Culture

Magda Szubanski Just Made A Tearful, Powerful Speech On The Need To Protect LGBTIQ Young People

And she might be collaborating with Tim Minchin.

by Sam Langford  22 August 2017
Magda Szubanski

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If you’re a young LGBTQI+ person in need of support during this hellish postal vote season, know this: Magda Szubanski has got your back.

The actor and comedian, who game out as gay in 2012, appeared on Today this morning to talk about the harm the postal vote on marriage is doing to LGBTQI+ young people, slamming the vote as “the most unkind thing, for no good reason”.

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“I barely made it through my childhood and I don’t want that to happen to any of these kids,” she said, tearing up a bit.

“There are so many wrongs in the world that are so complicated and can’t be made right. This is a wrong that could be made right so simply.”

She then offered a message of love and support to struggling LGBTQI young people, reminding them that “we’ll get through this, we’ll survive it”.

“We need young LGBTQI people to know to not isolate themselves, to reach out, to find the support. We are there, we’ve got their backs, and so have so many straight Australian allies.”

“But it’s really important that people not be complacent about this. I don’t like the plebiscite, but it’s actually a chance for us all to have a voice in what sort of nation we want to create. My family hid Jews in Poland during the war, they risked their lives. All that people need to do for this is put a postage stamp on an envelope and send it.”

The video has resonated with hundreds of people online, including Tim Minchin, who has also been using his considerable platform to advocate for marriage equality. After he tweeted in support of Szubanski’s video, she suggested they collaborate on the topic.

We’ll be watching this space.

If you have tissues handy, you can watch the full Today Show clip below. After that, make sure you’ve updated your details on the electoral roll — you only have two days left to do it.