MARRIGE EQUALITY - Berlin

Me wearing our beautiful necklace

This August I worked alongside Millicent Nobis to create a handmade necklace from my recycled Maire Claire. The necklace represents not only gay pride, but story telling. While photographer Katrina James took the ladies portraits, I had the opportunity to discuss with these five German women, their thoughts on marriage equality in Germany...

No matter where you come from, no matter how lenient your government, no matter how accepting the community, not everyone can feel equal at the same time. In society one group’s detriment is another group’s benefit. There is no better example of this than politics.
 

My discussions with gay women, Lynn, Milena, Esther, Eve and Anna, reaffirmed my belief that it’s sad and pointless to refuse something in the lives of others, when it has no negative effect on your own. “Working against love” is simply not a positive way for anyone to live in this world.

If you want to know, ask, and if you want to learn, listen. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to hear the stories of the German women I met through this project. Hearing their opinions has given me a leg to stand on when I say, I think the laws of marriage should be equal in all human relationships.

Some Australians need to shake this idea that marriage belongs to Christians, because it doesn’t. Marriage is a human tradition that binds couples together – and in some cases more than just two people. Over time, marriage has adhered with society to include religion, social laws and social trends. The expectations of what exists within a Western marriage changes from generation to generation, not unlike pubic hair trends. What’s unconventional in one generation is ordinary in the next. We need our legal systems, not just in Australia but also in Germany, to adhere with its people.  All five of these women have different experiences and opinions on marriage but they all want to help others, their motives are obviously considerate.

I’ve come away from July and August with the feeling that we may not see marriage equality and acceptance for same sex couples in Western culture, during my lifetime. However we all wanted to be associated with this cause, because as women, we want to see an understanding society, not just for our generation but for our future generations.

Please scroll down to see the beautiful portraits of the five gay women, who helped me gain an understanding into what marriage equality means in Germany.

 
 

AM