Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am proud to speak on the Marriage Bill 2015, which we are debating following the Irish people having voted through the marriage referendum in May. I recall speaking on the civil partnership legislation in the Seanad five or six years ago. During that contribution I praised the Irish people for their live and let live attitude.

At the time I said that I did not believe the average Irish person had any interest in denying the rights of same-sex couples to enter same-sex partnerships, look after sick loved ones, inherit the family home or commit to each other for better or for worse. What we saw demonstrated clearly by the people on 24 May was that equality exists. They were keen to ensure that every citizen has the ability to live as they see fit and share in the benefits of living in a free and equal society.

I was at the count centre in my constituency in Ashbourne on the day and I saw at first hand the delight and optimism of people when the results started coming through. It was a very positive day. Many volunteers were there. Interestingly, people were ringing in from outside to find out if their village had voted for the proposal. They took great pleasure and pride in knowing that their village or box was voting "Yes".

The campaign was great fun. I have been involved in many campaigns over the years, although not as many as others, but this particular campaign was very pleasant because it involved people across the political divide. We canvassed with members of virtually all political parties, although not all. Virtually all political parties were canvassing for a "Yes" vote. They put in a mighty effort and were joined on the doors by a vast array of ordinary citizens, gay and straight, who took the view that it was essential for them to be involved in this campaign. They wanted to be part of it and show that Ireland was a changed society from ten or 20 years ago. Without their hard work and commitment, I do not believe this referendum would have passed.

The next question is what this means for Ireland. Now, we have a greater duty to look after our young LGBT people. We have told them they are equal. We have seen record numbers of young people coming out and the number has increased since the referendum. We need to ensure that the required services are in place to look after them. Apart from being a Member of this House, I am a director of the charity BeLonG To, which deals with service provision for young LGBT people. The group is seeing a major increase in the number of telephone calls from young LGBT people looking for support. We should remember that although we voted "Yes" to marriage equality, this does not mean the problems faced by the community have disappeared. There are still problems of isolation, especially in our rural areas. Major problems continue to face our young trans people and those from migrant communities and the Traveller community. They all need support and we need to ensure that the networks are in place to support them. We need to ensure that the resources are in place to allow those networks to survive and thrive. This had to take place in both urban and rural areas. We need to continue to fund prevention of homophobic bullying campaigns in schools. We need to ensure the relevant people get involved in the Stand Up! campaign that BeLonG To will be running this November in our schools. I was pleased to see the INTO launch a new primary school campaign this week, called Different Families, Same Love, which reflects the fact that young people are coming out earlier and earlier. The average age now is probably more like 11 or 12 years of age. We need to ensure this information is available in primary schools.

It has been a great experience to be part of this campaign. I hope that in a few short weeks after the President, Mr. Higgins, signs this Bill into law we will see our first gay marriages. We should not underestimate the impact this has had throughout the world. It has had a major impact on Ireland but we should consider what happened some weeks later in the United States, where the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of gay marriage. I believe that was partly because of the message we sent out to the world. In other countries, such as Germany, for example, we have had a similar impact. I spoke to politicians there who thanked us for the "Yes" result in the marriage referendum because it has meant they can put more pressure on the current Government there to introduce same-sex marriage legislation. The same applies with countries like Australia. We have been a beacon of light to the world on this matter and it is fantastic that the Irish people are leading the way. I was never as proud to be an Irish citizen as on the day we passed that referendum.

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