Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I strongly recommend the report of the Constitutional Convention on the matter of same-sex marriage. In particular, I recommend the recommendation by a large majority, 79 to 19, that a referendum should be held to change the law to allow same-sex couples the right to a full marriage. Furthermore, I am pleased the Government has committed to holding the referendum during the first half of 2015. I commend the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, for taking these important steps towards full and equal rights for all couples who want to marry, no matter what their sexual orientation . I also commend the Taoiseach for supporting this and for pledging to campaign for a "Yes" vote.

The proposal to hold a referendum should give hope to the 1,500 couples who have already celebrated a civil partnership in this country since the civil partnership legislation was enacted in 2010. The fact this high number of people has opted for partnership in the three short years since that option became available demonstrates the strong demand among the gay and lesbian community to demonstrate their love and their commitment to each other and to their partners in a formal way.

While I welcomed the Civil Partnership Bill as it passed through the Dáil, I sought to highlight in my contribution at the time the frustration of those gay and lesbian couples who needed and deserved more than just a civil partnership. Gay and lesbian couples should not be made to feel like second class citizens. Full equality in the eyes of the law is what we all deserve as human beings. Equality does not have to mean sameness. True equality in society and law should respect and value differences, no matter what those differences are. We should celebrate our differences and avoid labelling each other.

In my previous speech on civil partnership, I also stated I did not agree with people who said the Bill undermined the institution of the family. Judging people or discriminating against them because of those they love goes against the very meaning of love. We know the Irish people are ready for this. A Millward Brown poll conducted in 2012 showed that 75% of people would vote "Yes" in a referendum proposing same-sex marriage.

Last year, I had the privilege to attend the civil partnership weddings of a number of close friends. In my eyes, they were weddings in all but name. They were the celebration of the love between two people and the great joy of grandparents, parents, the wider family and friends who finally saw their loved ones and their relationships being recognised by society and the State and that was something wonderful to behold. Being part of that made me feel very proud. Like many other speakers, I have attended many weddings of family and friends in the past and I do not see why there should be any difference between those weddings and those of same-sex couples. If two people love each other and are committed to each other, there should be no difference.

I wish to recognise the Constitutional Convention and thank its members, the people of this country, for their hard work, under the expert chairmanship of Tom Arnold. This particular report of the Convention is extremely positive. I hope that when the referendum is ultimately passed, these people will feel proud of their contribution to advancing change and progress in society. I thank GLEN and the many other groups that came to me in the past and recently in regard to this issue. I welcome the fact we have the opportunity to speak in the House and that we are privileged to be here and to be in the presence of the many who want to share their love together.

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