And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love/ Yeah they'll know we are Christians by our love

In 2015, the Irish people held a referendum on marriage equality. There was a spirited campaign, and on the day every county but one voted for it.

Then everyone went out to the pub and made up, and now they have an out prime minister.

Australian conservatives have used the threat of marriage equality to cling to power for years, even as polls show staggering majorities favor it. In 2004 they borrowed a page from American conservatives and redefined marriage in law to protect it from being redefined by the mean gays.

This year they tried a new expedient: a $122 million, nonbinding postal ballot, with a three-month campaign runup.

Australia's Christianists were ready. Their "no" campaign kicked off ahead of the September 12 mailing date, and is already so vicious even the government has moved to strengthen Australian hate speech laws.