7 openly gay lears have served as heads of state. Latvian print Edgars Rkēvičs is the latt

Contents:

• IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE
• HUGE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND VOTE FOR GAY MARRIAGE
• IRELAND VOT TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE, PUTTG COUNTRY VANGUARD
• LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE
• HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRELAND VOT TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC REFERENDUM
• WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT IRELAND'S HISTORIC REFERENDUM ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRELAND LEGALIZ GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC VOTE
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM: THOANDS FLY 'HOME TO VOTE'
• IRELAND ON URSE TO BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

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. 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. 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]”.

HUGE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND VOTE FOR 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.

IRELAND VOT TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE, PUTTG COUNTRY VANGUARD

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%. 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.

“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. ”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.

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. '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.

LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE

'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. 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.

HISTORIC VOTE IRELAND ON GAY MARRIAGE

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.

IRELAND VOT TO LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC REFERENDUM

”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.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT IRELAND'S HISTORIC REFERENDUM 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.

IRELAND LEGALIZ GAY MARRIAGE HISTORIC VOTE

“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.

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. “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.

“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.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

The poll may be about rights, but is also evably a tt to ci if Irish people regnise and accept homosexualy and that two men, or two women, n love each other wh the same tensy and passn as a heterosexual uple and whether the state should bls their love.

At a eper level, the referendum is about whether Irish people n accept that gay and lbian upl have sex which is as pleasurable and fulfillg as is for heterosexual upl and that, when homosexual upl have children, those children are not harmed by havg two parents of the same genr.

IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM: THOANDS FLY 'HOME TO VOTE'

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. 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.

IRELAND ON URSE TO BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

Openly gay members of the Dáil and Seanad had been elected at several electns by 2015; most proment among them is Leo Varadkar, who me out as a gay man 2015 while a ernment mister and was subsequently elected prime mister 2017. In 2018, Ireland ma to the top five statns for gay honeymoons, and is also nsired to be one of the saft statns for holidays for LGBT tourists. A long-nng urt se Northern Ireland, which is part of the Uned Kgdom, volved a dispute about whether a bakery engaged discrimatn when refed to bake a ke wh a pro-gay marriage msage on .