pink weddings magazine » 11
Equality
O
n 22 May 2015, the Marriage Equality referendum was held in
the Republic of Ireland. Its intention was to add an extra clause
to Article 41 of the Constitution of Ireland:
Marriage may be
contracted in accordance with law by two persons without
distinction as to their sex
.
The ‘yes’ campaign had been championing a strong fight in the months
leading up to the referendum, and had the backing of many major political
parties – who made the distinction that same-sex marriage was a civil
matter, rather than a religious one.
On the day of the referendum itself, crowds of people hit the streets to
celebrate and show their support for gay marriage. Most expected the
result to be a close call, as the opposing Yes and No campaigns had equally
passionate supporters on both sides of the debate – but the pull towards
equality was a strong one.
More than 3m people were asked to vote in the referendum, and after a
majority of 62 per cent of the population voted yes, the Marriage Equality Bill was
passed – meaning that same-sex marriage legislation should be made a reality
later this year. This will make the Republic of Ireland the first country in the world
to have legalised same-sex marriage by popular vote.
‘In the privacy of the ballot box they made a public statement,’ said Enda
Kenny, Ireland’s Taoiseach. ‘With today’s yes vote we have disclosed who we are –
a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people. Yes to inclusion. Yes to
generosity. Yes to love, and yes to equal marriage.’
Same-sex marriage has come after a long-fought battle for equality in
Ireland. A Civil Partnership Act was introduced in 2010, and came into force on 1
January 2011 – although discussion of legislation to recognise unmarried
partnerships dated back to 2004. Civil partnerships were a step in the right
direction, but there were still a number of inequalities that gay couples were
subjected to, such as some parental rights, as well as social benefits and welfare.
With such a traditionally conservative country taking a step towards equal
rights, the yes vote in Ireland was a proud statement that the freedom to marry
the person you love should be a basic human right – and will hopefully fire up the
debate in countries across the globe that are yet to embrace marriage equality.
Yes
,
yes
,
yes!
Across the Irish Sea, the Emerald Isle has finally joined
the ranks of countries embracing marriage equality
Dublin, Ireland –
May 23, 2015:
Supporters of the
marriage equality
proposal, which
authorises national
legalisation of gay
marriage, celebrate
their victory in front of
Dublin Castle. The
proposal passed by a
margin that surprised
most people.
