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Ireland: Constitutional Convention Votes 79-21 to Allow Referendum on Marriage Equality

Sunday, April 14th, 2013

irelandMarriage equality may be coming to Ireland soon – the Constitutional convention just voted in large numbers to send the issue to a vote of the people. Pink News reports:

This afternoon 79 out of 100 convention members voted in favour of allowing same-sex marriage in the Irish Constitution. 81 voted in favour of enacting laws to give “appropriate” protections to the same-sex parents of children, and 78 voted that the laws should be enacted throughout Ireland, rather than on a state-by-state basis. The Convention was set up last year by the Irish Government to examine possible changes to the Irish Constitution, among them the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage. It consists of 33 parliamentary members of the Dail (Irish lower house) and Seanad (Irish senate) and MLAs from Northern Ireland, 66 members of the public, and an independent chairperson.

What happens next?

Following today’s vote the Irish Government will have four months to respond.

The most recent polling in Ireland shows that 75% support marriage equality, including 90% of Ireland’s young people. Looks like marriage quality will be the law of the land soon.

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Ireland: Constitutional Convention to Discuss Marriage Equality This Weekend

Monday, April 8th, 2013

irelandThe moment of truth has arrived – this next weekend, a constitutional convention will be convened to consider marriage equality. Dot429 reports:

In all, 66 Irish citizens and 29 members of parliament will be present to discuss the issue. The Convention will then make its recommendation to government within two months. It’s expected that a referendum will eventually need to take place before marriage equality can be introduced. Support for equal marriage has gathered momentum in Ireland with only one major political party yet to back it. The Fine Gael party, currently in power, has nonetheless allowed its members attending the Convention to make up their own mind with many now publicly in favor.

What’s next?

Regarding the prospect of a referendum on the issue, it is predicted that the Irish government will wait on a challenge being brought to court by Katherine Zappone and Ann-Louise Gilligan, a couple already married in Canada, over the country’s restriction before attempting to legislate. “The government will likely wait on this case before taking a decision. [In the event of a referendum] I imagine there will be a heavily funded campaign to make the Irish people vote no,” editor of GCN magazine Brian Finnegan told 429Magazine

Ireland has taken a sharp turn away from the Catholic Church in recent years after a massive child molestation scandal rocked the Church there, so there’s a lot of hope for this convention in this modern, more secular country.

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Ireland: Marriage Equality Ireland Launches New Campaign Ahead of Constitutional Convention

Friday, April 5th, 2013

Ireland: Marriage Equality Ireland Launches New Campaign Ahead of Constitutional ConventionToday Marriage Equality launched its new social media campaign, called ‘Do Me A Favour’. The campaign is a Facebook app which builds on Marriage Equality’s successful ‘Out To Your TD’ campaign, and encourages anyone who supports equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland to contact their elected representatives ahead of the Constitutional Convention on April 13th and 14th. Recent opinion polls show 75% of Irish people would vote yes in a marriage equality referendum. ‘Do Me A Favour’ aims to take that support and turn it into action, by providing an easy way to contact your TDs in just a few clicks.

“This campaign for anyone who cares about marriage equality, and wants to see it become a reality in Ireland. We chose to use a Facebook app because around 2.1 million Irish people are on Facebook, and they are connected to their friends and family,” explained Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith. “Most friends and family members are happy to do someone a favour if they ask – and what better favour to do than help to ensure our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender friends are treated equally?”

The campaign also includes Marriage Equality’s latest short film, “Yes to Love”. The film features several same sex couples and families speaking about love, family and what marriage means to them. It urges viewers to say yes to love, whether in opinion polls, in speaking to elected representatives, or in a future referendum.

“We made this film because at its heart, the campaign for marriage equality is about real people, with real stories – the same as any other loving, committed couple out there,” added Ms Griffith. “We’re delighted that so many of our supporters stepped forward to share their deeply personal stories. At its heart, marriage is about love and commitment, and it’s precisely because we value marriage that we want to see it extended to same sex couples.”

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Ireland: Catholic Bishop Trashes Gays and Marriage Equality

Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

IrelandAnother day, another story out of Ireland about the Catholic church and marriage equality. Bishop Christopher Jones had some choice words for marriage equality advocates. Pink News reports:

According to the Irish Times, Mr Jones warned that marriage was at risk of being attacked in Ireland. In a written submission to the convention he said: “attempts to equate same-sex unions with marriage will always ultimately fail because it is objectively impossible for homosexual couples to achieve the same natural end toward which the sexual complementarity of male and female is ordered.” He continued: “Therefore, were society to treat same-sex relationships and marriage as the same and therefore ‘equal’ would be to suggest that same-sex unions can be something that they are not.”

Meme of the month – it’s all about procreation. You gotta admire how effective they are at getting the message out to all the anti-gay marriage spokespeople.

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Ireland: Catholic Bishops Won’t Conduct Any Weddings if Marriage Equality Legalized

Monday, April 1st, 2013

irelandJust as they’ve done with adoption services in states that have legalized adoption for gays and lesbians, the Catholic Church in Ireland is threatening to gather up all their marriage marbles and go home if they don’t win. Gay Star News reports:

The Irish Bishops Conference (IBC) issued a stern warning to Ireland’s government not to legalize gay marriage or else the Catholic Church will no longer work with the state in solemnizing marriages… The warning was submitted by the IBC to Ireland’s Constitutional Convention, which is considering the issue of gay marriage. The bishops’ stance would affect the thousands of weddings that take place in churches every year.

Although they have used this tactic before with adoption, as far as I know this is the first time they’ve tried it with weddings. In every other country that has passed marriage equality, I don’t remember hearing about how the Catholic Church walked away from matrimony.

It’s clearly a scare tactic aimed at their congregants, many of whom still hold the church responsible for the massive child abuse scandal that drove parishioners away from the Church in waves. Given that, I’m not sure this new move is going to have the effect they hope for.

Posted in Catholic Church, Ireland, Opponents, Religion | 1 Response »
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Ireland: Gay Anglicans Push for Marriage Equality

Friday, March 29th, 2013

IrelandAs the constitutional convention in Ireland is about to get underway next month, a group of gay Anglicans is pushing for marriage equality there. Pink News reports:

Changing Attitude Ireland (CAI), the Anglican Church of Ireland’s pro-gay group, has made a submission to the Irish Constitutional Convention in support of extending civil marriage to same-sex couples. The convention is examining equal marriage, along with other key issues, in a year-long consultation exercise. CAI stated in its submission that it “strongly supports the extension of civil marriage to same-sex couples. CAI views the existing inequalities between civil partnership and civil marriage as having a real world detrimental impact on the lives of same-sex couples, and even more on children being raised by them.

Let’s hope Ireland takes this opportunity to bring full equality to its gay and lesbian citizens.

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Ireland: Prime Minister Won’t Confirm Whether He Supports Marriage Equality

Saturday, March 23rd, 2013

irelandWith a pending constitutional convention next month that could legalize marriage equality in Ireland, the country’s Prime Minister is being tight-lipped about whether or not he supports the idea. Dot429 reports:

While acknowledging the issue is an important one for the country, Kenny intimated that advocating strong family values was his priority. “You’ll know we have the Constitutional Convention upcoming. My own view on the matter is irrelevant. But I will say, it is an issue,” Kenny told 429Magazine.

Ireland has seen an astonishing rise in the level of support for marriage equality – the last poll, in January 2013, found that 75% of its citizens now endorse the idea. That’s up from two-thirds support just in late 2012.

Ireland joins the neighboring UK’s efforts toward marriage equality, with Scotland, England and Wales all likely to pass it this year.

Only Northern Ireland’s left out of the party, where a marriage equality measure was defeated last year.

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Ireland to Consider Marriage Equality in April

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Marriage Equality in IrelandAs Scotland, England and Wales are considering marriage equality across the channel, Ireland’s set to get into the act too. The Irish Post reports:

In what promises to be its most divisive session, the Constitutional Convention will convene next month to discuss whether or not the Irish Government should hold a referendum on amending the Constitution to permit gay marriage. But the debate in Ireland, which ignited this week following the submission of papers to the Constitutional Convention from major activist organisations, is much unlike the debate that garnered widespread interest from the British public.

Although both countries permit members of the same sex to form a civil partnership, the differences between such a union and marriage differ vastly between Britain and Ireland. In Britain, civil partnership cannot currently be a religious procedure, but civil partners receive largely the same legal treatment as a married couple. In Ireland, civil partnerships and marriages receive fundamentally different legal treatment that reaches far beyond the country’s notorious prohibition on adoption for civil partners.

Fingers crossed for our friends at Marriage Equality Ireland.

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Ireland: Marriage Equality Support Reaches 75%; Irish Equality Minister Announces Support

Monday, January 28th, 2013

titleA new poll shows marriage equality support has risen by 12% since 2008, Pink News says:

The Millward Brown poll, commissioned by Marriage Equality Ireland, has shown that the percentage of people in support of equal marriage had risen by 12%, since 2008, and in 2012 was 75%. In 2008, 63% of Irish people thought equal marriage should be provided to gay couples, and support over the two polls was highest among women, 18-34 year olds, parents and unmarried cohabiting couples.

Moreover, support is even stringer among younger voters:

It also showed that 90% of 25-34 year olds said they thought gay people should have equal rights, and 88% of parents also thought so.

A constitutional convention in April is likely to take up the issue. In related news, Pink News also reports that the UK’s Equality Minister has voiced support for the issue:

Offering his personal support of equal marriage, he said: “I personally believe that a democratic republic that professes a commitment to the principle of equal citizenship should not continue to prevent same-sex couples from entering into a legal partnership that is legally recognised and designated as being a marriage.”

Will Ireland be the next country to legalize marriage equality?

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Ireland: Politician Calls for Tolerance – But No Relationship Recognition – For Gays, Lesbians

Thursday, January 24th, 2013

Democratic Unionist Party MLA Jonathan BellA Democratic Unionist Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and junior government minister says he wants Northern Ireland to be “a tolerant and inclusive society” but claims there are “no grounds to redefine marriage”.

Democratic Unionist Party MLA Jonathan Bell made the comments during an equal marriage debate on BBC One Northern Ireland’s Stephen Nolan show on Wednesday.

He said: “Marriage is defined, and has been from 1866 in law since Hyde vs Hyde, as a union between a man and a woman” adding that “in terms of equality, in terms of human rights everything that is in marriage is available to a gay couple through civil society, there is no need to redefine marriage to have a tolerant and inclusive society.”

Authored By Gary Spedding – See the Full Story at Pink News

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