Gay Marriage Sweeps Ireland

Both sides in Ireland's marriage equality debate have acknowledged that the "yes" vote has succeeded making the country the first in the world to approve gay marriage in a national referendum. Leo Varadkar, Ireland's openly gay health minister stated, "We're the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution & do so by popular mandate. That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty & equality. It's a very proud day to be Irish. It’s a really great day for Ireland... Ireland is shining. If you think about it really is historic... it’s something really special." Hopefully this will be a big wake-up call for the US Supreme Court to finally stop the nonsense & grant marriage equality throughout the land. In Ireland the first gay & lesbian marriages could take place as soon as 6 weeks. Sarah Kate Ellis GLAAD President & CEO stated, "This is a joyous day for Ireland & for LGBT people and our allies everywhere. With this historic vote, Ireland becomes a leader in the global effort for LGBT equality. 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." This victory goes deep since Ireland has been know as such a religious Catholic country but that has waned quite a bit since sex scandals hit the Catholic Church. What was so impressive about this victory was how among those who voted were thousands of emigrants who returned by aircraft or ferry to take part in the world's first direct national vote on gay marriage. Many even shared their journeys on social under the #HomeToVote hashtag. So with the US Supreme Court decision coming down next month this is a fabulous victory for marriage equality. Congrats Ireland!! :)
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