South-west AFL exports Easton Wood and Liam Picken have spoken out in support of marriage equality as a national postal survey is underway.
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Wood, the Western Bulldogs vice-captain who originally hailed from Camperdown, featured in a video the club released as it pledged support for marriage equality.
The video began with a message from club president Peter Gordon.
“At the Western Bulldogs we believe in inclusiveness, in diversity, in equality for everyone,” he said.
Messages expressing support for the ‘yes’ campaign followed, with lines from key club representatives and both AFL and AFLW players.
“We encourage all Western Bulldogs fans to stand with us in our support for marriage equality, because love is love,” Wood said.
Earlier this year, Wood posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing a pro-marriage equality t-shirt.
“I’ve signed for marriage equality because sexual orientation has no bearing on your right to commit your love to another,” he wrote.
Hamilton export Liam Picken, who also plays for the Western Bulldogs, declared he would be voting ‘yes’ in the postal survey in a social media post on September 11.
As the club pledged its support, fallout from a Ballarat Presbyterian church refusing to marry a couple because the bride-to-be posted her support for same-sex marriage on social media continued.
Warrnambool-based Anglican Ballarat diocese Vicar-General Scott Lowrey said he would be “more than surprised” if a priest investigated a couple’s Facebook posts before marrying them.
“Couples or individual Anglicans are able to express their own opinion as much as they like,” he said.
“But in the case of a couple coming to get married, the focus is on the love and affection of the couple coming for a wedding.”
Father Lowrey said people were entitled to their own opinion on their Facebook pages.
Presbyterian and Catholic ministers and congregations have been told to oppose same-sex marriage, while the Anglican church has left the decision up to an individual’s conscience.
We encourage all Western Bulldogs fans to stand with us in our support for marriage equality, because love is love.
- Easton Wood