Gay Australian Lawmaker Proposes During a Parliament Debate on Same-Sex Marriage

Australian Member of Parliament Tim Wilson became the first lawmaker to propose on the House floor -- to a man.

Wilson, 37, proposed to his boyfriend of nine years, Ryan Bolger, while the cameras were rolling during a parliamentary debate on same-sex marriage, NPR reported:

Media networks have been quick to promote the event, with United Kingdom tabloid news organizations Daily Mail and Mirror calling the event “Heartwarming.”

Some who heard the news pointed out that Wilson seemed to use the occasion as a publicity stunt, considering his past refusals to talk publicly about the issue of gay marriage, going so far to say that he would “rather talk about something else that actually matters to the Australian population.”

Wilson's very public proposal suggests that he has since changed his mind, which may have occurred after the Australian government used taxpayer money to fund a mail-in postal ballot that resulted in 61.6 percent of Australians voting in favor of same-sex marriage.

The event was also strange, considering Wilson and Bolger have reportedly already been engaged for nine years.