Referendum result gives yes
vote 62% and no 38% as equality minister declares he is proud to be Irish.
Ireland has voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex
marriage, becoming the first country in the world to do so by popular vote in a
move hailed as a social revolution and welcomed around the world.
Some 62% of the Irish Republic’s
electorate voted in favour of gay marriage. The result means that a republic
once dominated by the Catholic church ignored the instructions of its cardinals
and bishops. The huge Yes vote marks another milestone in Ireland’s journey
towards a more liberal, secular society.
Out of an electorate of more than 3
million, 1,201,607 backed gay marriage, while 734,300 voters said No. The
result prompted a massive street party around the gay district of central
Dublin close to the national count centre.
Directly addressing Ireland’s gay
community, taoiseach Enda Kenny said the result meant that “a majority of
people in this republic have stood up for them [those in the gay community]”.
He said: “In the privacy of the ballot box, the people made a public statement.
With today’s vote we have disclosed who we are. We are a generous,
compassionate, bold and joyful people who say yes to inclusion, yes to
generosity, yes to love, yes to gay marriage.”
Irish deputy prime minister and Labour
leader Joan Burton added: “The people of Ireland have struck a massive blow
against discrimination.”
And quoting the late American politician
and LGBT rights activist Harvey Milk, she said: “Hope will never be
silent.”
All but one of the republic’s 43 parliamentary
constituencies voted Yes to same-sex marriage. And fears of an urban-rural,
Yes/No split were not realised either. Constituencies such as Donegal South
West, which in the past voted against divorce and abortion reform, backed the
Yes side. Theminister for equality, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, said on Twitter: “A
landslide across Dublin. And I’m so proud to be Irish today.”
Health minister Leo Varadkar, who this
year came out as the country’s first openly gay minister, said the campaign had
been “almost like a social revolution”.
The social transformation of the country
was on display in the grounds of Dublin Castle, former seat of British rule in
Ireland and the site of the national count for a referendum that was
unthinkable just two decades ago – it was only in 1993 that homosexuality was
decriminalised. The rainbow colours of the international gay movement lit up
the 18th-century cobbled courtyard amid glorious sunshine on Saturday afternoon
as up to 2,000 gay activists celebrated a resounding victory.
The Fine Gael-Labour coalition had asked voters to
amend their 78-year-old constitution, which originally defined marriage as only
between a man and a woman. Voters were offered the chance to amend the
constitution to read: “Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two
persons without distinction as to their sex.”
A high turnout, particularly among
younger voters, boosted the Yes side. The overall turnout of 61% was higher
than the poll to ratify the 1998 Good Friday agreement, when 56% of the
electorate came out to vote.
The pro-reform vote was also energised
by an 11th-hour movement called #hometovote, which used social media to
encourage young Irish expatriates to get back to Ireland in time to vote.
The first constituency that declared in
favour of a Yes vote was the rural Sligo/North Leitrim, which backed gay
marriage by 54% to 46%. In many Dublin constituencies, the Yes vote was 70% or
more, according to the tallies at the main count in the city’s RDS stadium.
As the first confirmed result was announced, veteran
Irish gay rights campaigner Senator David Norris arrived at Dublin Castle,
where he was mobbed as a hero by a younger generation of gay activists. The
world expert on James Joyce had pursued court cases all the way to the European
court of human rights, forcing a previous Irish government to decriminalise
homosexuality in 1993.
To cheers and applause from the crowd gathered in the
courtyard, and with tears in his eyes, Norris said the result would inspire
others across the planet. “The battle is not over. There are countries
throughout Africa and Asia in which it is terribly dangerous to be gay,” Norris
said. “It’s wonderful. It’s a little bit late for me … I’ve spent so much time
pushing the boat out that I forgot to jump on, and now it’s out beyond the
harbour on the high seas. But it’s very nice to look at.”
Recognising the scale of the church’s
defeat in what was once one of the Vatican’s most loyal nations, Diarmuid
Martin, archbishop of Dublin, described the groundswell of support for same-sex
couples as a social revolution that did not happen on the last day.
“It’s a social revolution that’s been going on –
perhaps in the church people have not been as clear in understanding what that
involved,” he said. “It’s clear that, if the referendum is an affirmation of
the views of young people, the church has a huge task in front of it,” Martin
added.
The pro-gay marriage vote captured
headlines around the world, with celebrities praising the outcome. Harry Potter
author JK Rowling was among those watching the count. “Sitting here watching
the Irish make history. Extraordinary and wonderful,” she tweeted. British
rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “The Irish people have voted for love
and equality. Oscar Wilde would be so proud.”
Back in the sunshine at Dublin Castle,
the crowds gave a rock-star welcome to another prominent Irish gay spokesman,
the drag queen and human rights activist Panti Bliss, also known as Rory
O’Neill.
In high heels, blonde wig and tight dress, Bliss said:
“I am drunk on Yes … It’s not that Ireland has changed today, but that Ireland
has confirmed the change that we already knew had happened.”
But while the thousands in the Castle
leapt for joy, wept and waved rainbow flags in triumph when the overall
national vote was announced, there was a reminder from the gay community in
Northern Ireland that the struggle for equality is far from over even on the
island.
Gavin Boyd, of the gay rights group the
Rainbow Project in Belfast, reminded the world that there was still a ban on
gay marriage north of the border.
“To the people of Ireland, we offer our
thanks. You have done what no other country in the world has done. You have
chosen, as a nation, to extend marriage rights to your LGBT family, friends and
neighbours and this will go down in history as another example of the decency
and fairness of the Irish people.
“However, for us, this sweet victory is
tinged with sadness. Northern Ireland is now the only region in western Europe where marriage equality is not a reality. This is a
shameful injustice which cannot be allowed to continue,” Boyd said.
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