After marrying his British beau Richard Cullen last year, former Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes has a few opinions about gay marriage. He took time out from spruiking his latest solo release to slam Aussie prime minister John Howard’s stance on the issue.
Darren’s annoyed because his partner has to travel to Australia on a tourist visa, which allows him to stay a maximum of three months, as he is ineligible to gain a partner visa.
“It makes me angry and frustrated,” he told The Herald Sun. “I’m Australian and the way the law sits I can’t bring my partner home as my partner. That to me is an infringement of my civil rights – a very un-Australian thing.
“I would never have voted for John Howard and I encourage people not to. I don’t think he speaks for this country in the same way I don’t think George Bush speaks for the US.”
But don’t expect any Dixie Chicks style backlash over Darren’s comments. The truth is, most Australians agree with him. According to a recent Galaxy news poll, 57% of Australians support same-sex marriages. A further 71% believe same-sex de facto partners should receive the same legal rights as their heterosexual counterparts.
Since coming out last year, Darren has become a reluctant spokesperson for gay rights.
“I love my record, I’d much rather be speaking about my record but at the same time I unwittingly become a spokesperson for something I really do believe in,” he said.
The record, This Delicate Thing We’ve Made, will hit record stores next Monday.
Image source: MandyJC72 @ Flickr.com