Ireland To Legalize Homosexual Relationships

Irish gays and lesbians soon will be able to legalize their relationships and to obtain the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexuals in marriage.

Irish government is expected to submit a law on civil partnership for approval to European Parliament. Last year the government refused referendum on homosexual marriages as civil partnerships would be easier to legalize than homosexual marriages. The latter require some changes in the Constitution. Civil partnership allows to legalize homosexual relationships and to provide gays and lesbians with the same rights and responsibilities as heterosexuals in marriage have.

This is a great step forward for Ireland where homosexuality was a crime 15 years ago.

A new study shows that Irish are becoming more and more tolerant towards gays and lesbians and this is not the only evidence for changes in the attitude of the society towards sexual minorities.

A new study carried out in Ireland shows that more than half of citizens of this country would not worry if their son or daughter, brother or sister turns out to be a homosexual. The study was published short time before the decision to legalize homosexual relationships was taken.

53 percent of respondents do not find it a problem if their daughter or son turns out to be a gay or a lesbian, and 56 percent do not care about sexual orientation of their brothers and sisters. Only 37 percent of respondents said they would worry about sexual orientation of their child. These figures show that homophobia is decreasing in Irish society.

Today discrimination of homosexuals is prohibited by law in the country. A recent poll has shown that 84 percent of citizens would approve this or that form of legal heterosexual relationships. In Northern Ireland that is a part of the United Kingdom homosexual civil partnerships have been legalized since 2005.