High Court's same-sex marriage survey result sent Twitter into a frenzy

Both sides of the debate took to social media to sound the battle cry.
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
High Court's same-sex marriage survey result sent Twitter into a frenzy
Supporters of same sex marriage march in Sydney on August 6, 2017. Credit: Peter parksAFP/Getty Images

One of the biggest decisions in Australia's marriage equality debate drew just about everyone onto social media on Thursday.

Australia's High Court handed down a decision Thursday to allow the federal government to lawfully use $122 million to implement a postal plebiscite on the matter of same-sex marriage. The non-binding, no-compulsory survey will ask the question: “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?” 

It's been one of the most anticipated decisions in Australia this week — it even caused the High Court website to crash. And many Australians took to social media with their reactions, from politicians to activists and everyone in between.


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Leading up to the High Court decision, Australians were publishing 400 tweets per minute, according to Twitter Australia. Check out this nifty heat map:

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

After the ruling was announced, most were already gearing up to campaign for a 'Yes' vote:

Many were angry:

Some stayed in the middle:

Others reiterated their 'No' stance:

Australians will receive their postal survey after Sept. 12 and will have until Nov. 7 to mail it back to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Then, the survey results will be announced on Nov. 15, after which the issue will be voted upon in federal parliament.

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Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.

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