The NI Same Sex Marriage Court Case | Pocketmags.com

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The NI Same Sex Marriage Court Case

Earlier this year, we here in the Republic celebrated two years since the passing of 2015’s marriage referendum. Meanwhile, mere miles away, our LGBT+ neighbours to the north have not been so lucky.

On August 17, Belfast’s High Court dismissed two cases challenging the lack of provision for same-sex marriage in the country. One of the cases was take by two couples – ex GCN staffer, Grainne Close and Shannon Sickles, and Chris and Henry Flanagan-Kane – the first gay and first lesbian couples to become civil partners in the UK in 2005 (all pictured above).

For 12 years both couples have struggled to have their relationships recognised, only for political parties like the DUP to doggedly challenge every attempt to bring Northern Ireland into the 21st century, with regard to marriage equality.

The DUP has repeatedly vetoed the legalisation of same-sex marriage using a ‘petition of concern’ to prevent the Assembly members vote in favour of legalisation in Stormont from progressing, and the party’s leader Arlene Foster remains resolutely opposed to marriage equality.

Back in 2004 the Irish courts gave a similarly yellow-bellied judgement, when Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan sought to have their Canadian marriage recognised under Irish law, and a drawn-out palava ensued. The courts wouldn’t rule in favour (God forbid), the government was too scared to legislate, so 11 years later they put it to the Irish people to vote on our rights. Luckily it turned out good in the end, as we’re sure it will in Northern Ireland. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another decade, though!

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