Hey Ireland, nicely done! From the Guardian:
Some 62% of the Irish Republic’s electorate voted in favour of gay marriage. The result means that a republic once dominated by the Catholic church ignored the instructions of its cardinals and bishops. The huge Yes vote marks another milestone in Ireland’s journey towards a more liberal, secular society.
Out of an electorate of more than 3 million, 1,201,607 backed gay marriage, while 734,300 voters said No. The result prompted a massive street party around the gay district of central Dublin close to the national count centre.
Directly addressing Ireland’s gay community, taoiseach Enda Kenny said the result meant that “a majority of people in this republic have stood up for them [those in the gay community]”. He said: “In the privacy of the ballot box, the people made a public statement. With today’s vote we have disclosed who we are. We are a generous, compassionate, bold and joyful people who say yes to inclusion, yes to generosity, yes to love, yes to gay marriage.”
Irish deputy prime minister and Labour leader Joan Burton added: “The people of Ireland have struck a massive blow against discrimination.”
And quoting the late American politician and LGBT rights activist Harvey Milk, she said: “Hope will never be silent.”
Human rights should never be voted on but it’s nice that when they were here, empathy and facts beat fear and ignorance.
Catholic and other Christian leaders — as opposed to many actual Catholics and Christians — were on the wrong side of history and morality today. They’ll probably pay a very big price for it.