John Halligan (Waterford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

So I gather. I will take my ten minutes for starters and see what happens. Not only does this Bill give effect to May's referendum by making marriage equality a reality in Ireland, it also puts into perspective just how extraordinary the vote was. If one looks at foreign media over recent months, especially during the referendum, Sky News, BBC, Fox News - of all news stations - and others all recognised that something extraordinary was happening in Irish politics and in the Irish political or social system. Although about 20 countries worldwide had already legalised gay marriage, what was so extraordinary about Ireland was that we became the first to do so in a plebiscite and we showed the world just how far we had come since 1993 when homosexual acts were still illegal in this country. The 1.2 million people, 62% of the population, who voted in favour of same-sex marriage in May are now inspiring governments in other countries around the world to proceed with a similar referendum. That is an historic achievement of which people should be proud. I know Irish people around the world in other countries where there is a difficulty with same-sex marriage are advocating this on social media and are advocating change in countries where it may or may not take place in the next few years. The battle to get to this day has been hard fought. I acknowledge the campaigners who put many years into working for a "Yes" vote. There is a widespread consensus that it was the parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins and neighbours who made a "Yes" vote a reality.

I also acknowledge the cross-party co-operation. For instance, I openly canvassed with Seán Kelly, MEP, in Waterford one full Saturday and I thought he was fantastic. I had some of my councillors with us and there were also some Fine Gael councillors. We all worked together on that day and that was very important, to show the people this had cross-party support. It remains important. Perhaps it is a message for further on in the Dáil that we are not all about being in opposition or in government. It is possible to work together and we need to be more communicative with one another to be able to do that because many ideas and ideals are not too far apart for many of us. If the Government does something good, I acknowledge it. I have acknowledged the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, on a number of occasions and I do so again now.

We also need to acknowledge the honesty of the young campaigners who, in sharing their personal stories on the doorsteps and in the media, convinced the Irish electorate that it was not a debate about family values but simply a debate about equality. That was very important. This was not about values but about equality. It was about removing discrimination and prejudice from the personal decisions that everyone in the country now had a right to make. It is wonderful that the current generation of Irish schoolchildren will grow up in a country where civil marriage is a legal, political and human right for all. As they do so, I hope the homophobia that was commonplace in previous generations fades into oblivion. Those of us who bothered to go out and campaign and knock on doors and so on got a little bit of it and it was dreadful to find that there were still people who had this homophobia embedded in them for some reason. Having said that, it was quite clear to many of us during the debate and the campaign that this was going to be passed, that a substantial number of people were going to stand by this Bill and the proposals the Government had put forward.

That is why I applaud the Government for making the passing of this Bill a priority in this new Dáil. Registrars and wedding venues are already experiencing a surge of inquiries from same-sex couples wanting to tie the knot. Many of these people have waited decades and the sooner we can get this Bill through the House, the better for them. I think it will pass pretty quickly, as Deputy Mac Lochlainn said. I welcome the provision in the Bill which states that same-sex couples who contracted marriage in another state are automatically recognised once this Bill passes and the Act commences, and that the marriage is recognised not just from the day of commencement of the Act but from the date of the actual marriage. This will be meaningful to many couples.

Although I was wholeheartedly disappointed with the church's campaign for a "No" vote in the referendum, I agree that priests and religious ministers or organisations should not be compelled to solemnise a marriage under the Bill. Just as I believe in equality, I also believe in the right of religious freedom and I am a humanist and an atheist. This is still a highly sensitive issue and Irish people now hold a broad range of views on it. It is important the referendum was never about asking people to change their beliefs in any way. We were insistent that this was an equality issue, as has been said by the European Parliament and all the campaigners on the "Yes" side. It is important we remember this is what it was about.

The Government parties, in supporting the referendum in May last, made great leaps in recognising the injustice and discrimination in Ireland in the 21st century. They further demonstrated their support for equality by introducing the Gender Recognition Act, which is a marvellous piece of legislation. I must applaud the Government on bringing forward that long-overdue legislation. This has been spoken about in manifestos by Government and Opposition over a long number of years and I wondered was it ever going to happen. I am delighted that happened. It is important for all of us.

It is important for this country to push ahead and to deal with what we perceive to be inequality within our country. There is a lot of inequality in our country. This is not the time to talk about it. We are here now to congratulate and praise the Government and the Minister for bringing this legislation forward.

I thank all the people of Ireland, particularly the young people. Fourteen friends of mine who had emigrated to Australia came home specifically to vote and then went back after two days. It was a wonderful act to come all the way from Australia. They were tired on arrival, came down from Dublin, voted and two days later they went back. They felt strongly about it and I think that is important.

I again congratulate the Government. I congratulate all in the Opposition who came together to stand by this Bill. I am delighted that it will speedily go through the Dáil.

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