IRSCNA: Support Same Sex Marriage Ballot Measures -- The Irish Voice

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Date Posted: Tuesday, October 23, 18:08:32
Author: IRSCNA
Subject: IRSCNA: Support Same Sex Marriage Ballot Measures

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

23 October 2012
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America

Support Same Sex Marriage Ballot Measures

The Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America support
ballot measures in the states of Maine, Maryland, and Washington
in the November election which, if passed, would authorize same sex
marriage in those states.

In the state of Minnesota, a measure to amend the state constitution
to ban same sex marriage will be on the ballot. The IRSCNA oppose
this measure.

We call upon our supporters and all who believe in equality to
support same sex marriage, and if they live in those states to vote
in favor of the measures or vote against the constitutional
amendment.

The IRSCNA has a 28-year history of demanding full equality for
lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people in all spheres of
life. Full equality in all spheres of life means we support the right
of LGBT people to join with their partners in civil marriage.

Our parent organization, the Irish Republican Socialist Party, has
supported LGBT equality since its first Ard Fheis (convention) in
1975, and at its 2012 Ard Fheis, delegates unanimously passed a motion
authored by the IRSCNA, which read: "This Ard Fheis reaffirms the
IRSP's support for full equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender people, including the right of civil marriage."

We believe that rights and privileges must ultimately be detached
from marital status, so that family relationships are defined by the
people in them, not the state or the church. But as long as the state
is in the business of recognizing relationships, and granting rights
and privileges to those in them, we demand equal access for LGBT people.

As revolutionary socialists, we recognize that LGBT liberation
requires more than just reform, it also requires a revolutionary
change in society. Full sexual and gender liberation for all people
can only happen if existing social institutions are abolished and the
archaic values they represent are swept aside with them.

Reactionary religious institutions have exerted their influence to
oppose civil laws promoting LGBT equality, including same sex
marriage. We condemn all attempts to use religion to justify
discrimination. The right to civil marriage is the right to be
married by the state, and the state must be free of religious diktat.

There is no legitimate reason to oppose marriage equality. Those who
oppose it wish to impose their personal religious values on society
and/or are prejudiced against LGBT people. Neither are acceptable
reasons to deny equality to any group.

In conclusion, we support a vote in favor of marriage equality in
Maine, Maryland, and Washington State, and a vote against a
constitutional ban on same sex marriage in Minnesota.

Onward to victory!

###

Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
PO Box 5174
Champaign IL 61825
USA
irscna@irsm.org
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.irscna.org/">http://www.irscna.org/</a>
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.irsp.ie/irscna.html">http://www.irsp.ie/irscna.html</a>

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