Gay couple Ben Rogers and Mark Poidevin fell in love 15 years ago but say they have no plans to tie the knot, even if same sex marriage is legalised as a result of the upcoming postal vote.
And with tensions rife between both ‘no’ and ‘yes’ campaigns, they have stood by their views of a marriage being between a man and a woman, ABC News reports.
The Wollongong couple have committed their lives to each other but say they don’t need or desire a legally binding certificate to prove it.
Mr Poidevin hasn’t always opposed the idea of same-sex marriage, having popped the question to his partner five years ago.
Gay couple Ben Rogers (left) and Mark Poidevin (right) fell in love 15 years ago but say they have no plans to tie the knot, even if same sex marriage is legalised
But Mr Rogers refused, saying he had come to terms with never getting married or having children when he first came out.
‘It’s not something I had ever envisioned,’ he said.
Mark Poidevin (above) proposed to his partner five years ago, but has since changed his stance on same-sex marriage
And now, the pair are hoping to encourage others to feel safe in expressing their opinions, no matter which side of the fence they’re on.
‘The campaign’s gotten nasty on both sides and I think the comments that I hear are, “You’re a homophobe if you don’t support gay marriage,”‘ Mr Poidevin said.
He’s a firm Catholic and says his fears stem from what could result from what message legalising same-sex marriage could send to other minority groups.
Ben Rogers (above) said he came to terms with never getting married or having children when he first came out
‘If we make one exception for one community, that being the same-sex couples, where does it stop?,’ he explained.
Mr Poidevin is eager to challenge the commonly held perception that people who oppose same sex marriage are anti-gay.
‘You’re not intolerant if you don’t support a view,’ he said.
Even if same-sex marriage is legalised, the couple say they’ll congratulate others but won’t be getting married themselves