National Campaign Launched to Improve Visibility For Lesbian and Gay Families Living in Ireland
1 Jun 2010
Cover image for We Are Family 2Today, Marriage Equality is launching We Are Family, a national poster campaign which gives visibility to lesbian and gay families living in Ireland. The groundbreaking campaign shatters the silence and myths surrounding these families and calls on the Government to recognise and protect same-sex couples and their children.
We Are Family posters depicting real Irish lesbian and gay couples, some with their children, are being carried by Dublin Bus and have been sent to Libraries, Family Resource Centres and Community Information Centres nationally. Further information is available on www.marriagequality.ie/wearefamily
Moninne Griffith, Director, Marriage Equality said, "We Are Family is a pioneering campaign with simple messages, that lesbian and gay families are like any other, their children are the same as other Irish children, and that these families deserve to be recognised and protected by Irish laws. Until lesbian and gay families are equal in law, they will continue to experience discrimination and stigma."
She continued, "Some people in Ireland might not know a lesbian or gay family, and so We Are Family is an introduction of sorts to the wonderful diversity of Irish family life. What is often forgotten too, is that apart from the immediate lesbian or gay family unit, these families are also sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, even grandmothers and grandfathers. They are already interwoven into Ireland's family fabric and the Government must move to recognise this fact."
Orla Howard, Board Member, Marriage Equality commented, "Equal marriage rights for same-sex couples will lead to the recognition and protection of lesbian and gay families. The Government's Civil Partnership Bill on the other hand, continues to deny the existence of same-sex families and ignores their children entirely. This leaves these families legally vulnerable in matters such as inheritance, access, maintenance and so on. The simple solution is for the Irish Government to make this issue a priority for their Programme for Government."
Ms Howard added, "The Government will be encouraged to make this a matter of priority if members of the public contact their locally elected representative and raise the issue with them. All families deserve equality and We Are Family carries this important message and call to action to the Irish public."
Marriage Equality is a campaign working for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples in Ireland. We Are Family is it's latest campaign and was made possible thanks to the support of The Community Foundation of Ireland and the wonderful families who participated.
Notes:
Campaign posters can be viewed or downloaded from www.marriagequality.ie/wearefamily
Media Contact: Andrew Hyland, Platinum PR, 087 9088 322 / andrewhyland@platinumpr.ie.
Lesbian & Gay Families In The Spotlight
National Campaign Launched to Improve Visibility For Lesbian and Gay Families Living in Ireland
Tuesday, 1st June, 2010