Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak to this very important matter. I was in my office earlier wondering what I would say about this and what I could pack into the short few minutes I have to speak. A copy of the Proclamation was on the wall so I took it from its frame and brought it with me. It begins by addressing "Irishmen and Irishwomen". It does not refer to "straight Irishmen and straight Irishwomen" and it does not differentiate between gay, bisexual and transgendered people. It repeats "Irishmen and Irishwomen" in a couple of places. Further down, it indicates that the "Republic guarantees religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens and declares its resolve to pursue the happiness and prosperity of the whole nation and all its parts, cherishing all the children of the nation equally". That says it all, and I quoted the part about cherishing all the children of the nation equally approximately three years ago when I spoke on this issue. I asked at that time that in a nation that cherishes all of her children equally, this matter should not really be such an issue for debate. I very much welcome the opportunity to put this to the people. It is a major step forward, although unfortunately long overdue, coming almost 99 years after the Proclamation was written. This is the year to which Marty McFly went "Back to the Future"; and I hope this will be the future of Ireland. We may not have hoverboards but I hope we will have marriage equality. That is fundamentally important for every citizen.

I ask for respect in the debate between now and 22 May, with all sides being given the opportunity to make their views known. All sides must respectfully listen to the opposite views, as well as opinions along the spectrum. There are many differing views in this regard. I encourage people in my constituency in Kerry to support the referendum. It is fundamental to achieving equality in this country.

It says a lot about us as a people. I commend the very powerful contributions by my colleagues. I acknowledge the importance of marriage. I am a married man. It is very important to me and I could not imagine not having that opportunity at some stage in my life because of my sexual orientation. As a straight man I have never had to come out and put that on the record as a public representative. Unfortunately, even today, some of my colleagues have felt compelled to do that. Maybe the day will come when that does not happen or is not an issue. Progress and evolution are slow, but I like to think we are getting there. This Bill is a huge step along the way.

I have been watching Deputy Mathews, who likes to bring books into the Chamber. I have brought in a little book called Keel - A Gathering of Images. I and my good friend, Gráinne Murphy, put it together in Keel in Castlemaine, where I come from, to mark the year of The Gathering in 2013. It is a collection of approximately 1,000 photographs dating back to the 1860s from the parish of Keel up to the present day. Tucked unassumingly into a corner on page 169 is a photograph of a couple who were the first couple in Keel to live in a civil partnership. We put it in with photographs from all over the parish, wrote the caption and thought no more about it. We did not realise how important it was to those people in the photograph who made a public point about this, saying it might not have happened ten years ago. That is a measure of how we are coming a long way as a society, and changing. It also shows that we should not underestimate how much little things mean to people, whether small positive things such as that little photograph, or big positive things such as bringing this matter to a referendum and hopefully getting the right result. On the flip side, there are the hurtful things. We should not underestimate how hurtful some of the things being said during this discussion can be to people. We all need to bear that in mind, and I add that to my call for a respectful debate.

I acknowledge some Members, past and present, who have recently made very powerful contributions to this debate that carried a little more weight because of their personal circumstances. I refer particularly to a fellow Keel man and former Minister, Pat Carey, who recently made a very powerful contribution to this debate. I congratulate him on his contribution. He has an important role to play in the rest of this campaign.

As the father of a young child, and hopefully from June of two children, I realise that this Bill affects not only this generation but also future generations. It is about the type of country we want our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to grow up in. I urge a "Yes" vote in May and urge those who have made up their minds to vote "No" to reconsider, to listen to other views and to think about the country they want their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to grow up in, and about what will be best for them. I urge them to think about eventualities and make sure they will have all the freedoms that most other citizens have. If people do that, it might change their minds or help them come to a different decision. We need to live and let live and love and let love.

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