Cork Views: Marriage vote is still a source of great pride a decade on

On May 22, 2015, Ireland made history by becoming the first country in the world to hold a referendum on marriage equality and it by the popular vote of the people.

That we became the first country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage by popular vote is still incredible.

It showed Ireland in a positive light across the world, and the inclusivity and acceptance of ‘others’ of the Irish people was celebrated.

The referendum and the result was a powerful affirmation of how far we had come, and also a recognition that nothing can be taken for granted. The joyous scenes across Ireland, captured best by the unbridled emotion and joy in Dublin Castle, and on the streets in the immediate vicinity is something I still savour and marvel at to this day.

The referendum didn’t just happen, but as with many other examples of social change, was the culmination of a journey and a process that included actions being taken at a social, community and personal level as well as at a political level.

Since the 1970s and the 1980s, there was a continuous growth in community LGBTQ+ advocacy, including Gay Project and LINQ Ireland here in Cork, which prompted and demanded political change.

The LGBTQ community began as a social movement, an action-based community established in response to persecution by church, state and other entities.

The Irish Gay Rights Movement was founded in 1974, The National LGBT Federation organised Ireland’s first pride parade five years later.

For decades, activists fought tirelessly for visibility, dignity, and equal rights. People like David Norris, and Cork champions like Arthur Leahy and Kieran Rose commenced that long arduous journey.

At a political level, some of those steps included decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1992, the ing of civil partnership legislation in 2010 and in 2014 the Constitutional Convention recommended the government hold a referendum to recognise same-sex marriage.

Across the political system there was ongoing debate and discussion within all parties on how the rights of LGBTQ+ people could be advanced and progressed.

I was fortunate to have played my part in that process as Chair of the Fine Gael LGBT group.

As a member of the Oireachtas I was able to engage with then Taoiseach Enda Kenny and I am grateful for the and encouragement he gave me and our community.

At its simplest level, the vote was about changing the constitution and affording a constitutional right to a minority community, the LGBT community who had been excluded for so long. 

However, at its core, the vote was about recognition of people, their personal identities and stories. The campaign was fought on this basis and on love. It empowered people to tell their personal stories as we walked the streets of Cork telling our story, winning minds and hearts as our nation said yes to marriage equality.

As we emerge from Cork LGBTQ+ Awareness week, I would like to acknowledge Siobhan O’Dowd, a ionate, life-long advocate and campaigner who ed away last week.

Siobhan and others would argue LGBTQ awareness is not just about celebrating the past, but about defending the present and shaping a more inclusive future. It’s about standing up, speaking out, and ensuring no-one is left behind.

ILGA-Europe’s Annual Review of the Human Rights Situation of LGBTI People across Europe and Central Asia highlights a significant rise “in anti-LGBTI hate speech from leaders across the region”, and a subsequent “rise in violent attacks on the streets.”

While more LGBTQ people across Ireland and Europe are now open about who they are, in many cases they face more violence, harassment, and bullying than before. Harassment and violence against the LGBTQ community is on the rise across Europe. Also on the rise are forces intent on dividing us, on rolling back protections, and marginalising communities.

Far-right populist and anti-democratic forces are using anti-LGBTQ rhetoric to distract not only from corruption, but wider assaults on free speech, civil society and fair elections. LGBTQ people are being scapegoated, and it is fuelling hate crime and normalising hate speech against this community.

What we are facing is not a cultural disagreement, it’s a coordinated and growing attempt to undermine the values of equality, tolerance, and inclusion. It is precisely in the face of this that our visibility, our solidarity, and our continued activism become even more vital.

Think for a moment about what it means to truly belong. It means feeling secure in your identity. It means having your voice heard and respected. It means knowing you are not just tolerated, but celebrated for the unique and wonderful individual you are. This is the Cork we strive to build - a place where every thread in the tapestry of our society is valued for its strength and its beauty. In part, that is what marriage equality achieved.

Progress cannot be taken for granted and events like Pride, role models and highly visible campaigns are necessary to encourage people, including beyond Ireland, to make more noise, be braver, and use all the tools at our disposal to ensure we don’t go backwards.

The journey towards full equality and acceptance is not always easy. We live in a world that is evolving, countries that were once a beacon of freedom and liberty are now a place of intolerance and fear.

Our work is not yet done, the fight for equal rights, for true equality, continues, but a decade on, the refererendum remains a poignant memory of a stand-out day that came, to quote Charlie Bird’s book title. ‘Some Day in May’.