Opinion The Irish have it

Tally counter Rhonda Donaghy is seen at the RDS count centre, Dublin, Ireland, Saturday, May 23, 2015. (Source: AP)

On Saturday, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage through popular vote, rather than by legislative or judicial action. The stunning speed of change in the staunchly Catholic society — homosexuality was illegal till as recently as 1993, and divorce was legalised only in 1995 — mirrors the massive strides made by the gay rights movement in much of the developed world in the last two decades. Eighteen countries have legalised same-sex marriage or are in the process of doing so, with 13 of them in Europe. The first, the Netherlands, did so in 2001, and most others have followed suit only in the past five years.

Public opinion on the issue has shifted quickly and dramatically, confirming the sense that marriage equality opponents are on the wrong side of history. The Pew Research Centre found in a survey last year that a majority of Americans today support gay marriage — markedly different from just 10 years ago, when 57 per cent opposed it. In the US and Ireland, part of the reason is generational change, as younger voters are more likely to support same-sex marriage. But support among older generations has risen, too, as friends, colleagues and relatives come out as LGBT.
Ireland’s progressive vote will give an impetus to marriage equality advocates in nations dragging their heels on what is increasingly recognised as a civil rights issue. Already, the German opposition has called on the chancellor to let same-sex couples wed. Several politicians in Australia asked the government to hold a similar referendum. The result is also reverberating across Italy, another Catholic country and the only one in western Europe that recognises neither same-sex marriage nor civil partnerships. The prime minister has reportedly said civil unions can no longer be delayed. India, of course, remains outside this conversation, having instead gone backwards, with the Supreme Court reversing the Delhi High Court’s landmark judgment on the atrocious Section 377 that criminalises homosexuality. The SC put the ball in Parliament’s court. Are legislators listening?