Love in the face of adversity: Couple celebrates 10 years of marriage

A love story that defied convention and sparked change is being celebrated as a couple marks a decade of marriage. Freddy Grant and Burton Reynolds tied the knot in 2016, using a legal loophole to secure their same-sex marriage a year before Australia voted "Yes" to marriage equality.

The couple's union was more than just a romantic gesture - it was a deliberate political statement. "Our wedding was a political statement, and we knew it would be," Freddy said. "I work in PR and didn't even pitch it — I just knew there would be interest if we did it."

Freddy and Burton met on a beach in Darwin in 2009, where Burton was working his first job out of university and Freddy was a backpacker from the UK. Their connection was instant, but with Freddy's working holiday visa about to expire, they had to make a decision quickly. "We clicked immediately but I had tickets to go back home in a month. So I went home for Christmas but rushed back to Darwin, cancelling my plans to continue my travels around WA," Freddy recalled.

The couple decided to get married in Melbourne, using a loophole in UK law that allowed them to tie the knot on British soil. "For our marriage to be legal and recognised — under UK law, anyway — it had to be done on British soil and one of the couple had to be British, me," Freddy explained.

Their wedding plans attracted attention from the media, with The Age calling them as soon as the booking was made. "And sure enough, The Age called me as soon as it was booked and asked if they could be at the wedding," Freddy said.

The marriage was also significant for Burton, who has Malaysian heritage. In Malaysia, people like them can still face prosecution, and the marriage helped his family understand their relationship better. "Burt has Malaysian heritage and in Malaysia people like us can still face prosecution. We have many queer friends there, and almost none are fully out to their parents," Freddy said.

Despite the progress made since their wedding, Freddy expressed concerns about the rise of the manosphere and hard-won rights being debated again. "It really troubles me to see the rise of the manosphere and hard-won rights being debated again, here and overseas," Freddy said. "I do worry the rights generations fought so hard for can be taken away."

As they celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Freddy reflected on the importance of their relationship and the choices they make every day. "I love Burt's smile, his sense of humour, but over the years his loyalty has become one of the things I love most about him. He always chooses me and I think that's got a lot to do with how you make a long-term relationship work," Freddy said.