There are two interesting aspects to the Ireland vote on same-sex marriage. The nation became the first to approve such a move by popular vote, through a referendum rather than legislating in Parliament. The second is that the voters for a social revolution holding such meaning for equality of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, swept aside opposition from the Roman Catholic Church in a country where the hold of that Church was so great that abolition is illegal and, till not so long ago, was prohibited even in dire medical emergencies.
The massive support for the gay movement across the political spectrum, including from the Prime Minister and the Opposition Sinn Fein, made this a victory for everyone save the Catholic Church, which sternly disapproved. The victors have reason to believe that now there is a true separation of Church and state. Also, the vote was surprising in that the widespread “Yes” cut across a suspected generational divide. Social change is marching on with Ireland joining about 20 countries that have accepted same-sex marriage as one that might even strengthen the very institution of marriage.
Referendums are per se divisive, but the Ireland experience may have set other nations thinking along the lines of testing the popular mood, particularly in the West. Of course, this would be unthinkable in many other parts of the world, including India, large parts of Africa and West Asia, and Russia, which is particularly adamant in its refusal to countenance such a licence for people of the same sex to wed. In that sense, the Irish vote is a landmark.
