane, 50, and Elaine Crump, 49, say they believe the success of their action opens the way for same-sex couples across Australia to convey to governments directly their wish to marry.
"As far as I know this is a first," said Dane, who is deputy national convenor of Australians for Marriage Equality (AME).
"This opens the doors not just to couples in Queensland. This implies couples nationwide should now be able to approach their registries and say, 'This happened in Queensland, and we want to do the same'."
At 2.40pm (EST) the couple approached the red heart-adorned glass wall that separates couples from Registry counter staff.
"We were apprehensive because you don’t know what the reaction is going to be, and we intended to stay there until police arrived to remove us," Dane told Queensland Pride.
Initially, counter staff refused to accept the form, telling the couple of six years that the Marriage Act only permits marriages between a man and a woman.
"We said, 'In that case we'll just stay here until we speak with someone higher up to advise us further."
The couple were ushered into a private room, where they met with development officer Colin Wood, who told the pair they would not be allowed to lodge the form until the Marriage Act was changed.
"We argued this was discriminatory and that we were aware we could not marry, but why couldn’t we at least put the form in?
"After some back and forth, he agreed there was no reason he couldn't at least accept the form and for it to go on file.
"He notified us that other same-sex couples who wish to do so could now come in, and their application would be waiting for up to 18 months for any pending changes in the law.
"He also said it would have some significance in that if the law did change and the form was still current, the couples could marry immediately and not have to wait the one month and one day required by law."
Through the closed blinds of the Registry office, Crump & Dane signal their "small step" towards equal rights.
Though Dane says she is under no illusion marriage reform will happen soon, she and her newly-recognised fiancée would not be satisfied with a civil partnership.
"I want social equality," she said. "I want my relationship to be viewed as of equal value to opposite-sex relationships.
"There's an apartheid-era photo showing the front of a café and on the left side of the cafe it says 'whites', and on the other there's a door for blacks. Anyone looking at that picture can easily see that that's discrimination, yet at that same café, both blacks and whites would eat the same food in the same restaurant.
"Same-sex marriage and civil unions may allow the same legal rights, but the different avenues to those rights reveal they are not of an equivalent status, just like the black door and the white door."
Dane said the couple felt "elated" by their Valentine's success.
"When you’re denied something, having access to that, even on a small level, is so important. We will push for more. It’s a small step but we will continue pushing for more."
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