A Righteous Anger
LGBT Noise have grown from strength to strength ever since they established themselves to fight for equality in Ireland. Their most recent protest on Sunday, 09 August 2009, saw more than five thousand people out on the streets of Dublin to show their “righteous anger” – as coined by popular Irish drag queen Panti – at the Irish government.
The Irish ‘Civil Partnership Bill 2009’ was introduced by the Dáil (i.e. Ireland’s lower house of parliament) earlier this year, proposing to give equal rights to same-sex couples in all areas except in the area of adoption and parental rights. This majorly significant exception has enraged a vast number of the gay & lesbian community in Ireland, and many of these were out to show their faces at Sunday’s protest.
But not everyone in the gay community is angered. Some feel that the new Bill is enough, for now. Some feel that it is merely a stepping stone to full equality in the Republic, despite Dermot Ahern (Minister for Justice) stating that this is not and cannot be the case, because of the Irish Constitution.
Despite a certain split in amongst the gay community over this issue, it is an inspiration to see so many people of a minority group taking to the streets to demand equal treatment and equal rights. Such a number of protesters have not been seen from a minority group in Ireland for quite some time, and it is good to see that not all the Irish have become complacent in their post-Celtic Tiger ways. Ireland, despite having developed socially in recent years, is still full of inequalities. Gay people in the Republic of Ireland cannot marry, yet their British, French, Spanish and Nordic neighbours can. Why?
The politicians blame Bunreacht na hÉireann – the Constitution of Ireland. Written in Catholic 1920’s/1930’s Ireland, the Bunreacht apparently does not allow for full same-sex marriage, as it goes against the Catholic make-up of the text. This is highly open for debate, as Senator David Norris has stated on many occasions. According to Norris – and many others – this is merely an excuse from those who are afraid to rock the social boat. What’s ironic is that according to LGBT Noise, the majority of the Irish population are supportive of full gay marriage.
With all of this in mind, one watches and waits to see what the Government of Ireland shall do with their inadequate, unfair and unwanted Bill. It is likely, however, that the Bill will come into Irish law around October of this year.
Filed under: Ireland, LGBT, Politics | 1 Comment
Tags: gay, Ireland
IrishBlogs.ie
it is an inspiration to see so many people of a minority group taking to the streets to demand equal treatment and equal rights.
I think that the most remarkable thing here is that many of people who marched on Sunday were gay-friendly straights. The issue is being discussed outside the minority group, and it’s really good to know that it bothers some people who are not gay as well as us.