LGBT

Ireland becomes first country to grant same-sex marriage by popular vote

by Craig Takeuchi on May 25th, 2015 at 10:00 AM
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      Although preliminary polls indicated that a "yes" vote would win the referendum, it still remained a surprise to many observers around the world that Ireland broke its image of being traditional, conservative, and Catholic by voting in favour of same-sex marriage.

      In fact, homosexuality was not decriminalized in the country until 1993.

      The Republic of Ireland has become the first country in the world to grant same-sex marriage by popular vote. Approximately 62 percent voted "yes" on May 22, and the results were announced on May 23.

      Out of 43 constituencies, only one—Roscommon-South Leitrim—had a majority of "no" votes.

      England, Scotland, and Wales legalized same-sex marriage in 2014.

      Same-sex marriage is also legal throughout much of Europe: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. 

      The yes vote, which arrived after four decades of struggle for LGBT rights, has prompted calls for Northern Ireland to address same-sex marriage, as it now stands alone as the last region in the United Kingdom where it is not legal.

      Several celebrities congratulated the "yes" vote and expressed their pride (in the name of love) online.

      https://instagram.com/p/3DrYABgFxL
      https://instagram.com/p/3BhbGZR2XJ

      Comments

      1 Comments

      Nice but...

      May 26, 2015 at 2:35pm

      Human rights should not be put to a vote. There are far too many people in Canada who have no problem violating the Charter Rights of "the other" and would vote to do so.