Student representatives from NUS-USI, joined by supporters from the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), will attend today’s March for Marriage Equality in Belfast, calling on Stormont and Westminster to legislate for equal marriage.
Earlier today, students attended Northern Ireland’s first Trans Pride. NUS-USI, Northern Ireland’s students’ union, has been campaigning for many years to achieve marriage equality, joining Love Equality, the coalition for marriage equality in Northern Ireland.
Last year was the first year for Belfast’s March for Marriage Equality, which attracted a strong turnout. Speaking to The University Times, Olivia Potter-Hughes, President NUS-USI said that she expects “even more momentum this time”.
The march will begin at 2.30pm today and will end with speeches from repeal the eighth campaign leader Ailbhe Smyth, actor Bronagh Waugh and Conor McGinn MP outsideq Belfast City Hall.
Potter-Hughes believes that many have lost hope in the idea that the Stormont government will be effect legislative change in the near future: “For Love Equality, it has become increasingly important that Westminster step up to the plate and take a leading role in making sure Northern Ireland isn’t left behind the rest of the UK and that we have the same rights and entitlements as other citizens that live within the UK.”
Much of the coalition’s emphasis is being placed on two private members bills proposed in Westminster calling for marriage equality.
Activists are also lobbying for the restrictive petition of concern to be reformed, which has prevented legislative change from being implemented by the government in Stormont. Speaking to The University Times, NUS-USI LGBT+ officer Conor Loughran said: “As it currently stands there’s no possibility of any legislation on marriage equality coming through the executive in Stormont. It’s impossible to get anything done by our own local government.”
“Our focus is shifting towards Westminster. Essentially getting the government ministers to act on the promises they talk about, legislate for marriage equality to make sure we have the same basic human rights across the UK”, he said.
The march aims to highlight the situation in Northern Ireland and place pressure on Stormont and Westminster to extend marriage equality to citizens in the North. “I’m hoping that the sheer amount of power in the people’s voices will exert a huge amount of pressure on our elected reps as well as on Storming and Westminster,” Loughran stated.
USI will be attending the March today, as well as the Trans Pride rally scheduled to take place directly before it. USI Vice-President for Academic Affairs Oisin Hassan and Vice-President for Campaigns-elect Michelle Byrne will be leading the contingent.
National University of Ireland Galway Students’ Union (NUIGSU) and Cork Institute of Technology Students’ Union (CITSU) will also be taking a solidarity action in Strasbourg, where they are attending a European youth event.
In an email statement to The University Times, Michelle Byrne said: “It’s incredibly important we support the North. Students and student leaders based in Northern Ireland stood with us in our fight for Marriage Equality.”
“USI has been supporting NUS-USI at their pride marches for years but it is important now after the momentum of the referendum that we continue to put on the pressure for action to take place on this in the North”, she said.
Potter-Hughes emphasised the importance of the support from Irish students’ unions of the marriage equality campaign in Northern Ireland: “It is incredibly important and its encouraging and it reminds us that we’re not alone here. It can feel like that when there’s so little progress and hope for legislative change. It means a lot.”
Loughran echoed that sentiment, saying: “The North-South relationship when it comes to equality issues is so integral.”
Both Potter-Hughes and Loughran commended USI for its support. “They have always been brilliant particularly when there are events like this on, there’s always a massive display of solidarity and support and lots and lots of students come up”, Potter-Hughes said.
Students’ unions played a key role in the victory of the marriage equality referendum in Ireland in 2015. Students led large groups to march in Dublin and joined canvassing groups en masse. Large-scale student campaigns, such as the online Ring Your Granny campaign and the series of voter registration drives, were key to the campaign’s success.
Eleanor O’Mahony also contributed reporting to this piece.
