Big Gay Christmas Card urges Santa to bring marriage equality to Northern Ireland
We’re not how it fits in a sleigh, but LGBT activists in Northern Ireland are hoping for a very special Christmas present from Father Christmas this year.
All progress on same-sex marriage continues to be blocked in Northern Ireland, as the ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party employs Petitions of Concern – a power designed to ensure cross-community power sharing – to veto marriage bills despite a Parliamentary majority in favour.
The DUP ran on a platform of ‘defending marriage’ in Assembly elections earlier this year, and First Minister Arlene Foster recently reaffirmed plans to continue employing powers to block any future marriage legislation, continuing a stalemate on the issue.
Where politicians fail, however, LGBT activists are hopeful Santa can succeed.
Love Equality NI, a group calling for equal marriage, made a splash yesterday by unveiling a giant gay Christmas card in the centre of Belfast.
The card, read: “Dear Santa, all I want for Christmas is equality.”
The group explained it was trying to “to enlist the support of Christmas shoppers and to spread a festive message of love which they hope will reach all the way to Stormont through the use of selfies and social media.
“Love Equality believes that civil marriage is a human right that should be extended to same sex couples in Northern Ireland, as already exists in the rest of the UK and Ireland. ”
John O’Doherty of Love Equality said: “Christmas is a time for families, for celebrating the time that we spend together and reflecting on the past year.
“We want to spread a message of equality and inclusion this Christmas. That is why we are asking people to get involved in the campaign for marriage equality and make a big impact by signing our huge Christmas card to ask Santa to bring us marriage equality for Christmas.”
