Congratulations to Ireland, which has become the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote! It will join twenty other countries that have legalized it across the nation. I say “across the nation,” because it’s only legal in some areas in both Mexico and the United States. Anyway, Ireland’s legalization is an important milestone in the fight for global marriage equality and for LGBTQ rights, because of the fact that the people voted for it, rather than it occurring as the result of a legal battle.
But, not everyone’s excited about this news. For example, the Vatican’s secretary of state referred to the referendum’s passing as a “defeat for humanity.” And, of course, the lovely people from Topeka, KS’s famous hate group, the Westboro Baptist Church, had lots of choice things to say. The usual “God hates fags” was changed to “God hates Ireland” printed across posters colored to look like the Irish flag. Except instead of green, white and orange, they made it orange, white and green. Which is the flag of the Ivory Coast. Idiots.
Crazy bigots aside, naturally, and thankfully, this victory puts pressure on other countries to do the same. There’s been a particularly large response in Australia, where public support is overwhelming, yet same-sex marriage is still illegal. Bono has spoken out in support. There’s been lots of celebrating in Ireland and across the world via social media. And, best of all, the countless loving partnerships that have heretofore not existed in the eyes of the Irish government are now recognized and considered equal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-X3dhHrmE
What do you think about the referendum’s passing? Comment below!
