On Monday, Northern Ireland nearly joined the rest of the United Kingdom in approving same-sex marriage for the region. The issue looked as though it would pass, at first. Of all the 105 members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 53 lawmakers voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage, with 51 voting against and one member abstaining, according to The New York Times.
However, The Democratic Unionist Party (a Protestant right-wing party which holds the most seats in the Assembly) blocked the motion from passing by issuing a “petition of concern.” As an original report from The Guardian states, these lawmakers made this political move because a change in the law “does not command sufficient cross-community support.” In other words, these lawmakers argue that the vote was not representative of Northern Ireland’s deeply religious views on same-sex marriage, regardless of whether these citizens are Protestant or Catholic.
Issuing these “petitions of concern” is a legitimate practice in the United Kingdom government. In order to issue this notice, at least 30 Assembly members’ signatures from at least 40 percent of unionist and nationalist lawmakers are needed. On the other hand, members of Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community condemn The Democratic Unionist Party’s actions, calling it an abuse of power. According to The Washington Blade, LGBTQ+ rights advocacy leader John O’ Doherty stated, “It is true that the DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) have abused the ‘petition of concern’ to block this vote and are now ignoring the will of the assembly and the people of Northern Ireland.”
Monday’s events now make Northern Ireland the only part of the United Kingdom which does not recognize gay marriage. In fact, just a day before Northern Ireland’s ruling, same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland was signed into law after passing by 60 percent in the poll results. Gay marriage in Wales, Scotland, and England has been legal since 2014. This domino effect occurring in the U.K. gave those in Northern Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community hope that their region would also demonstrate a shift in the times.
Despite the fact that same sex-marriage in Northern Ireland was immediately vetoed, it was still a landmark vote, and those in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies still consider it a victory. According to The Belfast Telegraph, this was the Assembly’s fifth time considering the issue, but it was the first time it passed a simple majority vote. Says Northern Irish politician Clare Moore, "[While disappointed] we nevertheless see this as a great step forward in the campaign for civil marriage equality."
Despite The Democratic Unionist Party’s claims that the majority of Christian citizens (especially Catholics) oppose homosexuality, Moore does have reason to believe Northern Ireland will eventually pass same-sex marriage. After all, when the Republic of Ireland legalized same-sex marriage in 2014, the event demonstrated how attitudes of those who identify as devoutly Roman Catholic have shifted—even among leaders in the Church. For example, upon hearing same-sex marriage was passed, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, announced to school children who were awaiting the news, “Boys and girls, I made a confirmation 60 years ago, [but] your world is different than mine.”
Although Northern Ireland’s and the Republic of Ireland’s histories have been fraught with tension, the LGBTQ+ community can, perhaps, take comfort in the fact that both of these religious communities are taking strides to change their attitudes towards queer rights after hundreds of years.
