Like most Australians in recent weeks, the board, management and musicians of the orchestra have engaged with the issue of marriage equality. A very strong majority of our colleagues support a “yes” vote in the current survey.
Since the first same-sex weddings in 2001 in the Netherlands, same-sex couples are now accorded the respect and rights of civil marriage in most first-world nations. Around 750 million people live in countries where marriage equality has been enacted.
The orchestra’s community includes LGBTQI people who make significant contributions to our industry. We would hope that they could have the same respect and rights in their relationships as any member of the community. We believe this can and must include marriage.
While the survey is non-binding and thus incapable of deciding the issue, it has unleashed considerable division and negativity in the community. We hope that after the survey, all Australians can move towards a more harmonious future.