Love is Blind! Dublin Queer Marriage Equality Demo
dublin |
gender and sexuality |
feature 
Friday February 13, 2009 19:23
by Paul McAndrew - Cork WSM (personal posting)
paul at queer dot ie
|
This Valentine's Day, come and do your bit for love by showing your support for Ireland's LGBT people - and their children - at the Central Bank at 2pm. It'll be a great big Valentine's love-fest with a message - you bring the love, we'll bring the music, balloons and blindfolds! 14:00 - 15:00 Central Bank Dame Street Dublin Contact Info: Email: info@lgbtnoise.ie http://www.lgbtNOISE.ie |
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Brian Cowen's government has announced that the Civil Partnership legislation will be brought before the Dáil this spring, perhaps as early as Easter - now is the time to remind Mr Cowen that a second-class 'registration scheme' for gay couples is not acceptable in an egalitarian society.
Justice, like love, should be blind (hence the blindfolds!) and that means not creating arbitrary differences through discriminatory legislation.
There is one way to grant equality to same-sex couples: we should be allowed the choice to enter civil marriage.
So...come along to the Central Bank at 2pm this Valentine's Day and make some NOISE!
Love and Noise,
The Noise Team
A few words on Marriage and Civil Partnership...
Religious Marriage:
This is how different faiths recognise couples within their religion. It's optional. Most couples in Ireland opt for this, but 1 in 5 do not.
Civil Marriage:
This is how the State legally recognises couples, giving them rights, responsibilities and protections.
Civil Partnership:
This is the limited set of rights which the government will allow, possibly this year.
Civil partnership is a law for gay people only.
It says:
That we are strangers in law to children we raise;
That we and our children cannot even be called a family;
That gay couples must pay higher taxes.
This law is being written right now, but we still have time to tell the government that we will NOT be second-class citizens! There is only one way to grant equality - through the choice of civil marriage.
Separate is NEVER equal and NEVER fair!
Comments (9 of 9)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Thanks Paul.
I'll be there, proud to be straight, with people who are proud to be LGBT.
EQUAL RIGHTS
Thanks, Conor.
Appreciated :)
Anarchists advocating state marriage, wonders never cease.
If you're in love with someone and want to spend your life with them, just do it.
You dont need the state to legitimise your love for someone, its enough in itself.
(queers and straights alike)
cvp, you have a fair point
(dread to think what Emma Goldman 'd say)
However,I don't advocate marriage,
and wouldn't want to be married
(at least not with recognition from a state)
I do oppose laws which define queer people as 2nd class citizens.
Similarly I would have opposed racist laws which barred black and white people from marrying each other
Paul
There's also the benefit of not paying capital gains tax on any inheritance from your spouse.... among other things. In some cases people are left in homes they have to sell or remortgage because they can't afford the inheritance tax.
What's up family!
I live in Massachusetts where several of my friends, not anarchist, are queer and married to one another. I have the same confusion about state sanctioned marrige, rights, responsibilites, etc, as my queer anarchist comrades and was raised by repressed Irish-american catholics. I spent 1998 in Galway and can only imagine the hell of growing up queer in the home land. I praise all your public support work. So while i don't care for marrige, i see the faults and validation from the state doesn't matter anywhere else in my life, i do support my friends who want equal legal treatment, such as being allowed to visit thier spouse or children at the hospital, picking them up from school or work , paying what straight folks pay to own a home, live in a community and work.
You can drive across massachusetts faster than yo ucan drive from galway to dublin, it's a tiny state in a big nation but there is a feeling here, for almost 5 years now, we are treated as valid families, socially and politacally.
My girlfiend and i have 3 kids between us and we are safe to walk down the steet with are families without violence and harassment. There are always going to be assholes, bigots, racist pigs, etc.
I'm a brassy, punk-ass, queer anarchist, i can take care of idiots myself, it's not always so aweful to use the state to help those who can't protect themselves against the knuckleheads, while we create a supportive infrastucture that can serve as a viable alternative to the state.
I don't pretend to understand Irish culture and law, i'm just your long lost 42nd cousin letting you know that here in massachusetts my queer anarchist comrades tend to support equal treatment as it is important for the safety of our community, and the rights of our families. Peace family.
fair play nokiko, sure its all about equal rights for all humans. Anyway, were all just one at the end of the day.... American, European, black, white, man, woman, queer, straight. Ultimately, Whats the fucking difference?
"There's also the benefit of not paying capital gains tax on any inheritance from your spouse"
Not to mention:
A whole load of medical consent/next of kin stuff
Being able to live with a non-EU citizen
Inheritance rights in the absence of a will
Child access rights and maintenance obligations.
A lot of tax benefits some alread mentioned but worth reiterating
Ideally of course all these rights would be available to all cohabiting partners (Gay/Straight/Other) without recourse to the bizzare and anachronistic insttution of marriage but until that day dawns the state should either legalise for Gay marriage or abolish all state recognition of hetrosexual marriage.
..What was the turnout like yesterda?
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