Great Commercial by Marriage Equality Ireland

Could you imagine asking 4 million people for your permission to marry?



http://www.marriagequality.ie/

Ireland Grants Civil Partnership Rights

Ireland joins a host of nations in the European Union that recognize and grant rights to same-sex couples. While the legislation falls short of full marriage equality, this marks a historic step in the staunchly Catholic nations history towards granting full equality to gay, lesbian, and bisexual Irish citizens.

"This bill provides legal protection for cohabiting couples and is an important step, particularly for same-sex couples, whose relationships have not previously been given legal recognition by the state," Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said in a statement.

The legislation provides a range of previously denied rights including maintenance obligations, protection of a shared home and succession. "Balance is achieved by maintaining material distinctions between civil partnership and marriage, in particular between the rights attaching to both, while at the same time reflecting the equality rights protected by the constitution," Ahern said (Reuters).

More work is needed to fight for full equality for LGBT people in Ireland. Please join the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network to ensure full equality in the country.

Direct-Action Training for LGBTQ Rights in Dublin, Ireland

Inclusive St. Patrick's Day Parade in NYC

Please join Irish Queers as we protest LGBT exclusion from the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. For 18 years, Irish and Irish American queers have been challenging the narrow definition of Irishness set forth by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a conservative, Catholic,
all-male organization that runs many St. Patrick's Day Parades across the country. As a right wing organization, the AOH prohibits all LGBT people and anyone that is pro-choice from OPENLY taking part in their events. Although the parade has been billed as the largest celebration of Irish culture in the world, the New York Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Catholic Archdiocese have redefined it as a private, religious event (taking place on public streets) where many Irish people are not welcome.

While our fight began in the 1990s within New York's Irish and church
institutions, we have learned that the City, the NYPD and the courts
are all willing to trample and erase the diverse fabric of the Irish
community. Our struggle is not just with the parade organizers and
Catholic hierarchy, but with military organizations, the NYPD, the
FDNY and other public servants who, while wearing their official uniforms,
use the parade to express sentiments of hate and superiority that would
not be allowed at other events.

Please join us on March 17th on Fifth Avenue @ 57th street (on the
west side) from 11am - 1pm. Stand up for a definition of Irishness
that values human rights and diverse communities!

For more information, write us at irishqueers@hotmail.com
http://www.stpatsforall.com/