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Loading ...Irish gays demand full marriage rights
04.20.2009 1:03pm EDT
(Dublin) Irish gays are accusing the government of dragging its feet in legalizing same-sex marriage and calling a bill that would grant civil partnerships “insufficient.”
Nearly 1000 people demonstrated in central Dublin blasting the government for refusing to give gay people equal rights.In January the government announced legislation to allow same-sex couples to form civil partnerships and said that it would be presented to Irish lawmakers in April, but so far the bill has not been filed.
The legislation would allow lesbian and gay couples to register with the State and be recognized in areas such as pensions, inheritances and taxes. But they would not be allowed to become joint parents and would also be denied dozens of other benefits and responsibilities of marriage. The bill also would specify that civil partnerships are not marriages as defined by the Irish Constitution.
The demonstration was organized by Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Noise which called the proposed bill “a half measure.”
“We don’t want crumbs from the master’s table, we want the whole cake. We want the wedding cake,” said LGBT Noise spokesperson Eloise McInerney.
Rory O’Neill, another Irish gay leader, also blasted the government plan.
“Either our relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships or they are not,” he told demonstrators. “Our State asks of us all the responsibilities of citizenship. In return I expect the commensurate rights,” he said to applause and cheers.
The government has dismissed calls from LGBT groups to equalize marriage, saying it was prevented from doing so by the Constitution. A clause in the constitution says the government must protect the institution of marriage, but it does not define who makes up a married couple.
Recent public opinion polls show that 84 percent are in favor of some recognition of same-sex couples with 53 percent saying they would allow gay couples to marry.
Thanks for the support folks – here’s a few pics to give an idea of how things went on the day!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/1095816@N23/?added=1
A chara to my overseas cousins in Eire, from a Sinn Fein supporter who lives in New York!
We, too, face hurdles in our local State Senate. All I can say is keep fighting for full equality.
Civil unions are second-class – the principle of separate but equal needs to be put out in the trash bin of history and carted away.
The race for marriage equality is on! Who will be first: New York or Ireland?
I hope it’s a tie!
The UK civil partnerships are pretty much gay marriage without the name and in the UK now in there laws there is virtually NO discrimination against gay couples, the Ireland civil partnership bill is not even close to the UK civil partnerships, In fact the state of Califorina with domestic partnerships which a gay couple can enter into actually offers more benefits and rights than the proposed irish civil partnerships bill.
Awesome,,
I love my Irish cousins, and wish them the best because they deserve it. Marriage equality and gay rights are an international movement and as long as we (cheesy cliché) think globally and act locally we’ll continue to advance. Setbacks are horrible, but we can’t let fear run our movement.
The Catholic Church intruded upon the Constitution and wrote in their dogma. The government can revise this and has done so before.
The constitution is not the problem — hidebound old sots are the problem. When 84% of the people favor official recognition of gay relationships and 53% say it should be marriage, that crowd in the Dåil should listen.
The UK did civil partnerships.
Let’s show the UK that the Irish are committed to equality for all and open up marriage for all couples.
I am not so sure the constitution is the problem. However, if it is, then why not have a referendum and allow the people to vote on amending it in favor of allowing same sex couples to vote.
Irish people are fair and would not let their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters down. At least 50% of them would not. This is Ireland, not California.