Star of the Australian film Holding The Man, Ryan Corr, has challenged Prime Minister Tony Abbott to watch, listen and learn.
Best known for his roles in Packed to the Rafters and The Water Diviner, Corr (pictured) described the Coalition’s move against a conscience vote on marriage equality as “a disgrace”.
“Seventy per cent of Australians, right or left, think people have the right to have marriage equality,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I’m exactly the same.
“It’s disappointing Tony Abbott could have had the opportunity to be the prime minister that supported people loving who they wanted but instead it’s gone the opposite way.”
Corr said he hoped Holding The Man would get people talking about gay rights, including marriage equality.
“Hopefully Tony Abbott will go and see it. It might open his mind a bit …
“It’s archaic. We’re behind the rest of the world in progressive ideas like this. It’s plain and simple: people should have the right to marry and love who they want.”
Corr plays playwright and gay activist Tim Conigrave in the film, a romantic drama that chronicles his 15-year relationship with John Caleo (Craig Stott) after they met at high school in the late 1970s.
Corr’s comments come hard on the heels of Hollywood actor/comedian Jake Black describing Mr Abbott’s stance on marriage equality as “coming from the Stone Ages”.
Sydney 2DayFM radio hosts, Dan Debuf and Maz Compton, were pitching Mr Abbott’s anti-gay marriage stance as a possible story line for Black’s new television show Brink.
Believing the prime minister’s view is bizarre within today’s society, Black said: “I personally think the guy is living in the Stone Ages though he’s not seeing the writing on the wall.
“The movement of the world is heading towards equality for all people and sexual preferences.
“We are all the same in the end, who cares what gives you a boner really.”
Managing to find humour in the situation, Black called Mr Abbott a “nutter butter”.
“Yeah, he sounds like a bit of a nutter, a bit of a nutter butter,” he said.
Black recently revealed he is a huge fan of Amazon’s transgender-based TV show Transparent.
“I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to see Transparent, but that’s one of the great risk-takers. Way ahead of the curve. I love that show,” he said.
Australia remains the only developed English-speaking country that does not allow same-sex marriage – largely thanks to our prime minister “living in the Stone Ages”.
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