Gold Coasters, activists and community leaders will gather at the One50 Public House in Bundall tomorrow afternoon to send the message to Malcolm Turnbull and the four Gold Coast Federal LNP MPs that marriage equality is a big issue on the Coast, and it’s not going away.

I am organising the event to show Gold Coast MPs how much support marriage equality has from Gold Coast residents.

This event is a great chance for likeminded people to come together and call for a free vote on marriage equality in the Parliament.

The plebiscite is dead. We could have marriage equality now if enough LNP MPs demanded that Malcolm Turnbull allow a free vote in the Federal Parliament. We are getting closer to a free vote every day, but supporters of marriage equality have got to keep the pressure on.

During the first week back in Parliament, divisions were seen in the Federal Government, as efforts by MPs to change the Coalition policy from holding a plebiscite to a free vote were forced back by Coalition leadership.

The internal divisions within the Coalition show that MPs know how damaging this issue is for them. A study last week of nearly 5000 people showed that 41 per cent of respondents were less likely to vote for the Coalition if it continued to block its members from a free vote on marriage equality.

Even for safe MPs on the Gold Coast that’s a massive problem.

Voters are sick of this issue being used to score political points, and just want it resolved.

The Labor Party will continue to call for a free vote. At the end of the day, this is about love and equality. Let’s just get it done.