Recent Equality Authority Report highlights some of the negative impacts the lack of marriage equality has on LGB people in the ROI

30 May 2008

The Equality Authority's 2007 Report entitled " Enabling Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual individuals to access their rights under Equality Law" has hightlighted some of the negative impacts that lack of marriage equality has on LGB people in the Republic of Ireland.

It has found that " the absence of a legal framework for LGB relationships and family forms was consistently described as a significant element of a
heterosexist and homophobic culture".

This marriage ban in turn (amongst other reasons) makes it difficult for LGB people who experience descrimination in the workplace, at school or in relation to the provision of services, and who might be entitled to bring a case under the Employment Equality or Equal Status Acts, to feel personally resourced enough or to be "out" enough to proceed with taking a case to the Equality Tribunal.

"There is a consensus that should legal recognition for LGB families be secured, it would carry with it a status from which would flow a host of positive changes. This would include feeling more secure in invoking equality legislation."

The report is available on the Equality Authority's website Click here.