THE plebiscite over same-sex marriage in this country may have awarded equality to couples previously denied it, but many have made it clear they believe the process carried serious costs. In 2017, digital youth service ReachOut said it had seen a 20 per cent surge in people seeking support for LGBTQI+ issues, attributing the dramatic spike in demand to the postal survey.
"Australia is on the threshold of something really positive but we do have to manage the risk to vulnerable people over the course of the debate," Professor Patrick McGorry, a former Australian of the Year, said at the time.
