MTV is about to stop broadcasting in Australia to support marriage equality

MTV Australia will cease regular broadcasting on Thursday to encourage young people to vote for marriage equality.

For 12 hours on Thursday, between 6 a.m. – 6 p.m., the network will run a message on how to enroll to take part in the upcoming nationwide, nonbinding postal survey on the issue. Thursday is the last day to enroll or update one’s details.

If the majority of Australian’s say that they are in favor of marriage equality, as is expected due to polls showing an overwhelming amount of support, parliament will then vote on the issue.

“As a leading youth entertainment brand that supports inclusiveness and equal rights for all Australians, MTV wants to encourage young Australians to get out and do their part in ensuring their voices are heard in the Australian Marriage Law postal vote,” Simon Bates, the head of MTV Asia Pacific, said in a statement.

The network’s website will also feature an editorial takeover pushing the message of voting for equality, Bates added.

Other sites that have said they will participate in a blackout encouraging people to enrol and vote for marriage equality in Australia include Pedestrian TV, Junkee, FBi Radio, Broadsheet, and VICE.

LGBTQ rights advocates were calling on the government to take up the issue without a survey, fearing the debate would include hatred from the other side. That inevitable outcome has come true in a big, bad way, as anti-gay posters have begun appearing on the streets in Melbourne and Brisbane, including some that appear connected to a white supremacist group.

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