I believe in marriage equality

THE great American poet and human rights campaigner Maya Angelou once said that

“love recognises no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.

?

On May 22 we have an opportunity to arrive at our own destination full of hope by voting yes to equal marriage and ensuring that our gay friends and family members have the right to marry the person that they love.

That is what this referendum is about: love. It is about allowing a loving couple to publically declare their love in front of their friends and family. It is about allowing a loving couple to legally protect each other should anything happen to one of them.

Nothing is as beautiful as love. It is what holds our society together. It is what builds all friendships and relationships. What pleasure could any of us take by denying someone the right to publicly declare their love for another person?

Next year we will be commemorating the 100 year anniversary of the 1916 Rising. At the heart of this commemoration will be the recognition of the Proclamation of our Republic, a document built on the concept of equality and one which aspired to

“cherish all of the children of the nation equally

?.

I think it would be a fitting tribute to those brave men and women who fought for these aspirations that we would move even closer towards a more equal society and grant the right to marry to our gay citizens.

As the campaign goes on, I am learning just how many people are affected by the outcome of this vote. I have met many gay people who just want to be able to marry the person that they love. I have met parents and grandparents who just want to see their children and grandchildren treated equally.

I have met brothers who cannot understand why their siblings do not have the same rights as them just because of their sexual orientation. This referendum affects the happiness of thousands of LGBT couples across the country but it also affects the happiness of all of the people that love them. So it is important to remember that when we vote in May we will have the happiness of thousands of people in our hands.

Everyone knows a gay person. It might be your aunt, your uncle, your son, your sister or your next-door neighbour.

Our gay friends and family members are no different to any of us. They get up each morning and go to work like everyone else. They volunteer with local charities, like everyone else. They look after their elderly family members, like everyone else.

On May 22 all they are asking is that they be allowed to get married, just like everyone else. So let’s jump over these hurdles, leap over these fences and arrive at our destination full of hope by voting Yes to Equal Marriage on May 22.

Aodhán � Ríordáin TD is the newly appointed Minister for Drugs.