Gay Marriage: Ireland Will Hold a Historic Vote on Friday | Time

Contents:

• IRELAND VOT TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE, PUTTG COUNTRY VANGUARD
• HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM
• GAY ACTIVISTS HAIL VOTE, 3 DES AFTER A FATAL ‘QUEER BASHG’ HATE CRIME
• IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE
• WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT IRELAND'S HISTORIC REFERENDUM ON GAY MARRIAGE

IRELAND VOT TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE, PUTTG COUNTRY VANGUARD

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA uple at Dubl Castle on McQuillan/Getty ImagSli 1 of 10 A uple at Dubl Castle on McQuillan/Getty ImagMay 23, 2015DUBLIN — Ireland beme the first natn to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote, sweepg asi the opposn of the Roman Catholic Church a roundg victory Saturday for the gay rights movement and placg the untry at the vanguard of social the fal ballots unted, the vote was 62 percent favor of legalizg same-sex marriage, and 38 percent opposed.

Ireland crimalized homosexualy only 1993, the church domat the tn system, and abortn remas illegal except when a mother’s life is at risk. At the same time, homosexualy is illegal across much of the Middle East and gay rights are unr renewed attack Rsia and parts of rults showed wi and ep support for a measure that had domated public disurse and dner-table nversatn the months before the vote on Friday.

Supporters celebrated gathergs and on the streets, wh the rabow lors of the gay rights movement and Y vote buttons nspicuoly on display. ”ViotranscripttranscriptIreland Legaliz Gay MarriageIreland has bee the first natn to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote, sweepg asi opposn om the Roman Catholic Church a roundg victory for the gay rights movement.

HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

NaIreland has bee the first natn to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote, sweepg asi opposn om the Roman Catholic Church a roundg victory for the gay rights olr activists, the moment marked a profound evolutn for their untry. For the world, suggted how far the gay rights movement has e, to make such a signifint step a untry wh a storied history as a relig stronghold.

IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM

“Throughout my youth, adolcence and young adulthood, was a crimal offense to be gay, ” said David Norris, a 70-year-old Irish senator and longtime said he had faced “total isolatn” as a young man. Though that is a formaly, the date when gay and lbian upl n marry will be termed that was support for the measure across the polil spectm, cludg om Prime Mister Kenny, of the center-right Fe Gael party, and his Labour aln partner, which had phed for the referendum. ”Gay rights activists around the world had said a victory would be an important tone.

One opposn mercial said, “You should be able to have rervatns about gay marriage whout beg lled a homophobe, ” while a mercial supportg same-sex marriage featured young people enuragg their parents to vote. Ireland’s paradigm shift om a quasi theocracy to a lear on gay rights was the rult of a staed mpaign by gay activists.

“Commentators jt don’t seem to have grasped that this has been the culmatn of a 10-year mpaign to change attus this untry, ” said Colm O’Gorman, chief executive of Amnty Internatnal (Ireland) and a leadg gay rights mpaigner.

GAY ACTIVISTS HAIL VOTE, 3 DES AFTER A FATAL ‘QUEER BASHG’ HATE CRIME

“The personal stori of people’s own ttimoni, as to their difficulti growg up beg gay certaly stck a chord wh people, ” said Jim Walsh, an Irish senator who opposed the marriage referendum, durg a televisn terview. He said he had been too aaid to e out as gay until his mid-20s. ”A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 1 of the New York edn wh the headle: Irish Legalize Gay Marriage by Big Marg.

Mr Varadkar revealed publilly durg the referendum mpaign that he was gay. “I would like to have seen that the rights of gay and lbian men and women uld have been rpected whout changg the fn of marriage. Senator Filma Healy Eam, who also mpaigned for a No vote, said the referendum “for me was never anti-gay”.

She said she had swched her vote om Y to No simply bee of her ncerns around nstutnal change and s effect on a child’s No advocy group Mothers and Fathers Matter exprsed “warm ngratulatns” to the Y si but said that one three Irish people - the vote rat - were not reprented by the polil mpaigner and Fianna Fáil Senator Averil Power said gay mpaigners who told their stori on the doorsteps of voters had “helped to change Ireland for all of ”, not jt the gay said she had seen many of them rced to tears by the experience they had durg the mpaign. Senator David Norris, who fought om the 1970s to 1993 to have homosexualy crimalised, weled the rult. “I believe that by the end of today gay people will be equal this untry.

IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

Homosexualy was crimalized Ireland 1993, after gay rights activist and polician Dan Norris brought the se to the European Court of Human Rights. The mpaign was led by the people, and ’s been so spirg to see how proactive everyone has been, Joe Carl, a gay man om Northern Ireland who has been watchg the mpaign closely, told ABC News.

Polls have opened Ireland, where voters are makg history as the republic be the first untry to ask s electorate to legalise gay than 3 ln voters have been ved to st ballots Ireland’s 43 nstuenci, wh the rult to follow on Saturday. Pollg statns opened at 7am BST and close at votg follows a hard-fought and ocsnally ranro battle between nservative and liberal some 20 other untri worldwi have already legalised gay marriage, Ireland would be the first to do so through a referendum. The move would mark the culmatn of an improbable journey a untry which homosexual acts were still illegal as recently as turnout is said to be higher than prev referendums the republic, wh some urban areas, particularly the key greater Dubl battleground, reportg that 20% of the electorate had st their vote before lunchtime.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT IRELAND'S HISTORIC REFERENDUM ON GAY MARRIAGE

Senator Norris is the gay rights veteran whose legal battle rulted the Irish ernment crimalisg homosexualy Og Cack, one of Ireland’s most famo openly gay sportsmen, spoke of his nerv on the eve of the referendum. An alliance of evangelil Catholics and Prottants have distributed more than 90, 000 anti-gay marriage pamphlets over the past week across Ireland urgg a no Monaghan, one of the ordators of the alliance of 100 relig activists, issued a warng on the eve of the referendum. Focg on fears stirred up by the no mp about children allegedly beg forcibly adopted by gay upl, Bishop Storey said: “You nnot refe marriage whout cludg rmatn and reference to children, fay and the good of society.

”Until this week the y-no battle was loured by accatns that opponents of gay marriage were misleadg the public over claims about forced adoptns or same-sex upl havg a supposed right to obta children through surrogacy. The y mp has poted out that the missner overseeg the mpaign has dismissed the claims and emphasised they were not nnected to gay the past few days, the mpaign has turned much uglier, wh y advot revealg the amount of vrlic abe they have received. ”Referrg to Mullally gog public about her illns, her sexualy and her support for the y si, the letter-wrer ntued: “After all you have been relentlsly phg the twisted ia of gay marriage which would stroy the fay as we know and the liv of generatns of nocent children victimised by the narcissism of their ‘parents’.