A contribution from one of our readers – Soapie

Yes, following a two day series of Seanad debates, the civil partnership bill has been passed and we’ve marriage for all! Grab a drink, whisk up your partner and let’s do-si-do! Well… perhaps not do-si-do quite just yet….

It seems that after almost two years of Dáil debates and more recently the Seanad Debates, civil partnership is here in Ireland, but not without its flaws.

On closer examination of the bill, it is to be seen that this ‘marriage’ is not marriage at all. There are fatal gaps in the law in relation to the status of children, registrars, and church property.

Indeed, whilst following the Seanad debates over the last few weeks, it has become startlingly apparent to me; this legislation, far from being a great stepping stone for the LGBT of Ireland is actually dangerous. Yes, dangerous.

As Eugine Regan and David Norris both confidently stated early on; children are in grave danger under this piece of legislation. And not, as the usual argument is made, in the ‘untraditional’ hands of two gay parents, but in the awful and misguided way the government is dealing with this piece of legislation.

Under the civil partnership act, children can continue be adopted by gay people, but still only singly. Where this brings danger to children, is where the ‘adoptive parent’ dies, the other parent is instantly cut off in the legal sense. Moreover, the child himself or herself has no connection with the surviving parent and is cast adrift.

What is this but child abuse?

To put an example on this, take Laura and Cathy. Laura and Cathy have gone through the process of adopting a child, with Laura being signed as parent; as is best case scenario.
If say they were in a car accident and Laura died, Cathy – who has helped nourish and parent the child – is instantly cut off from her child. Forgetting the parents involved here; their child loses their only other parent, their only other family, as an adoptee.

How is this fair? No, how is this not child abuse?

If I look at my relationship with my parents, I am far far closer to my father. I haven’t seen my mother in 4 years and yet I see my dad every day, he is my world. How would I have stood as a child if I were adopted to gay parents in such a case? If my mother were to die, I would lose not only her but my dad too. I would be losing my world, but not only that, but also the only person who could support me and get me through such a devastating time.

Where is the justice here, and why the heck hadn’t this been sorted out before the passing of the bill?

With the passing of the civil partnership bill in Ireland there has and will be great expressions of joy, however, the LGBT people of Ireland are still unequal, still under discrimination, still, in legal standing, below par. The day the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese signed this bill was a very historic day, great sighs of relief, I am sure, were shared across the nation and a great load of injustice removed.

While grave inequalities are present, these will hopefully be amended as the years go on. This long awaited day is coming though and with such comes a gradual closing over of the governments many shows of injustices towards the LGBT of Ireland.

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