Council approves marriage equality

Cork City Council last night became the first local authority in the Republic to officially approve a motion on marriage equality.

The motion, put forward by Sinn Féin Councillor Michael Nugent, was passed unanimously by councillors at the last meeting before the summer recess. 

"Introducing civil marriages for same-sex couples is an issue that is gaining support among the public," said Cllr Nugent. 

"I believe a majority of parties represented in this chamber have it declared as party policy, all parties here were present at the recent Gay Pride march in Dublin. While the introduction of Civil Partnerships was a welcome step it seems there is a significant gap between Civil Marriage and Civil Partnerships."

Cllr Nugent also highlighted the limits that Civil Partnership has on couples looking to adopt children, social supports in the case of bereavement, tax treatment and legal status under a series of Family Law Acts. 

The motion read, "This Council supports the rights and entitlements to civil marriages for all citizens if Cork City regardless of race, religion or sexuality."

“This is a wonderful step by Cork City Council, and we’d like to thank all of the councillors for their support, and particularly Cllr Nugent for taking the initiative to raise awareness of this important issue at a local level”, said Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith.  

“The fact that the motion was passed unanimously shows that the people of Cork really believe in essential Irish values of justice, equality, fairness, and respect.”

This was the second motion of Sinn Féin on marriage equality, having already passed a motion in Belfast earlier this month. No other councillor voiced opposition at the meeting.