SUPPORTERS OF civil partnership equality have accused the Government
of contributing to bullying in schools by not giving the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community equal rights to everyone else.
Thousands
of people took to the streets of Dublin Sunday to demand civil
marriage equality. Holding banners with slogans such as “marriage is
magic”, “I want for my sister what I have for myself – equality”, and
“73% support gay marriage”, an estimated 4,000 people marched to the
Department of Justice on St Stephen’s Green where a rally was held.
Organiser
Max Krzyzanowski urged the Government to listen to the repeated calls
highlighting the inequalities of civil partnership legislation and
demonstrate its commitment to equality for all by lifting the ban on
same-sex marriage.
He maintained the Civil Partnership Act, 2011,
had only served to cement inequality in Irish society by explicitly
excluding LGBT people from the institution of marriage.
His fellow
LGBT Noise organiser Anna MacCarthy said the Government was out of step
with the public mood on the issue of marriage equality.
“We need Fine Gael to catch up with public opinion,” she said.
If
someone enters a civil partnership with a child, their partner is not
entitled to legally act as a step-parent, she said, adding “the
non-biological parent is a legal stranger to the child”.
Addressing
the crowd, Bobby Edgar, chairman of the anti-homophobic bullying group
the Butterfly Project, said he hid himself away at school for fear of
bullies.
“I felt if I let bullies know I was different, I’d be
targeted,” he said, adding: “I may not have been bullied at school but
I’m being bullied now – by the Government – depriving me of marriage
equality.
“Our Government is adding to the bullying in schools by saying the LGBT community isn’t equal to everyone else,” he said.
Among
those calling on the Government to lift the ban on same-sex marriages
were presidential candidate Mary Davis, Senator Katherine Zappone and
singer Brian Kennedy.
“This is a human rights issue,” said Kennedy.
“I thought the Civil Partnership Bill was the final destination. I misunderstood it completely,” he said.
“There
are 150 anomalies between civil partnership and civil marriage; this is
the first rung on the ladder, but there are many rungs still to climb
until we reach equality.”
Speaking after the rally, Kennedy said
he was very disappointed Senator David Norris had withdrawn from the
presidential race, and that he would not rule out running himself.
“Someone asked me at a gig last night if I’d consider running, and I would consider it. I think President Kennedy has a nice ring to it,” he added.
Megan
Murphy and James Watson, who travelled from Portarlington, Co Laois,
for the rally, said they believed it was important that equal rights be
given not just in marriage but in general.
Their sentiment was
echoed by Will St Leger, who said: “Irrespective of gays, lesbians etc, I
believe all humans should be treated equally.”