http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/23/ireland-gay-marriage_n_7426874.html
QuoteDUBLIN (AP) â€" Ireland has voted resoundingly to legalize gay marriage in the world's first national vote on the issue, leaders on both sides of the Irish referendum declared Saturday even as official ballot counting continued.
Senior figures from the "no" campaign, who sought to prevent Ireland's constitution from being amended to permit same-sex marriages, say the only question is how large the "yes" side's margin of victory will be from Friday's vote.
"We're the first country in the world to enshrine marriage equality in our constitution and do so by popular mandate. That makes us a beacon, a light to the rest of the world of liberty and equality. So it's a very proud day to be Irish," said Leo Varadkar, a Cabinet minister who came out as gay at the start of a government-led effort to amend Ireland's conservative Catholic constitution.
"There is going to be a very substantial majority for a yes vote. I'm not at all surprised by that to be honest with you," said Irish Sen. Ronan Mullen, one of only a handful of politicians who campaigned for rejection.
Political analyst Noel Whelan noted that "yes" majorities were being reported even in conservative rural districts and suggested the only question was how large the "yes" majority would be when all ballots in this predominantly Catholic nation of 4.6 million are counted.
Varadkar, who personally watched the votes being tabulated at the County Dublin ballot center, said the Irish capital looks to have voted around 70 percent in favor of gay marriage, while most districts outside the capital also were reporting strong "yes" leads. He said not a single district yet had reported a "no" majority. Official results come later Saturday.
The anti-gay marriage side credited "yes" campaigners with running a creative, compelling campaign that harnessed the power of social media to mobilize young voters, tens of thousands of whom voted for the first time Friday. They also said a "no" victory was always unlikely given that all political parties and most politicians backed the legalization of homosexual unions, just five years after parliament approved marriage-style civil partnerships for gay couples.
Fianna Fail party leader Michael Martin, whose party is traditionally closest to the Catholic Church but like all other parties campaigned to legalize gay marriage, said it "looks like an emphatic win for the yes side." Voters in his native Cork were being recorded by observers as more than 60 percent yes.
John Lyons, one of the four openly gay lawmakers in Ireland's 166-member parliament, said he was surprised by how many older voters he met on the campaign trail who were voting yes. But he paid special credit to the mobilization of younger voters, many of whom traveled home from work or studies abroad to vote.
"Most of the young people I canvassed with have never knocked on a door in their lives," said Lyons, who represents northwest Dublin in parliament. "This says something about modern Ireland. Let's never underestimate the electorate or what they think."
I was expecting to see this on the forum posted by somebody from that side of the pond, guess you're still hung over from Friday night.
The people of Ireland just told His Popaliciousness to go fuck himself in the ass. Today is a good day. :super:
Now wake the fuck up and party, god damn it.
Awesome
Congrats Ireland ! ! !
my boyfriends irish, he'll be real happy about this ^^
Fantastic news!! Freedom is on the march!
*Irish Pride Intensifies*
It's hard to believe that Ireland went from decriminalizing homosexuality in 1993 to officially having gay marriage in 2015. Quite a lot has changed in a short time.
Quote from: Hydra009 on May 23, 2015, 11:56:25 AM
It's hard to believe that Ireland went from decriminalizing homosexuality in 1993 to officially having gay marriage in 2015. Quite a lot has changed in a short time.
I think the rise of the interwebs has something to do with it, just a guess.
Clover boys!
This is brilliant especially considering Ireland is a predominately catholic country, well done to my Irish cousins, showing the world how its done..... :clap: :clap: :clap:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
:clap: :clap: :clap:
I had hoped it would pass, but since Ireland is mostly Catholic, I did not hold out much hope. Was I wrong! And am I happy! And is the Pope pissed! Yes. Is he going to excommunicate the entire country??
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 23, 2015, 12:39:39 PM
I had hoped it would pass, but since Ireland is mostly Catholic, I did not hold out much hope. Was I wrong! And am I happy! And is the Pope pissed! Yes. Is he going to excommunicate the entire country??
20 years from now, we're going to hear how Christians were always pro gay rights and anything to the contrary is a vile lie.
Quote from: Mike Cl on May 23, 2015, 12:39:39 PM
I had hoped it would pass, but since Ireland is mostly Catholic, I did not hold out much hope. Was I wrong! And am I happy! And is the Pope pissed! Yes. Is he going to excommunicate the entire country??
I don't think he is pissed, so I highly doubt it. I think you might have forgot who the new pope is :P.
Quote from: Shiranu on May 23, 2015, 12:49:20 PM
I don't think he is pissed, so I highly doubt it. I think you might have forgot who the new pope is :P.
This guy? (http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/pope-francis-suggests-gay-marriage-threatens-traditional-families) Probably not as much of a fan of gay rights as some people have been led to believe.
Quote from: Shiranu on May 23, 2015, 12:49:20 PM
I don't think he is pissed, so I highly doubt it. I think you might have forgot who the new pope is :P.
No, I am reminded all the time by my catholic in-laws who the pope is. But he still is at the head of a rotten organization, criminal and immoral, and he still has Inquisitors at his beck and call, he still wears enough stuff that if were to sell it would feed a poor country, pushes the non-use of condoms and contraception in general, and supports his molesting priests--and on and on. No, I have not forgotten. And do you really think he isn't pissed??! Do you think he would show it???
I don't know if the Pope is pissed or not, but I'm guessing there's some serious hand wringing going on at the Vatican. Pat Roberston? He's probably trying to figure out how he can use this to squeeze money out of the flock.
It's a relief that the popular vote was a resounding, solid yes. If that's what it takes, that's what it takes. Voting on a human rights issue isn't really all that awesome though. This is a good day in the world.
Quote from: SGOS on May 23, 2015, 01:04:02 PM
I don't know if the Pope is pissed or not, but I'm guessing there's some serious hand wringing going on at the Vatican. Pat Roberston? He's probably trying to figure out how he can use this to squeeze money out of the flock.
That disease brained old man? That old farts probably trying to figure out how to wipe his own ass and giving up these days.
I saw that Reddit is celebrating with a rainbow clover. Good stuff. I love when bigotry starts to lose
Sent from your mom.
Quote from: Hydra009 on May 23, 2015, 12:56:00 PM
This guy? (http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/pope-francis-suggests-gay-marriage-threatens-traditional-families) Probably not as much of a fan of gay rights as some people have been led to believe.
Never said he was a fan of it, but given his extremely progressive stances on the people being in charge of government... I highly doubt he is "pissed".
Disappointed, certainly.
QuoteAnd do you really think he isn't pissed??!
Yes, I really think that.
Can't wait to hear Bill O'Reilly's reaction. The conservative, Catholic land of his ancestry just voted overwhelmingly for (gasp!) GAY (ay... ay... ay...) MARRIAGE (rriage... rriage... rriage...)!!!!
I am proud to be 1/32 Irish today! Erin go bragh!
Is the pope pissed. Yes, he is. I'm becoming a little tired of hearing how 'progressive' he is. This is from the Huffington Post, Parker Molloy:
"Can we stop praising Pope Francis for being "progressive"? When it comes to social issues, the Catholic Church still bars women from taking leadership roles within the church, still opposes marriage equality, and still opposes changes to employment discrimination laws worldwide.
In 2010, when Pope Francis was still Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, and his home country of Argentina was debating whether or not to pass legislation that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt children jointly, he condemned marriage equality as "a 'move' by the father of lies" and called being raised by same-sex parents a form of discrimination against children."
So, yeah, I'd say he is pissed. The devil won one.
Congrats Ireland! :super:
The current pope is progressive as popes go. That's to say, not very progressive at all. But I'd rather see a pope who's slightly progressive than one who is extremely regressive, like his predecessor. A little change for the better is preferable to a lot of change for the worse.
Quote from: Atheon on May 23, 2015, 03:04:51 PM
The current pope is progressive as popes go. That's to say, not very progressive at all. But I'd rather see a pope who's slightly progressive than one who is extremely regressive, like his predecessor. A little change for the better is preferable to a lot of change for the worse.
it won't last, just think about this pope being a clog in a drain before more shit comes to unclog it.
I hope you realize that god is now going to subject Ireland to hurricanes/tornadoes/earthquakes in the near future.......
Quote from: stromboli on May 23, 2015, 04:15:24 PM
I hope you realize that god is now going to subject Ireland to hurricanes/tornadoes/earthquakes in the near future.......
Ireland is often so drunk it wouldn't notice.
(http://i3.bebo.com/039/13/mediuml/2007/12/22/21/4485612621a6433381731ml.gif)
A terrific result; I was afraid it was going to be close, like the divorce vote turned out to be. Makes me proud to have a little Irish ancestry.
Quote from: Atheon on May 23, 2015, 03:04:51 PM
The current pope is progressive as popes go. That's to say, not very progressive at all. But I'd rather see a pope who's slightly progressive than one who is extremely regressive, like his predecessor. A little change for the better is preferable to a lot of change for the worse.
I'll even go so far as to say he's a breath of fresh air, but the air was so vile already he could hardly help but be.
Quote from: trdsf on May 23, 2015, 05:08:33 PM
A terrific result; I was afraid it was going to be close, like the divorce vote turned out to be. Makes me proud to have a little Irish ancestry.
I'll even go so far as to say he's a breath of fresh air, but the air was so vile already he could hardly help but be.
I'm pretty sure I have Irish in my background. As far as the pope is concerned, he is a bit of fresh air. But actually, I'd rather have him be very, very conservative. I think the rest of the world would grow tired quicker of the Catholic Church. But I also realize it really isn't going anywhere for at least a few more hundred years.
(http://i.imgur.com/jqdOKqF.jpg)
This explains the earthquake in Somalia.
Quote from: Munch on May 23, 2015, 04:00:10 PM
it won't last, just think about this pope being a clog in a drain before more shit comes to unclog it.
Experience tells me that more shit doesn't unclog the drai..........Wait............do you shit in your sink?
With everything negative the catholic church has experienced coming to light in the past 10+ years, I've come to believe they are too big to fail. Any other corporation would be long gone. I seriously can't believe their continual habit of protecting and hiding priests. George pell was moved to the vatican to protect him from inquiries into abuse that he covered up in Sydney. He's being petitioned to come back and give answers. George Pell is an arrogant ass.
Congrats Ireland. Could this have any sway with the U.S. Supreme Court?
Quote from: hrdlr110 on May 23, 2015, 11:56:24 PMWith everything negative the catholic church has experienced coming to light in the past 10+ years, I've come to believe they are too big to fail. Any other corporation would be long gone.
I don't know how big they still are in the US. They are certainly big in South America and Africa. In Europe however they're failing hard!
Gerard
Quote from: Gerard on May 24, 2015, 07:21:16 AM
I don't know how big they still are in the US. They are certainly big in South America and Africa. In Europe however they're failing hard!
Gerard
Thank God!!
Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on May 23, 2015, 09:49:10 PM
This explains the earthquake in Somalia.
So god still has shitty aim.
Now that gay marriage is legal, next thing you know, gays will get married! And if that happens, there will be married gays!!
https://youtu.be/y9cSq8bqFaM
Whup, flooding in Texas and Oklahoma. No doubt because of Ireland.
Man, and I thought the storm troopers in Star Wars couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...
I wouldn't have seen this coming so soon. I really thought Ireland was far too religious given their recent anti-blasphemy laws!
Quote from: wolf39us on May 26, 2015, 10:52:09 AM
I wouldn't have seen this coming so soon. I really thought Ireland was far too religious given their recent anti-blasphemy laws!
Ireland has changed a lot recently. The Catholic church has lost a lot of credit there. And they lost it fast! Modernisation, economic growth (now in decline again of course) new generation and of course lots of Catholic related scandals..... Horrible consequences resulting from their draconic abortion laws and the way they treated children and young people under their childcare, awful stories have come up how orphans and pregnant girls were treated in the Catholic homes the state put them in back in the fifties and sixties. That didn't do much for their popularity either.
Gerard
Scandinavian countries always make me so excited. I think I need to live in any of them.
the straight guy with a few kinks in my closet is happy for this..
Quote from: eylul on May 26, 2015, 05:03:14 PM
Scandinavian countries always make me so excited. I think I need to live in any of them.
I always figured that if religious zealots in the Republican party made the country unlivable (which ISN'T too likely given how even Jesus-stan America is becoming less religious over time) I'd go live in a place like Norway or Sweden where the people are generally happy and not that religious.
Quote from: Savior2006 on May 28, 2015, 11:49:23 AM
I always figured that if religious zealots in the Republican party made the country unlivable (which ISN'T too likely given how even Jesus-stan America is becoming less religious over time) I'd go live in a place like Norway or Sweden where the people are generally happy and not that religious.
I'd go to Italy. People may be more religious there than in Scandinavia, but the weather is better.....
Gerard
More from the Irish cabby:
Gerard
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGDA81NUMAEw0mu.jpg)
(THE IRISH ARE A DISGRACE TO MANKIND)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk4kOso5zrg
Quote from: Savior2006 on May 28, 2015, 11:49:23 AM
I always figured that if religious zealots in the Republican party made the country unlivable (which ISN'T too likely given how even Jesus-stan America is becoming less religious over time) I'd go live in a place like Norway or Sweden where the people are generally happy and not that religious.
I lived in Sweden about 5 mounths with the university programme called Erasmus and i had amazing times for sure. They are so relax and they have clear mind. No stress no pain. Really I want to live in there. As you said those people are not religious and country is not crowd. This two reasons are enough to live in there. Yes I have plans to move in there too.
To be honest I like cold weather, so the weather wasnt a problem for me:)
Quote from: eylul on May 29, 2015, 08:34:11 AM
I lived in Sweden about 5 mounths with the university programme called Erasmus and i had amazing times for sure. They are so relax and they have clear mind. No stress no pain. Really I want to live in there. As you said those people are not religious and country is not crowd. This two reasons are enough to live in there. Yes I have plans to move in there too.
To be honest I like cold weather, so the weather wasnt a problem for me:)
Run girl! Don't look back. :)
hehe it will be my next step after graduate:))
Quote from: eylul on May 29, 2015, 11:26:15 AM
hehe it will be my next step after graduate:))
Good for you! I was lucky enough to have visited my relatives there (my mother's parents were from Sweden), traveled by car from Northern Denmark to Swedish Lapland. A great country. Stockholm is a grand city. And the people are too--being half Swedish made them even more friendly.