The 'two tissue' marriage equality video

An Australian pro-gay-marriage commercial

(Image credit: YouTube)

last updated 8 January 2015

The video: GetUp!, an Australian advocacy group, has released a "two tissue" video that has quickly become a viral sensation, garnering 1.6 million YouTube views in just four days. The two-minute spot, titled "It's Time," emotionally charts a relationship from the point of view of one half of a couple. (Watch the video below.) The camera shows a man named Paul meeting someone new (who's unseen for most of the clip), then tracks Paul's reactions through a first date, family introductions, illnesses, squabbles, and big celebrations. It all builds to the moment when Paul proposes marriage, at which point his other half steps out from behind the camera, and is revealed to be a man. The video closes with the message: "It's time. End marriage discrimination."

The reaction: This may just be "the most beautiful ad for marriage equality" I've seen, says Lucas Grindley at The Advocate. And its core message — the importance of commitment — should really resonate with people. I hope so, says Mvelase Peppetta at Memeburn. The fight over marriage equality is "still one of the most important civil rights battles" in the world, and as the ad says, it's about time we accepted gay marriage. See for yourself: