Stephan Elliott, director of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, is calling on celebrities to join the push for marriage equality. Photo: Getty Images.
Jenna Clarke, The Age, reports
Celebrities need to be more outspoken than politicians in order to legalise gay marriage in Australia, according to one of the country's most successful film directors, Stephan Elliott.
According to the screenwriter of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Australia is at risk of becoming a backward society due to immature politicians who are scared to speak up and support marriage equality.
"Come on guys, grow up. Pretty much the rest of the western world has gotten there, let's not go backwards," he told WAtoday.com.au.
"When you think about what Priscilla did about moving forward 18 years ago, I've now realised since that time we've gone backwards."
The 1994 film won an Academy Award for it's eleborate costumes and gained international acclaim and praise for Australian cinema due to its positive portrayal of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans community.
Elliott admitted that the Priscilla script and subsequent stage show were not political statements and it wasn’t until a near-death skiing accident in 2004 that inspired him to take action for a social issue close to his heart and home.
The traumatic ordeal left him with a broken neck, back, pelvis and legs and he wasn't expected to survive the fateful ambulance ride that changed his life.
"I was told I was going to die and my partner of 20 years wasn't allowed in the back of the ambulance with me because he wasn't considered family and that has really grated on me ever since," he said in Perth while promoting his new film A Few Best Men.
"I've never been politically motivated and I've been a little bit selfish, but when I saw this issue of marriage equality erupting over here while the rest of the world was getting on with it, it finally made me stand up and fight this one," the European based screen writer and director added.
Elliott, along with his friend Hugh Jackman and film critic David Stratton, have recently signed a statement supporting the Australian Marriage Equality's call for same sex marriage and will be a guest of honour at the AME's Equality Dinner in Sydney next week.
"Everybody is just too frightened and once you've got well known names and well known married names coming out and simply saying 'We support this', it makes people feel a lot more comfortable."
"In North America the first person to actually speak up in support of it was Brad Pitt which started a trigger effect and that's what needs to happen in Australia," he added.
Perhaps another ride around the desert atop Priscilla could help gain support?
"Well the sequel is written and it's there," he said.
"I think there's been enough distance now to know that I can possibly go back there."
While the first film was shot on location in New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory, Elliott believes its WA's turn to shine in the spotlight, maybe even with sequins and drag queens as the support cast.
"Well you never know! I've got a very good script for WA waiting and I’ve got one good desert film left in me which I've actually already written."
A Few Best Men opens in cinemas on January 26.
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