Thousands of people have marched in Dublin to protest against the shortcomings of Ireland's civil partnership legislation. The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2009 extended marriage-like benefits to gay and lesbian couples in some areas of property, social welfare, succession, maintenance, pensions and tax when it was signed into law last month. It did not address the rights of children of same-sex couples. Sunday's March For Marriage began at City Hall and ended at the Department of Justice on St Stephen's Green. LGBT campaign group "Noise" say the Government tried to "pacify" the gay community with the introduction of the legislation, but had failed. Organiser Max Krzyzanowski told the Irish Times the legislation excluded LGBT people from a fundamental civil and human right and made them second-class citizens. It did not provide equality for gay people and their families. "One of the most outrageous aspects of the partnership scheme is the complete lack of any rights for gay parents and their children," he said. But even if the partnership legislation offered all the benefits of marriage, it would still be discrimination because it would be a separate system, he said. "A separate system is not an equal system."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 23rd August 2010 - 11:02am