Pic: Marie McCallan/Press 22
by Kathy Masterson
THE historic marriage equality referendum on Friday was backed by 64 per cent of voters in Limerick city and 55 in the county.
Turnout was high across the 300 polling booths across Limerick, with 63.3 per cent of those eligible to vote in the city, and 58.5 per cent in the county, casting their ballots.
A number of Limerick couples are already planning their big days following the announcement of the referendum result on Saturday.
“I feel like the whole world is a different place”
AS LIMERICK said yes on Saturday, one local woman decided to mark the momentous occasion by popping the question to her girlfriend of six years at the Limerick count centre.
Billie (41), who doesn’t use a surname, proposed to partner Kate Stoica (26) just seconds after official tallies confirmed that the marriage equality referendum was passed.
Billie told the Limerick Post: “I’ve had the ring for four years. We had talked before about who was going to ask who and we had discussed having a civil partnership, but we decided against it because it’s not the same as marriage.
“I was trying to think of a romantic way to propose and I felt that it needed to be something that Kate would never be able to forget. I figured if it was a yes vote then it would be something that nobody would forget.”
She chose to propose against the backdrop of the Bruno Mars song ‘Just The Way You Are’ because it’s “a song we sing to each other in the car”.
“I was a complete wreck. I just sat and tallied all day. When the final box was tallied my friend put on the music and I pulled Kate aside but I had no idea that there would be all those people there. I thought there would be press but I figured we might just be in the Limerick Post, I never thought it would go as big.
“It’s weird looking back at the videos and seeing all those people around us, but at the time all I could see was Kate. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I was so nervous, I totally forgot the speech I had prepared in my head, but Kate said yes so that’s all that matters,” Billie explained.
Billie, who hails from Scotland, says the couple are awaiting the introduction of legislation allowing marriages between same sex couples before they set a date, however she hopes they will wed “as soon as possible”.
She continued: “It’s amazing that we’re now thinking about what kind of wedding we’ll have; I’ve never been in a position in my life where I could do that. I have always dreamed that one day I would get married, except for me it was to a woman and I’d be wearing a suit.
“I’ve decided I’m going to wear a kilt suit in the family tartan. My sister died recently and my mother died ten years ago, so I’ll be carrying my family with me in my tartan colours.”
Billie concluded: “I feel like the whole world is a different place, not just for me but for everyone. Ireland said yes, Limerick said yes, and Kate said yes. For me that was the most important yes of the day.”
Yes result “fantastic and humbling”
JOHN James Hickey and Shaun Moriarty, who live in Ballina Co Tipperary, got engaged last year and plan to get married next summer.
John James says the couple are “very, very happy” with Saturday’s referendum result as they are now planning a marriage as opposed to a civil partnership.
“Obviously we’re absolutely delighted with the result. It means we can finally get down to wedding planning properly – and it means I now can’t avoid any conversations about wedding planning, which Shaunie has accused me of over the past year. It’s also fantastic and very humbling to have 1.2 million people endorse your relationship and your right to marry.
“We had our venue provisionally booked since last year so we have been planning for it already but this makes it an awful lot easier. We’ll be able to do it all in the one place and there won’t be a mad dash to the venue from the registry office. And of course we’ll now have constitutional protection,” he told the Limerick Post.
Both John James and Shaun have been heavily involved in the local LGBT community and the campaign for equal marriage rights for same sex couples; the pair canvassed on behalf of the Yes Equality movement in Limerick and Ballina-Killaloe.
John James was also the coordinator of Limerick’s bid to host the 2018 Gay Games, in which Limerick reached the final three potential host cities alongside London and Paris.
John James added: “We’ve been out on the doors for the last couple of months canvassing. Our lives had been on hold for the last six months or so really. This referendum was going to decide for us whether or not we were going to be able to stay in Ireland to get married, and now we can and that means an awful lot.
“It’s still feeling a bit surreal; we weren’t sure how to feel when it was passed. We were living in trepidation for so long thinking about the possibilities if it didn’t pass. We hadn’t really allowed ourselves to hope that it would pass.”
What they said:
Dave Cuddihy, Yes Equality Limerick
“At present there is such a feeling of pride, acceptance and gratitude amongst the LGBT community not just in Limerick but across Ireland. The passing of the referendum means so many things to us, for some it means they can finally marry their long term partners and avail of the constitutional protections which were not there for us before, for others it simple means acceptance. The Irish public have let us know that they believe their gay friends and family to be equal in our little country which has taken pride of place on the worldwide stage over the past week.”
Cllr Cian Prendiville (AAA)
“The campaign and result show that the ideas and conservative grip of the religious Right and the church has been broken and are trailing behind the main body of public opinion. The battle by the LGBTQ community must continue to sweep away all forms of discrimination including the ban on gay men giving blood and the right of schools to sack gay teachers.”
Cllr Maurice Quinlivan (SF)
“The large ‘Yes’ vote of 24,789, or 64.15 per cent across Limerick City is very welcome. This campaign energised and brought a whole new generation of young people onto the electoral register and into politics and voting for the first time. We need to keep them engaged. This results shows that change is possible. Another notable aspect of the campaign was the huge desire among many of our diaspora for the right to vote. It underlines the case that our emigrants should no longer be denied a voice in our democracy and mechanisms must be found to include them.”
Michael Barron, Belong To
“We’ve changed forever what it means to grow up LGBT in Ireland. The Irish people, via the ballot box, have today given each and every gay child and young person in Ireland – and across the world – a strong and powerful message that they are loved, they are cared for, and don’t need to change who they are. A new generation has spoken. This is a generation with open, kind hearts, a generosity of spirit and a great capacity to love. They have gone to the polls in their thousands and are responsible for this historic victory for their gay brothers and sisters.”
Cllr Lisa Marie Sheehy (SF)
“I was proud to see rural areas say yes , extending equal rights to same sex couples. It is clear we have made history. The people of our county and country have sent a clear message to our LGBT people in Ireland and across the world that we stand together as equal citizens where LGBT rights are no longer on the back burner in our society but are equal.”
Frances Fitzgerald, Justice Minister
I am very conscious that many couples will want to get married as soon as possible. I am working to make that happen. The Marriage Bill, which is currently being drafted, will enable same sex couples to get married in the same way as opposite sex couples. My intention is to seek Government approval for the Marriage Bill 2015 in June with the aim of introducing the Bill into the Oireachtas immediately thereafter so that the legislation can be enacted before the summer recess.
