Marriage equality advocates have accused openly-gay Cabinet Minister, Senator Penny Wong, of betraying the gay community and her own heritage by continuing to oppose same-sex marriages.

 "If culture, religion and history were sound reasons for upholding discrimination there would be no Senator Penny Wong."              - AME, National Convener, Alex Greenwich

On Channel Ten this morning Senator Wong said she respected Labor's view of marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

''On the issue of marriage I think the reality is there is a cultural, religious, historical view around that which we have to respect", she said.

Australian Marriage Equality spokesperson, Alex Greenwich, said Senator Wong's rationale for opposing marriage equality is deeply hypocritical.

"It was once the 'cultural, religious and historical view' that women should not be members of parliament, Asians should not be allowed into Australia, and lesbians shouldn't even exist, yet thankfully all that changed allowing people like Penny Wong to contribute to Australian society at the highest level."

"By opposing marriage equality, Penny Wong has betrayed gay and lesbian Australians, and by using culture, religion and history to justify this opposition she has betrayed the principles of tolerance and inclusion that have given her immense opportunities as a lesbian woman of Chinese descent."

The governing Australian Labor Party recently dumped its leader, Kevin Rudd, in favour of the nation's first female Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, who like Rudd, and Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, opposes marriage equality.

The Green Party, which supports marriage equality, is widely expected to win the balance of power in the national Senate in the federal election scheduled for August 21st.

For more information contact Alex Greenwich at 0421 316 335.