This article is from page 11 of the 2006-05-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
ENNIS based gay rights organisation, Gay Clare, has called on the Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to go farther than the legislative changes promised last week and introduce full civil unions for homosexual couples in Ireland.
Gay Clare believes that there could be as many as 300 Clare men who are cohabiting in committed relationships and would be in a position to take advantage of civil unions. They estimate there are 3,000 gay men living in the county.
“We believe that gay marriage should be recognised in Ireland. It is an issue of equality and a gay couple should have the same rights and responsibilities as married couples,” said a spokesperson for Gay Clare.
“Minister McDowell is trying to change the legislation, but we do not feel that he is going far enough. We want to have full equality.”
While Gay Clare is committed to the creation of equal status between gay and heterosexual couples, it believes that this can be created whilst maintaining the special status of marriage as set out in the constitution.
“It does not have to be called marriage – it could be a civil union, or a partnership,” continued the Gay Clare spokesperson.
“There is a system like this already in place in at least four other countries and the sky has not fallen down over there.”
Speaking at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin last week the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, outlined a number of legislative changes which he has planned concerning gay couples.
This meeting was interrupted by a group of protesters claiming to represent the Ancient Order of Hibernians who heckled the Minister and held up proceedings for 10 minutes.
“I would consider the Ancient Order of Hibernians to be a homophobic group and I would not like to give them any more publicity by talking about it,” concluded the spokesperson for Gay Clare.