With just five days to go before Ireland’s historic referendum on the legalisation of gay marriage, a bitter row has broken out between supporters and opponents over the funding of their respective campaigns. Supporters of a yes vote have accused opponents of a lack of transparency over finances and of accepting funding from rightwing Christian groups in the US.
Ireland’s referendum is the only one in the world where a national electorate is being asked to legalise gay marriage. If it is passed on Friday, gay couples will have the right under the state’s constitution to marry. At present only civil partnerships are recognised in law. Marriage equality would provide full rights of inheritance as well as the right to adopt children – the latter being the most contentious issue of the campaign. A yes vote would also mark yet another defeat for the Catholic church and the political power it used to wield in Ireland.
The yes campaign says its opponents have a huge advantage in terms of resources for buying billboard and poster space and have spent tens of thousands of euros in the last few weeks alone. Now no campaigners have booked full-page advertisements to appear later this week in dozens of regional Irish papers, calling on voters to reject incorporating the right for gay couples to marry into the republic’s constitution.
One of the no side’s strongest supporters in the US is the lavishly funded National Organisation for Marriage (NOM). In a letter to supporters around the world, it has urged evangelical Christians to visit keepmarriage.org, which is campaigning for a no vote.
“Just like in campaigns for marriage here in America,” the letter says, “slanted public opinion polls become fodder to influence and depress supporters of marriage. This is happening in Ireland. If [the no campaign] can manage to pull off a victory, it will be a tremendous boost to the cause of marriage worldwide. Please do what you can to bring awareness to their efforts.”
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US Christians ‘bankrolling’ no campaign in Ireland’s gay marriage referendum | World news | The Guardian
Ireland’s referendum is the only one in the world where a national electorate is being asked to legalise gay marriage. If it is passed on Friday, gay couples will have the right under the state’s constitution to marry. At present only civil partnerships are recognised in law. Marriage equality would provide full rights of inheritance as well as the right to adopt children – the latter being the most contentious issue of the campaign. A yes vote would also mark yet another defeat for the Catholic church and the political power it used to wield in Ireland.
The yes campaign says its opponents have a huge advantage in terms of resources for buying billboard and poster space and have spent tens of thousands of euros in the last few weeks alone. Now no campaigners have booked full-page advertisements to appear later this week in dozens of regional Irish papers, calling on voters to reject incorporating the right for gay couples to marry into the republic’s constitution.
One of the no side’s strongest supporters in the US is the lavishly funded National Organisation for Marriage (NOM). In a letter to supporters around the world, it has urged evangelical Christians to visit keepmarriage.org, which is campaigning for a no vote.
“Just like in campaigns for marriage here in America,” the letter says, “slanted public opinion polls become fodder to influence and depress supporters of marriage. This is happening in Ireland. If [the no campaign] can manage to pull off a victory, it will be a tremendous boost to the cause of marriage worldwide. Please do what you can to bring awareness to their efforts.”
more
US Christians ‘bankrolling’ no campaign in Ireland’s gay marriage referendum | World news | The Guardian
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