Salon: Ireland to Legalize Gay Partnerships

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

http://salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8GONF0G0.html">April 03,2006| DUBLIN, Ireland --
Ireland will legalize civil partnerships for gay couples, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern pledged Monday as he opened new offices for the country's main homosexual rights pressure group.

Civil partnerships allow gay couples the same rights to inheritance, state benefits and other financial rights as held by married heterosexual couples.

"Sexual orientation cannot, and must not, be the basis of a second-class citizenship. Our laws have changed, and will continue to change, to reflect this principle," Ahern told an audience at Ireland's Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.

Ahern said it would be more difficult to legalize gay marriage in Ireland than it was in the United Kingdom, which approved the civil unions in December. Ireland's constitution has a clause requiring the predominantly Roman Catholic state to protect the institution of marriage, whereas the UK, which includes neighboring Northern Ireland, has no written constitution...

When I was in Ireland a few years ago, I found it to be more homophobic than the US (I do live in the oddly liberal, yet Republican Morris Co, NJ though). While I am happy that they are legalizing gay partnerships, I find it sad that here they are trying to take away gay rights.