Ian Thorpe and his boyfriend hit the campaign trail for marriage equality

Former Olympic champion Ian Thorpe has jumped into the campaign for marriage equality in Australia, taking to social media with his boyfriend Ryan Channing this week to promote the cause.

Despite over a decade of focused effort in Australia, same-sex couples cannot have their marriages recognized as marriages at the federal level in the country.

Thorpe posted the above pic on Instagram with this caption:

It's time Australia... Marriage equality is a human right for all @ryanchanning @sayidodownunder

The two have been together for what looks like about a year, according to different sources on the Internet. The couple makes a great face for the movement Down Under.

Thorpe is a national hero, winning nine Olympic swimming medals and 11 world championships. He had been rumored to be gay for years and came out publicly in 2014.

His handsome boyfriend is a model with 22k Instagram followers. That is not surprising...

Hopefully these two can help push the national conversation on the issue. It can’t hurt to have a sports hero as a new face of the movement.