Trending 14th April 2015 by Stellar Magazine

#MarRef: STELLAR’s Supporting Marriage Equality on 22nd May & Here’s Why

On 22nd May, we’ll all be asked to vote in a Referendum on the issue of same-sex marriage. Ahead of #MarRef, we sat down with the people most affected to discover what a Yes vote’s going to mean to them.

Sarah-Jade Evenden and Áine Beamish have been together for three years.

Sarah-Jade Evenden and Áine Beamish have been together for three years. Psst: dog Rudi Bug has her own Facebook page! Pic: Naomi Gaffey

Meet Sarah-Jade Evenden, Áine Beamish and dog Rudi. Sarah-Jade and Áine have been together for three years. 

“We met at Mother, a club night, three years ago,” says Sarah-Jade, who works in facilities and administration at the UCD Science Centre.

Marriage equality, says Áine, who works as venue development officer at Outhouse LGBT Community Resource Centre, is a topic that is close to both women’s hearts. “We’ve talked about it a lot lately, because of the Referendum,” she says. But the larger issue – that of equal rights for gay men and women – has never been far from her mind. “I’ve three sisters and the youngest, Niamh is also gay – we don’t have the same rights as our other sisters, and that’s just wrong.”

“A Yes vote in the Referendum will allow us to progress as a couple,” says Sarah-Jade. “We both love Ireland but we want to live in a society and country that recognises our commitment to, and love for, one another.”

“My heart’ll break if Ireland doesn’t support Marriage Equality,” confirms Áine. “But I’m confident that there are so many good-hearted people out there who want equality in Ireland for their neighbours, their friends, their family and for their children.”

Sarah-Jade and Áine are two of seven women we spoke to on the topic ahead of the Referendum on 22nd May. All spoke about why this matters so much to them – and to Irish society. If you’re still undecided, please pick up a copy of STELLAR’s May issue to read how this issue will affect the people who are actually living it; if you’re already going to vote yes, please share this post on Facebook or Twitter to show your support.

Not registered to vote? You’ve got until 5th May to get registered and you can find out lots more information on the issue over on the Yes Equality website.

Tags: