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Irish Pres. Signs Gay Partners Bill


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Ireland’s president, Mary McAleese, signed the country’s Civil Partnership Bill into law Monday morning, offering same-sex couples protections that include access to pensions, inheritance, and power of attorney, among others.

The bill had been making its way through the various legislative bodies and McAleese was expected to sign it sometime in August. It is not expected to take effect until the fall.

“This is a great day for Ireland. Lesbian and gay people, their parents, families, friends neighbors, colleagues can now look forward to celebrating their civil partnerships in the near future," said Kieran Rose of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. “It is a tribute to the openness and welcoming nature of Irish society and the commitment of all our legislators and is a major civil rights milestone for lesbian and gay people."

Read more on the bill here.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Hugh
    Date posted: 7/26/2010 2:23:43 AM
    Hometown: Dallas

    Comment:

    Civilized society shifts further and further towards equality and leaves the United States of America on the side of the room where Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, etc., hangs out. Really? Really?

  • Name: Roy
    Date posted: 7/20/2010 6:47:17 PM
    Hometown: Morrilton, Arkansas

    Comment:

    I guess I'm behind the times on a lot things because this is one thing I never expected to do, sure glad they don't chop their knobs as Colin Farrell would say lol.

  • Name: kev
    Date posted: 7/20/2010 12:10:12 AM
    Hometown: Boston

    Comment:

    I wonder if there is really a gay couple in Ireland whose names are Patrick Fitzgerald and Gerald Fitzpatrick!

  • Name: kev
    Date posted: 7/20/2010 12:07:33 AM
    Hometown: Boston

    Comment:

    @SteveMD2: You seem confused. "Excommunication" in the Catholic Church simply means the person is barred from taking communion. Hitler being already dead, there is not much danger of him wanting to do that (not that he probably did it the last 40 years of his life anyway). Also, Ireland was neutral in WWII and for all its many wonderful qualities, was not much help in getting rid of Hitler!

  • Name: John
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 8:40:30 PM
    Hometown: Dubuque, IA

    Comment:

    As an American of Irish descent, I am very happy to see Ireland take this step forward. Congratulations!

  • Name: KF
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 8:37:28 PM
    Hometown: Indianapolis

    Comment:

    Congrats to Ireland!

  • Name: David Wilkins
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 4:36:54 PM
    Hometown: Dublin

    Comment:

    @Val and Jeff...you beat me to it. She's the Prime Minister. Iceland's head of State is it's President, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, a straight man...not that I have any problem with that :-)

  • Name: Conor Matthews
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 2:12:45 PM
    Hometown: Dundalk, Ireland

    Comment:

    Even though I still believe in same-sex marriage as opposed to same-sex civil union, I still think this is a massive step forward for Ireland. Homosexuality has only been decriminalised since 1993 in Ireland. I was born in 1989 in Ireland. I am older than a law that gives LGBT members full rights. I am older than my right to come out without fear of (legal/governmental) backlash. Think about that.

  • Name: SteveMD2
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 2:07:30 PM
    Hometown: Baltimore

    Comment:

    Ireland - the country that evangelized parts of europe for the homophobic church of the vatican It only took us 3.5 years to destroy the nazi war machine, headed by a stll unexcommunicated catholic named Hitler Why has it take us nearly two thousand years to destroy the monster of the vatican? Its time to end freedom of religious expression, and bring the church under civil and legal laws. by the time the lawsuits are over re how itt has hurt and murdered gay people, Justice will finally be done. And the Vatican will be a museum teaching future generations about hatred in the name of God

  • Name: Conor
    Date posted: 7/19/2010 11:55:25 AM
    Hometown: Ocean City, NJ

    Comment:

    For centuries Ireland was in the shadow and under the oppressive thumb of Great Britain. But since independence and especially since joining the European Union, Ireland has blossomed culturally, economically, socially, and politically. Rather than being an isolated backwater cut off from the European mainland as in the past, Ireland is now at the very heart of Europe and has enthusiastically embraced many of the progressive attitudes of the European mainland......sexual orientation as a human and civil right being one of them. Erin go bragh!



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