Ireland: Marriage equality and the upcoming election

By Contributing Writer on Thursday, February 3, 2011 - 21:20

[Editor’s Note: This article was written by the team of ‘Gaelick’, an award-winning Irish website for LGBT news.]

Well it’s that time again. You can’t go down a street anywhere without being met by poster after poster of some overpaid prat who suddenly cares what you think. Me! Jaded and bitter! Never! Usually when the candidates call at my front door I don’t even bother answering. I know that is terrible but to be honest I find that most of them reek with insincerity and are about as charismatic as a tired donkey on a rainy beach.

Now however, I have a few choice questions ready for any who dare stand at my door. Questions like ‘Do you give a crap that I am a second class citizen who now pays for the government’s financial mistakes?’ or ‘Why did you try to palm us off with partnership, did you really think we’d just take it and go away?’

Yesterday, Marriage Equality launched their ‘To Do’ List [PDF], which calls on supporters to ask candidates about their views on equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ireland. Moninne Griffith, the director of the group, has said:

The decisions we make on February 25th will shape this country for the next decade. We cannot afford to let the issue of equality for all the people of Ireland – including same sex couples, our families and our children – be forgotten as we work towards a new and better Ireland.

According to the website the canvassing tool encourages people to follow three simple steps: asking candidates if they are in favour of equality and marriage rights, following up with an email to each candidate, and feeding responses back to Marriage Equality. The organisation is asking supporters to make it clear to potential TDs that in addition to economic issues, they will favour candidates who will make equality for gay and lesbian couples a reality.

Ms Griffith went on to say:

We’re encouraging our supporters to find out what each candidate says about their, or their party’s, plans for equal marriage rights for same sex couples and to feed that information back to us. After the General Election, we want to make sure that marriage equality stays on the political agenda.

The important thing here is to encourage as many people as possible to engage their candidates on this issue so they know it has not gone away. Marriage Equality are encouraging people to put this issue up as their Facebook picture and also on Twitter or any other media site you may be on. Let’s show the candidates that we are still looking for full equality.