by Grainne Healy

Friday, May 22 2015 was the day the Irish nation decided to tell the world that their LGBT+ sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, family and friends belonged. The Yes vote, by 62 percent of the electorate told us loud and clear that we should put away residual doubts about our value and inclusion. It said we could allow ourselves to be embraced by the love, fairness, inclusion, generosity and equality that were evidenced that day. These were the values of the campaign, values to which Ireland not only aspired, but actually managed to exhibit, on that day, in that vote. And many claim they still feel the reverberations, some years on.

The day of the announcement of the result Saturday, May 23 has three outstanding memories for me. The first is being in RTÉ studios to do an interview on how the day might shape up at 9am when, just 15 minutes after the first ballot boxes had opened, the No campaign conceded defeat. After more than a decade of campaigning for marriage equality, it seemed that suddenly we had won, that the long campaign journey was over.

The second memory is the one that has become the iconic global memory, the celebrations in Dublin Castle. My Co-Director of the Yes Equality campaign, Brian Sheehan and I had purposely decided we would not go to the Castle early, but left it to others to bask in the celebrations with the media – our promotion work was work. The images of various political figures claiming their part in the victory was amusing, given that some of those getting most coverage had done little during the campaign – but that is Irish politics. We could afford to continue to be generous. We had won.

The third memory was the after party in Ballsbridge where we danced and sang ’til we were hoarse, had visits from Mary McAleese and many of the other political leaders coming to say ‘well done’ and then Brian, Noel Whelan, Karl Hayden and I paid a visit to say thank-you to supporters in Panti Bar, after which I finally retired to a hotel room for a quiet cup of tea with my top supporter, my partner Patricia, as the day to trump all days came to a close.

The movement for Marriage Equality in Ireland began with a lesbian couple bravely challenging the failure of the state to recognise their Canadian marriage. Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan dreamed about where that legal challenge might take them and Ireland. Their small support group, the KAL initiative, soon transformed into Marriage Equality and the movement building began.

The Yes Equality campaign lasted for 107 days from launch to the referendum day itself and drew support from all corners of Ireland. Led by Marriage Equality, GLEN and ICCL, it attracted supporters and offered an invitation to Irish society – an invitation to be our best selves; to banish the dark old days where secrets and silences were the themes by which many LGBT+ people had been forced to live our lives.

There had been milestones on the journey to Yes, of course – decriminalisation, equal status legislation and some might argue the advent of civil partnership – but the Yes Equality campaign drew the response of Ireland to the fundamental questions: Do these people belong? Do they deserve equality? How can we show them and the world that Ireland is a place of equals? How can we show that our diverse families are loving and loved?

The Yes Equality campaign, built on more than a decade of work by the Marriage Equality team led by Moninne Griffith and Andrew Hyland and a dedicated voluntary board, had laid out the path to the formation of Yes Equality. We gained political support by encouraging the use of personal stories, getting visibility for same-sex headed families bravely putting their faces to posters and magazine articles showing our diversity. Marriage Equality supported individuals and couples who were willing to speak to politicians and the media as we built a national movement.

The win itself in May 2015 was down to the thousands of people from all sections of Irish society who wanted to be part of this significant social change movement. From Cork to Killybegs, Darndale to Kilrush, the people who canvassed and started conversations, who gave out leaflets and worked on the Yes bus as it travelled the 26 counties of Ireland, pushed for a win. The students and the LGBT+ community groups, the business sector, the political parties, the professions, the trades unionists and so many more. Marriage Equality and Yes Equality campaigns can take acknowledgement for providing the logistics, the road map, the guiding tone and the framework for the campaign, but those who delivered the win were the activists and supporters who made the Yes vote happen.

Thanks to each of you, you know who you are.

Gráinne Healy was Chairwoman of Marriage Equality and Co-Director of the Yes Equality campaign