Ireland has made headlines on major media organisations around the world – both print and digital – as a result of the historic ‘Yes’ vote in the same-sex marriage referendum.
Ireland has become the 20th world nation to legalise gay marriage – but it is the first country in the world to hold a popular vote on the issue. Figures from the referendum announced at Dublin Castle showed that 62.1 per cent of Irish voters said “yes.” Outside, watching the results announcement live in the castle’s cobblestoned courtyard, thousands of gay rights activists cheered, hugged and cried. Add a strong global stereotypical view of Ireland as “a religious and strongly Catholic country” and you have a rattling good story worth the travelling expenses.
Radio France International did not spare the intrigue. “The vote comes 22 years after homosexuality was decriminalised, in a country where Catholic Church influence, even if declining, remains strong,” their reporter, Sébastien Duval, said.
The reporter for ‘The New York Times’ was no less intrigued: “The country overall remains socially conservative, and some still see homosexuality as a sin – or something to mock. Yet Prime Minister Enda Kenny, a churchgoer, supports the amendments.”
“We’re the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate,” Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s health minister who revealed he was gay during the campaign, told state broadcaster RTE. “That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. It’s a very proud day to be Irish.”
Around the world, 18 countries have approved gay marriage nationwide, the majority of them in Europe. Others, such as the United States and Mexico, have approved it in certain regions. In the United States, 37 states have approved gay marriage and the Supreme Court is currently weighing the issue.
“This is a joyous day for Ireland and for LGBT people and our allies everywhere,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, a U.S.-based gay-advocacy group, said in a statement. “We are thankful for the leadership of the Irish people, and we hope that many countries, including the United States, follow suit by extending marriage to all their citizens.”
