Australia moved one step closer to marriage equality on Wednesday — and cameras were on hand to capture the nation’s rainbow-embellished glee.
In a nationwide postal poll, an overwhelming majority supported the legalization of same-sex marriage. The results showed that 7.8 million Australians ― 61.6 percent of respondents ― voted yes.
More than 12.7 million people participated in the voluntary survey, for a nationwide response rate of nearly 80 percent.
The issue will now go to the Australian Parliament. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised a vote on legalizing same-sex marriage before Christmas.
“The people have voted yes for marriage equality. Now it is our job to deliver it,” Turnbull told reporters in Canberra.
Here are some of the jubilant photos and Twitter posts from around the nation:
20 Years OfFreeJournalism
Your Support Fuels Our Mission
Your Support Fuels Our Mission
For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can't do this without you.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.
Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.