Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby has penned an emotional protest against the marriage plebiscite on Facebook, saying it will be "open season for hate".
Gadsby, who is gay, was a teenager in Tasmania during the state's 1997 debate on decriminalising homosexuality – it was the last Australian state to do so.
"The reason I care about this is because I don’t want young kids to hear the kind of horrific bile I was forced to listen to in the 1990s when Tasmania debated on whether to legalise homosexuality," she wrote.
"For many, the debate was theatre. For me, it made me hate myself so deeply I have never been able to develop an aptitude for relationships."
Gadsby wrote that the debate taught her she was "subhuman", and allowed people to tell her she was less than them "with looks, words, and on one occasion, violence".
"I am very concerned that the plebiscite debate is going to be another open season for hate," Gadsby wrote.
"If this plebiscite has to happen then let's try and drown out the hate filled commentators. They might not have the numbers but they will no doubt be handed a megaphone in the name of entertainment."
"But this kind of entertainment will not only ruin young lives…it will end some of them. Speech is not free when it comes at such a cost."
Gadsby's sentiments echo those of long-time marriage equality campaigner Rodney Croome, who recently left Australian Marriage Equality over his determination to stop a plebiscite.
Advocacy groups are split over the prospect of a plebiscite, with PFLAG and Just.Equal determined to stop it at all costs, while Australian Marriage Equality has reluctantly accepted the likelihood of a national vote and started to prepare.
The plebiscite hinges on whether the government can find enough votes to pass the legislation in the senate.
Currently, they have 37 votes, and will require two more from Labor, the Greens, or various crossbenchers to proceed.