I AM a heterosexual man who grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney and it’s fair to say at some stage in my life I was ignorant of homosexuality. Ignorant, and quite possibly discriminatory.

I would cringe every time the “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” TV show would come on, and I would always feel put off by the campy behaviour of Julian Clary. I used to think gay men existed only in the seedy, inner-eastern suburbs of Sydney – and would hear horrible stories of blokes from my neck of the woods heading to Darlinghurst for a spot of “poofter bashing”. Like I said, ignorant.

But since the passing of the Irish referendum on same-sex marriage, there is now an awkward debate happening across our country; should Australia move ahead with marriage reforms to include same-sex couples, given we apparently now lag behind the UK, Europe, some states in the US and even our closest neighbour NZ?

Australian advocates have now declared it’s “our turn”, with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten jumping on the bandwagon with a private member’s Bill declaring: “It’s time for our laws to reflect the values of modern Australia and to include everyone as equals … It’s time for marriage equality.”

Perhaps it’s even becoming “trendy” to support gay marriage.

I’ve seen so many people who were once like me, ignorant and somewhat homophobic, afraid of something we knew nothing about. As an adult, I have come to meet, respect and even care for many people who have a different sexual orientation to me. Some of the most intelligent and successful people I know are gay. Some openly, some not – preferring, rightly, to keep it as their personal business.

Alan Jones, a colleague I have admired personally and professionally, broadcast these thoughtful words on 2CC last week: “In a very difficult world, which is often impersonal, uncaring, ruthless and sometimes brutal in personal relationships, love can prove elusive.

“My view is that when people find love, they should be able to celebrate it. And they shouldn’t be discriminated against according to the nature of that love.

“To deny people the recognition for a relationship which is based on love is to deny, in my opinion, one of humankind’s most basic, elusive qualities.

“We shouldn’t be frightened about celebrating the love of one person for another.”

I find it hard to believe anyone could possibly argue with that.

Marcus Paul is the drive announcer on 2CC