Marriage signifies a personal commitment made by a couple to each other. LGBT couples are making meaningful life-long commitments to each other, lack of acknowledgement by law doesn’t make this commitment any less real it just denies them some basic legal rights. Rights were denied to Coloureds, to Jews, to Women, to the Irish at different points in recent history. May 22nd is another day where we will look back on all that came before and be surprised there was ever a time we allowed this inequality to exist.

If a person is seriously ill in hospital, visiting and release of information is often restricted to family only. Imagine you were lying ill and frightened in your hospital bed and your partner in life of 20 years wasn’t allowed to be by your side. If a person dies with out a will their belongings go to their next of kin. Without a legal marriage a life long partner could loose their family home and all the memories they’ve gathered there in the midst of the loss of their most loved one. How is this ok? It’s not. I want to be proud to live in a country where we celebrate the union of two souls who have found each other irrespective of their sexual preferences. It’s not my business if they choose marriage, monogamy or life in a circus. It’s their choice how they spend their life and what commitments they choose to make. I believe in my freedom to choose how I live my life and who I share it with. Don’t you?