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

Contents:

• IRELAND TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON GAY MARRIAGE
• 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
• IRELAND SAME-SEX REFERENDUM SET TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM
• IRELAND'S GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM – THE GUARDIAN BRIEFG
• VATIN SAYS IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE VOTE IS 'FEAT FOR HUMANY'

IRELAND TO HOLD REFERENDUM ON GAY MARRIAGE

Denmark led the way on civil partnerships, troducg them for same-sex upl 1989, but gay marriage only beme legal there June the turn of this year Luxembourg beme the latt untry to legalise same-sex marriage. Alan Shatter, the jtice mister, brought a memo to bet on civil marriage for same-sex upl, while Michael Noonan, the fance mister, said he had no personal objectn to legalisg gay marriage. The church hierarchy's temporal power Ireland has been dramatilly diluted durg the past owg to a seri of paedophile prit of Ireland's pro-lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr group, Changg Attu Ireland, weled the referendum and challenged the church not to oppose Richard O'Leary, the chairman of CAI, said: "The ernment's tentn to hold a referendum to extend civil marriage to same-sex upl will facilate discsn and challenge the ignorance, pecially the church, of the posive experienc of same-sex relatnships.

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. ”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.

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.

IRELAND BE FIRST UNTRY TO LEGALISE GAY MARRIAGE BY POPULAR VOTE

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.

HUGE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND VOTE FOR GAY MARRIAGE

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.

IRELAND VOT TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE, PUTTG COUNTRY VANGUARD

'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. 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.

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. ”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. 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.

“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.

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

“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. The number of Y vot is 964, 616, wh 599, 505 for McDonaldAs the cliche go, succs has many fathers and the ntext of the Y victory the Irish gay marriage vote there will be many policians who will want to claim the cred.

But whether Labour gas om today’s stunng pro-gay marriage victory pecially greater Dubl is open to O'CarrollThe archbishop of Dubl, Diarmuid Mart, has scribed the almost certa Y fal rult as a wake-up ll for the Catholic church.

IRELAND SAME-SEX REFERENDUM SET TO APPROVE GAY MARRIAGE

Latvia swore the first openly gay print of a Baltic natn Rkēvičs, who sce 2011 was the untry’s foreign mister, was elected by Parliament May after Print Egils Levs did not seek re-electn. She is thought to be the first openly gay prime mister the was an active unnist her nearly 10 years workg as a flight attendant, acrdg to the Council of Women World Lears, a work of female heads of state.

”Xavier Bettel Prime Mister of Luxembourg (2013-prent)Luxembourg Prime Mister Xavier Bettel at a news nference Belgra, Serbia, on July Vojovic / APBettel was first elected prime mister of Luxembourg 2013, and 2018 he beme the first openly gay prime mister the world to be re-elected for a send marriage beme legal Luxembourg 2015, and the same year Bettel beme the first servg European Unn lear to marry a same-sex partner, the BBC recently cricized a Hungarian law that bans school tnal materials and TV shows for people unr 18 that are emed to promote LGBTQ ntent, Rters reported. “Hopefully this will blow over three or four days, and then I won’t be known as the gay mister, ” she told The Associated Prs at the Varadkar Prime Mister of Ireland (2017-20, 2022-prent)Irish Prime Mister Leo Varadkar Bssels on June 30.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

A fal rult is expected late afternoon on the change is approved, the Republic of Ireland would bee the first untry to legalise same-sex marriage through a popular source, EPAImage ptn, The fal rult is expected later on Saturday afternoonImage source, Getty ImagImage ptn, A uple watch the untg of the same-sex marriage referendum votMister for Health Leo Varadkar, who earlier this year me out as the Republic of Ireland's first openly gay mister, said the mpaign had been "almost like a social revolutn". A group of mps led by Ben Bradshaw, a gay Anglin, is lookg at ways to amend the legislatn to allow willg prits and parish to take part, which they argue uld also help boost dwdlg numbers the aisl.

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.

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.

IRISH VOTERS MAKE HISTORY GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM

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. 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 . 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. 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.

IRELAND'S GAY MARRIAGE REFERENDUM – THE GUARDIAN BRIEFG

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’. ”Mullally’s rrponnt end the letter wh further personalised, racially tged abe directed at her and her partner: “My advice is to accept that you are both homosexual and not very pretty, as there are far worse fat; you might be black for stance.

”Meanwhile, Colm O’Gorman, the executive director of Amnty Internatnal Ireland, proment y mpaigner and survivor of cleril child sex abe, disclosed on Thursday that a no voter tweeted him a picture of a gay man beg thrown to his ath off a buildg by Islamic State extremists. I had grown up there the 1980s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, I remember who said what about gay people my own small muny, who had empathy and who jt had judgment, and there was much much more of the latter, I rell.

VATIN SAYS IRELAND GAY MARRIAGE VOTE IS 'FEAT FOR HUMANY'

However, people the y mpaign anticipate a closer rult, part bee support for same-sex marriage is signifintly higher among younger people than olr people, who are more likely to be registered to 2010, gay upl Ireland have been able to register as civil partners, givg them many of the same protectns and benefs as married upl. However, when the legislatn was passed, gay rights group Marriage Equaly published a report tailg 160 statutory differenc between the entlements of upl civil partnerships pared wh married upl, rangg om taxatn benefs, to immigratn rights, to bg assets when applyg for hog loans. Gay marriage is currently illegal all Asian, Middle Eastern and Ain untri (barrg South Ai); liberal wtern mocraci notable for not havg passed equal marriage legislatn clu Germany, Italy, Atralia and the US, where gay marriage is nsired a state issue and is still prohibed 13 of the untry’s 50 marriage graphicCountri that have ma same-sex marriage legal have done so by passg legislatn extendg marriage to same-sex upl, such as the Marriage (Same Sex Coupl) Act 2013 England and Wal and siar legislatn passed Stland 2014.

Supporters of a y vote Ireland claim that troducg same-sex marriage through a referendum, rather than jt by troducg legislatn, will mean greater secury for gay upl, who will be nstutnally and not jt legally regnised. And they say that bee fai based marriage enjoy an “elevated and protected stat” the nstutn, this protectn should extend to gay upl who wish to Irish referendum will no doubt be watched wh tert the US, where the Supreme Court is currently hearg arguments about whether gay marriage is a nstutnal right for Amerins, regardls of the state which they live.