Ireland To Move Forward On Gay Civil Partner Bill

[TechBear_Seattle]

(Dublin) Ireland will legalize civil partnerships for gay couples, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern pledged Monday as he opened new offices for the country's main homosexual rights pressure group.

Civil partnerships allow gay couples the same rights to inheritance, state benefits and other financial rights as held by married heterosexual couples.

"Sexual orientation cannot, and must not, be the basis of a second-class citizenship. Our laws have changed, and will continue to change, to reflect this principle," Ahern told an audience at Ireland's Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.

The article continues at http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/04/040306ireland.htm

[SteppingRazor]

1. Wow. Incredibly odd, given that the country's still iffy on abortion n/t

[Ian David]

2. Generally speaking, gay people don't get abortions

I know, that wasn't the point.

[SteppingRazor]

6. I hate you guys.

I really, truly hate you guys.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. ?

[SteppingRazor]

9. Just giving a smartass answer to IanDB1's smartass remark

:evilgrin:

Of course, he's right -- gays, generally, don't get abortions. The point, of course, is that Ireland is practically a Catholic state, and its laws reflect this -- which explains its iffy stance on abortion, and the shock of it being pro-gay rights.

Make sense now?

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. Nonetheless, Ireland is becoming more progressive than the US

They move forward in securing civil rights; we go backwards.

[melody]

4. No, the US is even more progressive than Ireland

It's a handful of bullies (for whatever reason) who want to create the illusion that we're
not progressive. It's a PR campaign on a high level, IMO.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. So it is a handful of bullies....

... who keep passing bigoted amendments to state constitutions by a 30% margin? Who intimidated a majority of Democrats in Congress to support the "Defense" of Marriage Act and then blackmailed Clinton to sign it very late on a Friday night without the media present?

[melody]

7. Yes, it is

If the far-right wasn't the extreme political machine it is, they could never have done so. The majority of Americans support abortion, but anti-abortion measures are marching right down the line.

When they do polling (and that's the only solid information we have on individual opinions), the numbers are clear - Americans are progressive.

We will just have to stand up to the sociopaths. They are bullies and only understand being forcibly stopped.

[Devlzown]

10. That's interesting.

Gay people aren't Irish enough to march in the NYC St. Patrick's Day parade, while the real Irish people are extending rights to their gay community. :think:

[mom cat]

11. Great news ,,, K&R

[xchrom]

12. woo--hoo! way to go erin!

[TaleWgnDg]

13. Don't believe it until you see it . . .

.

Merely bc Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern says something does not, then, make it law in Ireland. And, note the AP/365gay.com article says that Ireland has a written constitution that indicates:

"Ireland's (written) constitution has a clause requiring the predominantly Roman Catholic state to protect the institution of marriage. . . . Ahern said it would be more difficult to legalize gay marriage in Ireland than it was in the United Kingdom, which approved the civil unions in December."
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/04/040306ireland.htm

Celebrate if and when it happens not merely bc some pol mouths off trying to garner some votes by releasing a damn press release picked up by AP then 365gay.com!