Galway TDs take part in Social Inclusion Week event for Marriage Equality and Amach! LGBT

8 Oct 2012

Marriage Equality and Amach! LGBT will be hosting a panel discussion in the Harbour Hotel, Galway as part of Social Inclusion Week, which runs from October 15th - 21st. The topic of discussion is "The Time for Marriage Equality is Now - Why Talking to your TD Matters", and will feature Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith, Labour TD for Galway West Derek Nolan, and Fine Gael TD for Galway West Seán Kyne. The event will be chaired by Nuala Ward, Chair of Amach! LGBT.

"This event is a first for Galway, and a great opportunity for the public and our representatives in local and national Government to be fully informed on the issues that face the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and the on-going campaign for marriage equality," said Nuala Ward, Chair of Amach! LGBT. "The event will also inform us on how to engage with local TDs and councillors to achieve change. Everyone is welcome."

"The aim of this event is to demonstrate how ordinary citizens can be agents for achieving real, meaningful change," said Marriage Equality Director Moninne Griffith. "It's about de-mystifying the process of talking to your local TDs around an issue of great importance - in this case, marriage equality - but the same process applies to any issue. We are fortunate in Ireland to have such close contacts with our elected representatives through their constituency clinics, and yet many people do not know how to begin the process. We're delighted to have the support of local Galway TDs to demonstrate just how important and effective engaging with elected representatives can be."

Labour TD for Galway West Derek Nolan said he was very happy to be part of the event: "I am delighted to support this event for Marriage Equality. The equality agenda has always been at the very core of Labour Party policy and it is always progressing. New frontiers are constantly being identified around the issue of equality and the role of citizen engaging with politicians is a key element of that. I fully support marriage equality and I am more than happy to meet with any constituents who wish to discuss the matter further with me."

Fine Gael TD for Galway West Seán Kyne highlighted the importance of citizen engagement with their elected representatives: "Rightly or wrongly TDs measure the topicality and relevance of an issue by the number of emails, letters and phone calls received. But nothing is more effective in imparting the importance of an issue than by visiting your TD in person. When a constituent visits my office or a clinic it helps me to gain a deeper insight on an issue.

"While Civil Partnership has been a tremendous step forward I believe that equality will only be achieved when the right to civil marriage is extended to all citizens. To make this happen it's vital that all citizens who care about equality visit their local TDs."

ENDS

About the event:

The Time For Marriage Equality Is Now - Why Talking To Your TD Matters
Monday, October 15th - 6pm - The Harbour Hotel, New Dock Road, Galway
Featuring TDs Seán Kyne and Derek Nolan, and Director of Marriage Equality Moninne Griffith
The event will be chaired by Nuala Ward, Chair of Amach! LGBT