The marriage equality bill has comfortably passed its first reading and now the heat will really be turned on MPs as the bill passes through Parliament.
If it's successful, gay marriage will be a right enshrined in law.
What strikes me most in this debate is the pain felt by both sides.
Most of the opponents to the bill genuinely believe gay marriage will erode the status of the traditional family.
Gay proponents of the bill find it hard to believe that there are some people in society who see them as aberrant freaks.
