In 2017, Australia was the only western country yet to legalise same-sex marriage. With the Australian government announcing the marriage equality postal survey in September, a fierce and often ugly campaign unfolded between the “YES” and “NO” camps.

Queeraz, a new social network connecting the queer world, wanted to cut through the rhetoric and encourage fence-sitting Australians to vote YES. To do this, we needed to remind Australians what they were actually voting for, by letting them experience all of the love and joy of a same-sex marriage before they cast their votes. But the only way that was possible in Australia, was through virtual reality.

First we documented a same-sex wedding happening in Auckland, New Zealand, using Nokia Ozo 360 VR cameras to capture every beautiful moment. The media, influencers, politicians and the public were then invited to the virtual wedding at Sydney's iconic First Fleet Park, Circular Quay, with hundreds of people of all ages lining up to experience the impossible.

Unique rainbow-branded Google Cardboard headsets were also sent to media publishers and all 150 sitting politicians, letting thousands more experience the virtual wedding through an interactive 360 film hosted on our mobile site, virtualequality.org.

The Virtual Equality activation then became an online film, combining emotional footage from the real wedding in Auckland and the virtual wedding in Sydney to deliver a simple but powerful message that was picked up by local and international media, gay rights groups and tech blogs around the world, during the crucial final weeks of the marriage equality vote.

Responses at the virtual wedding activation ranged from laughter to tears with many, including Greens Member for Newtown, Jenny Leong MP, and Get Up! Campaign Manager, Sally Rugg, deeply affected by the fact that virtual reality was the only way a same-sex marriage could legally happen in Australia.

The online film was widely shared by the public, gay-rights groups, publishers and tech blogs around the world, including Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, Lost At E Minor and TheNextWeb.com, spreading our activation to millions worldwide. 

But more importantly, the activation also struck a chord at home, with our simple but powerful message becoming a catchcry of the YES campaign, widely used by Opposition Leader Bill Shorten at press conferences and rallies across the country: “Australia. It’s time to make marriage equality a reality.” 

And though we played just one part, on 15 November 2017, Australia voted YES for marriage equality!