AUSSIE GAY MARRIAGE AD BECOMES INTERNET HIT

A moving advert promoting marriage equality for gays and lesbians in Australia has become a surprise YouTube hit.

The advert was produced by the progressive lobby group GetUp! and has been viewed almost two million times since its release on Thursday last week.

It depicts a relationship through the eyes of a person with a man, although the person is only revealed to also be a man at the end when his partner proposes to him.

The clip ends with the words “It’s Time. End marriage discrimination.”

The Advocate magazine in America described the video as “possibly the most beautiful ad for marriage equality we’ve seen”.

British actor and presenter Stephen Fry simply tweeted “*sob*” in response to watching the ad.

GetUp! said that it has been overwhelmed by the response to the advert.

“We’ve had so much positive feedback we have to give a shout out to our friends over at Motion Picture Company – their amazing talent and tireless work brought the video to life, creating the beautiful love story that’s brought tears, conversations, and Australia one step closer to full equality,” GetUp! said on its Facebook page.

The organisation said that it was now planning to produce a version of the ad for broadcast on Australian television.

While Australia is perceived as one of the most-gay friendly countries in the world, with a thriving gay community, same-sex marriage is yet to be legalised.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard is opposed to marriage equality, believing that marriage should remain exclusively heterosexual.

Watch the It’s Time advert below.