With 34 areas reporting from 43 voting blocks, Ireland has become the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote. This is despite the strong Roman Catholic presence in the country that currently doesn’t approve of such unions, and has been quite vocal in its disapproval. However, the popular vote, with a ratio of almost 2:1 indicates that the country’s people have spoken clearly about how they wish to define marriage in modern-day Ireland. And with a voter turnout of almost sixty per cent, this is far from it being seen as a case of luck or chance.
The country will now see itself as being a force of leading social change, particularly as more and more legislation is showcasing that it is serious about separating church and state in the twenty-first century. It was only in 1993 that Ireland actually decriminalized homosexuality, and so this news coming after only twenty-two years is largely unexpected when you consider the country’s history.
It has been noted that support for gay marriage was actually widespread across age, economic background, and income. Which has not necessarily been seen in other parts of Europe and the West entirely. One would say that this news gives Ireland a facelift as far as how it looks to to the rest of the West anyway. But most of the Irish are simply hailing it as a good if not great day for the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment