Gay rights ireland
Here's a fleeting history of the battle for LGBT rights in Ireland
TODAY MARKS THE 25th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the Republic of Ireland.
Earlier this week, the government apologised to men who were convicted of engaging in consensual gay activity prior to the decriminalisation in 1993.
While the decriminalisation came 25 years ago, the battle to end the inequality of LGBT people in Ireland dates back extended before that.
So, where did it all begin? Here are some of the main events throughout the years.
1861 – Offences Against the Persons Act
For most of Ireland’s history, its laws against homosexuality dated back to the Victorian era and were felt for more than 140 years.
The Offences Against the Persons Operate, 1861 made “buggery” an offence punishable by penal servitude.
Under the section “Unnatural Offences”, the Operate read: “Whosoever shall be convicted of the abominable crime of buggery, devoted either with mankind or with any animal shall be liable … to be kept in penal servitude for life.”
1970s – The beginning of a social movement
One of the first notable actions against the crima
Irish referendum on same marriage rights appears to have passed
@lobster said:
^^^ indeed. It really is about legal rights not Church dogma. It illustrates how far homophobic countries like Ireland can travel. Still more to do. Brothers and sisters in other countries existence relegated to secondary or illegal status.GAY is an acronym 'Good As You'. That really is the status of equality ...
That's the whole point. I don't think anyone is trying to secularize church dogma. We're just trying to keep church dogma off the law books and in the churches where it belongs, where it can be hailed or prayed to and bigotted right left and center in the privacy of their puny small hearts.
I have an . . . acquaintance (barely) who is a Biblical literalist Christian who only talks to me, I believe, because I both fascinate and disgust him (it works!). He claims that the move to 'tolerance' is an attempt to coerce people like him to THINK it's OK to be gay married. I didn't really realize that for the longest time. What does anyone concern what you Consider in the privacy of your minute pinhead?
But after some thinking about this, it hit me -- it's projection.
His POV is all about t
Ireland becomes first country to legalise gay marriage by popular vote
Ireland has voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming the first territory in the world to do so by accepted vote in a shift 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 outcome means that a republic once dominated by the Catholic church ignored the instructions of its cardinals and bishops. The giant 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 monumental street party around the gay district of primary 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 own disclosed who we are. We are a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people who say yes t
What has changed 10 years after Ireland's marriage referendum?
BBC News NI
Civil partnership was a 'stepping stone'
Steven Smyrl and Roy Stanley have been together for more than 20 years, and they entered a civil partnership in 2011.
Steven said the couple recognised that step "would bring full equality, and it did".
"It paved the way for the enormity of the 'yes' vote," he said.
Roy said that when they entered their civil partnership, it allowed family members to attend - some of whom died before they would marry seven years later.
The vote on same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland was held 22 years after homosexual acts were decriminalised in the country.
It meant a marriage between two people of the same sex would have the same status under the Irish constitution as a marriage between a guy and a woman.
Civil partnerships for same-sex couples had been legal in Ireland since 2010 - and this was the way many same-sex couples went down at first.
Celebrations like 'winning world cup'
Michael Conlon, from Belfast, lived i