Donegal man at helm of Australian Marriage Equality campaign: “It’s a magical feeling here”

The Donegal man at the helm of the Australian Equality Campaign has expressed his delight at Australia’s referendum result.

79.5% of eligible voters, more than 12.7 million people, turned out to make their voices heard by voting yesterday during the same-sex marriage referendum, with the results being strikingly similar to Ireland’s vote in 2015. 61.6% of voters voted for same-sex marriage, with 38.4% voting against.

Bundoran native Tiernan Brady, who now resides in Sydney, has been working as the Director of the Australian Equality Campaign for the past year.

Speaking to Joy 94.9, Tiernan says the atmosphere in Sydney is electric.

“It’s a magical feeling here, there’s still singing and dancing.

“What better message could you have from a country to say ‘you’re in’ and ‘we’re for you’, and the good that will flow from this is so much bigger than marriage… There will only be good that’ll flow from this moment.

Tiernan says that visibility and inclusion are at the heart of this result, and that the overwhelming result in favour of same-sex marriage is a watershed moment for the Australian LGBTI community.

“The people haven’t said yes, they’ve roared yes!

“The message goes straight to Parliament. Time to do your job. You have a bill, pass it.”

He says that the LGBTI community showed great resilience despite facing adversity, and were able to stay pragmatic even while being provoked.

“[The No Campaign was] a mean, misleading, vicious campaign waged against gay people but they never went negative, they never took the bait… they said no because that wasn’t the journey they wanted,” Tiernan explained.

Tiernan has previously worked with GLEN (Irish Gay and Lesbian Equality Network) and was the political director of the Yes Equality campaign in Ireland in 2015.

Marriage equality activist Panti Bliss says that the Donegal man deserves an honorary citizenship, to be made a Dame, and a special pet!

“I think Australia should give Tiernan Brady honorary citizenship, make him a Dame, and give him a kangaroo or a billabong or whatever.

“He did an amazing job as Director of AMEquality. He’ll probably never come home now though,” tweeted Panti.