Poll: Irish
citizens favor legalizing same-sex unions

A new poll by the Irish Examiner shows that a majority of residents in Ireland are in favor of giving legal status to same-sex couples. The survey reports that 51% of adults would support a civil partnerships law for gay couples. A spokesman for the country's Gay and Lesbian Equality Network said, "When you consider where we have come from--where you could be imprisoned for life for being gay--this is definitely progress. People are changing." One in six respondents said they believe homosexuality is wrong, and one third said they wouldn't feel comfortable if a member of their immediate family came out as gay. The poll surveyed 1,000 people and had a three-point margin of error. A government group examining the subject of civil partnerships in Ireland is due to report in June. (Sirius OutQ News)