After making a speech, Australian politician, Tim Wilson, proposed to his longtime partner of seven years, Ryan Bolger, during a debate over the legalization of same sex marriage on Monday, December 4. As an openly gay member of Parliament with the center-right Liberal party, he argued strongly for Australia to follow in other countries’ footsteps to give their LGBT citizens the same marriage rights as everyone else.

“This debate has been the soundtrack to our relationship. We both know this issue isn’t the reason we got involved in politics; give us tax reform any day,” Wilson started. “But in my first speech, I defined our bond by the ring that sits on both of our left hands, and they are the answer to a question we cannot ask, so there’s only one thing left to do.” Wilson then turned to his partner, who was sitting in the public gallery: “Ryan Patrick Bolger, will you marry me?” Of course Bolger said yes, and was met with loud applause from the everyone in the chamber who just witnessed the proposal.

“I should let Hansard note to record that that was a ‘yes’ — a resounding yes,” Rob Mitchell, the deputy speaker, said, referring to parliament’s official record of transcripts. He made sure this moment was recorded in history.

The senate voted 43 to 12 to lift the ban on same sex marriage, resonating with the Australian people. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 61 percent of the 80 percent of eligible voters who responded to a survey asking about their opinions on same sex marriage thinks that it should be allowed, making the majority of citizens in favor of its legalization (The Washington Post).

The Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has also expressed his support for this, stating that he “intend[s] to make [the citizens’] wish the law of the land by Christmas.”

Ashley Bui Tran (11) is extremely happy for Australia’s LGBT community. “Watching all these different countries finally giving their citizens basic human rights gives me hope that maybe in the the near future, almost all countries will have legalized same sex marriage.”

Australia has voted yes to same sex marriage, but details and amendments are still in the making.