Mathers Mojo: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMathers Mojo: Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill — Third Reading[Sitting date: 17 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9501. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]MOJO MATHERS (Green): I would like to start by expressing my heartfelt thanks to every member of the House who votes for the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill tonight. Your vote will mean a great deal to me to my family and to thousands of other New Zealanders. My family has been fortunate to have a beautiful rainbow thread that has woven itself in and out of most of the generations on both sides and it has created artists and teachers dreamers and doctors to name just a few. This wonderful rainbow thread has been continued in the youngest generation and is reflected in my beautiful brave loving daughter. Last year she went to her first formal with her girlfriend. They looked absolutely stunning in black and gold with gold make-up. It was with immense pride that I watched them walk into that formal hand in hand openly declaring their love and affection for each other. They had a wonderful evening and we have many lovely photos to remember it by.For me one of the highlights of being a mother is when my daughter snuggles up to me on the sofa and shares with me her hopes her dreams her aspirations for her future. Like countless other young women she hopes for love marriage children a good job and a house with a white picket fence. All of these options are available to her older sister. When this bill passes tonight which I hope it does it will give both of my daughters the equal opportunity to marry the person they love. No mother could be more proud of her daughters than I am and to see them have equal rights before the law is very important to me. I know from the wonderful emails that I have received that there are many other parents around the country who want their children to have the same right to marry the person they love.I also have loved ones from the wider rainbow community for whom this bill will make a real difference. It will make a difference for them whether or not they choose to marry because it will affirm that they have equal rights before the law regardless of their sexual orientation. When I was growing up I witnessed bullying and taunting of young people suspected of being gay. It was a terrible experience and profoundly distressing. Since that time I have seen significant cultural change in attitudes towards gay people and I have seen fear being replaced with love bullying replaced with acceptance rejection replaced with tolerance. I find it incredibly sad that opponents of marriage equality speak of this cultural change as if it is something to be afraid of. For me it is something to be embraced with open arms so I will be voting for this bill as an affirmation of the rights of rainbow youth and the hope that one day every young person in New Zealand will feel safe and confident about their sexuality free from fear and bullying.Every member in the House who votes for this bill tonight will be voting for love tolerance and acceptance. On behalf of my family and thousands of other New Zealanders thank you thank you thank you.