A new Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) campaign is hoping to encourage young men to talk about the eighth amendment – and emulate the success of the #RingYourGranny campaign during the marriage equality referendum.
The new campaign, which was launched today with a video, is calling on young men to #RingTheLads. The video shows young men ringing friends and male relatives to talk about the eighth amendment and asks other young people to do the same ahead of the referendum on May 25th.
Men have been targeted in particular by the repeal side in recent weeks, amidst fears many will stay home and not vote on an issue perceived to be about women. The #MenForYes campaign, which launched in recent days, spread across social media, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar offering his support.
During the marriage equality referendum, TCDSU’s #RingYourGranny campaign went viral. It showed students calling their older relatives in a bid to encourage them to vote yes. A campaign during Australia’s recent poll on marriage equality took direct inspiration from the video.
“I knew coming into this role last July that the Repeal campaign was going to be a large part of it and I was enthusiastic to make a video similar to that of #RingYourGranny for the referendum on the eighth amendment”, TCDSU Communications and Marketing Officer Úna Harty said.
TCDSU President Kevin Keane, who appears in the video, said: “The message behind this video is very simple – abortion is a topic that young men need to be talking about. We have seen time and time again that when people have these compassionate, honest conversations, they almost always emerge from them as Yes voters.”
Students have been at the forefront of the repeal campaign in recent years, organising marches, demonstrations and strikes. TCDSU, alongside the Union of Students in Ireland, has campaigned heavily for repeal this year and has started a regular canvassing schedule in front of College Green as the referendum date approaches.
