Ireland gay marriage referendum: 'Y' mpaign poised for victory

Contents:

• IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE
• HUGE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND VOTE FOR GAY MARRIAGE
• IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM: 'Y' MPAIGN POISED FOR VICTORY
• AMNTY LNCH Y MPAIGN FOR GAY MARRIAGE VOTE
• IRELAND SAME-SEX REFERENDUM SET TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE
• HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM
• ON GAY MARRIAGE, IRELAND GO THOLIC
• IRELAND VOT TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC REFERENDUM

IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

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. After all, Ireland, a tradnally nservative Catholic untry, only crimalized homosexualy 1993.

HUGE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND VOTE FOR GAY MARRIAGE

Mister for Health Leo Varadkar publicly revealed he was gay for the first time durg the mpaign and lled the w a “historil day. Ireland has voted by a huge majory to legalise same-sex marriage, beg the first untry the world to do so by popular vote a move hailed as a social revolutn and weled around the 62% of the Irish Republic’s electorate voted favour of gay marriage.

The huge Y vote marks another tone Ireland’s journey towards a more liberal, secular of an electorate of more than 3 ln, 1, 201, 607 backed gay marriage, while 734, 300 voters said No. The rult prompted a massive street party around the gay district of central Dubl close to the natnal unt centre.

Directly addrsg Ireland’s gay muny, taoiseach Enda Kenny said the rult meant that “a majory of people this republic have stood up for them [those the gay muny]”.

IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM: 'Y' MPAIGN POISED FOR VICTORY

We are a genero, passnate, bold and joyful people who say y to cln, y to generosy, y to love, y to gay marriage.

”Health mister Leo Varadkar, who this year me out as the untry’s first openly gay mister, said the mpaign had been “almost like a social revolutn” social transformatn of the untry was on display the grounds of Dubl Castle, former seat of Brish le Ireland and the se of the natnal unt for a referendum that was unthkable jt two s ago – was only 1993 that homosexualy was crimalised. The rabow lours of the ternatnal gay movement l up the 18th-century bbled urtyard amid glor sunshe on Saturday afternoon as up to 2, 000 gay activists celebrated a roundg Fe Gael-Labour aln had asked voters to amend their 78-year-old nstutn.

AMNTY LNCH Y MPAIGN FOR GAY MARRIAGE VOTE

The overall turnout of 61% was higher than the poll to ratify the 1998 Good Friday agreement, when 56% of the electorate me out to pro-reform vote was also energised by an 11th-hour movement lled #hometovote, which ed social media to enurage young Irish expatriat to get back to Ireland time to first nstuency that clared favour of a Y vote was the ral Sligo/North Lerim, which backed gay marriage by 54% to 46%.

IRELAND SAME-SEX REFERENDUM SET TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE

Photograph: Clodagh Kilyne/Getty Imag Photograph: Clodagh Kilyne/Getty ImagAs the first nfirmed rult was announced, veteran Irish gay rights mpaigner Senator David Norris arrived at Dubl Castle, where he was mobbed as a hero by a younger generatn of gay activists.

The world expert on Jam Joyce had pursued urt s all the way to the European urt of human rights, forcg a prev Irish ernment to crimalise homosexualy cheers and applse om the crowd gathered the urtyard, and wh tears his ey, Norris said the rult would spire others across the pla. There are untri throughout Ai and Asia which is terribly dangero to be gay, ” Norris said.

“It’s clear that, if the referendum is an affirmatn of the views of young people, the church has a huge task ont of , ” Mart pro-gay marriage vote ptured headl around the world, wh celebri praisg the oute.

HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

”Back the sunshe at Dubl Castle, the crowds gave a rock-star wele to another proment Irish gay spokman, the drag queen and human rights activist Panti Bliss, also known as Rory O’ Bliss aka Rory O’Neill leads the celebratns. ”But while the thoands the Castle leapt for joy, wept and waved rabow flags triumph when the overall natnal vote was announced, there was a remr om the gay muny Northern Ireland that the stggle for equaly is far om over even on the Boyd, of the gay rights group the Rabow Project Belfast, remd the world that there was still a ban on gay marriage north of the borr.

More than 62% voted favour of amendg the untry's nstutn to allow gay and lbian upl to marry.

The referendum was held 22 years after homosexual acts were crimalised the Republic of Ireland. However, married gay people will now have a nstutnal standg that n only be removed by another popular total, 1, 201, 607 people voted favour of same-sex marriage, while 734, 300 voted agast.

IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM

'Cultural divi' Many people returned to the Republic of Ireland om abroad to st their ptn, "Today Ireland ma history", say Irish PM Enda Kenny after the vote to legalise same-sex marriageMister for Health Leo Varadkar, who earlier this year me out as the Republic of Ireland's first openly gay mister, said the vote showed that the "tradnal cultural divi" between ral and urban areas had vanished. 'Social revolutn'"I appreciate how gay and lbian men and women feel on this day, that they feel this is somethg that is enrichg the way they live.

ON GAY MARRIAGE, IRELAND GO THOLIC

"In 2010, the Irish ernment enacted civil partnership legislatn, which provid legal regnn for gay upl. Ireland appeared set to bee the first untry the world to legalize gay marriage by a popular vote Saturday after both sis clared a roundg victory for 'Y' mpaigners. NBC's Bill Neely 23, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC / Updated May 23, 2015, 2:18 PM UTC / Source: TODAYBy TODAYIreland appeared set to bee the first untry the world to legalize gay marriage by a popular vote Saturday after both sis clared a roundg victory for 'Y' mpaigners.

Amnty Internatnal has lnched s mpaign for a Y vote the referendum on marriage referendum on whether to allow marriage between gay upl tak place on Friday, May ernment mister Pat Carey scribed the referendum as unique Ireland, bee " is an exercise civic engagement which has not been tried before" Carey, who recently me out as gay, said the Constutnal Conventn had remend a referendum on marriage equaly. “LGBT [Lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr] people should be ee to love, and have the right to m to the person they love and to celebrate that love, ” he said.

IRELAND VOT TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC REFERENDUM

”Eight weeks leftGráne Healy of the Y Equaly mpaign group said there were eight weeks to the referendum and “until the people of Ireland will ci if we want to make history votg Y and sharg their eedom to marry wh lbian and gay people” said: “We ask to share the eedom to marry bee we value marriage and know s signifince. Homosexualy and abortn were crimal offens. The Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform was found the 1970s, but s early activi took place agast an often hostile social and polil background.

Homophobic attacks were relatively rare, but the murrs of Declan Flynn and Charl Self the 1980s were attributed to homophobic vlence. In 1988, David Norris—then a member of the Seanad, the upper hoe of parliament—won a se before the European Court of Human Rights which led to the crimalizatn of homosexualy 1993. Ireland was one of the last stat Wtern Europe to crimalize homosexualy.

In 1981, 62 percent of the populatn was strongly opposed to homosexualy, but this had dropped to 38 percent by 2000. Ultimately, the bill to crimalize homosexualy was not opposed by any of the ma parti when proceed through parliament. The Gay and Lbian Equaly Network had been advotg for equal rights om the 1980s, and embarked on a profsnal and well-fund mpaign promotg full marriage rights which would heavily fluence the cisn to hold a referendum.