Sinéad Baker | Co-Editor-at-Large
Last night, it was announced that the 7th annual March for Marriage is to take place Sunday, May 17th, five days before the referendum on marriage equality.
The march, organised by LGBT Noise, an independent campaign group that advocates for LGBT rights, is to begin at City Hall at 2pm. The march is typically held in August, however the organisers decided to plan the march “in advance of the referendum as we think that such a public demonstration of support for marriage equality can help to ensure the referendum passes.”
The event takes place on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
Speaking to The University Times, Darren O’Gorman, Organiser with LGBT Noise, stated: “It has never been more important for the diversity of support for the extension of civil marriage rights to LGBT people to be visible than in advance of this historic referendum. We hope that the March will give an opportunity to the overwhelming majority of people who are in support of a yes vote to take to the streets”.
He continued: “We want to make the March a morale boost for every single person supporting marriage equality at the beginning of the final week of campaigning, to energise them and to convince any remaining undecided voters the importance of voting yes.”
The group has also stated they “aim to support local groups in running marches through the length and breadth of Ireland in advance of the referendum.”
Commenting to The University Times Robert Milling, who served as Auditor of Q Soc, Trinity’s LGBT society, up until last week, expressed hope that holding the march before the referendum would “give everyone who supports same-sex marriage a chance to get out there and really show solidarity for equality in this country”. He continued: “A prominent increase in visibility of those affected by the referendum right before the vote could influence ‘soft yes’ voters into actually going to their polling stations and voting on the day.”
Over 8,000 people marched in the 2014 March for Marriage, in what was described on the day as the last march before the referendum. Representatives from LGBT youth organisation BeLonGTo, the Union of Students in Ireland, Transgender Equality Network Ireland and LGBT Pavee, who represent the Traveller community spoke at the event.
Photo by Edmund Heaphy for The University Times
