LGBT campaigners in Northern Ireland have expressed their disappointment over the Democratic Unionist Party’s refusal to stop blocking a new marriage equality law.
Love Equality said that it would lobby the British government to help secure same-sex marriage for Northern Ireland if the DUP refused to change its stance. Arlene Foster’s party has consistently used a petition of concern to block all attempts to legalise equal marriage.
A delegation led by Edwin Poots met Love Equality yesterday in the context of attempts to restore power-sharing after a year of political deadlock. Marriage equality has been one of the main points of disagreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP, along with an Irish language act.
Cara McCann, a spokeswoman for Love Equality, said that the organisation had welcomed the meeting with the DUP but had been extremely disappointed by the outcome.
“Sadly, the DUP remains opposed to civil marriage equality for Northern Ireland in the face of overwhelming support among the public and within the assembly,” Ms McCann said. “No commitment was given by the party to end their use of the petition of concern, and if this remains their position it is difficult to see how any new executive could be considered a government for all the people of Northern Ireland.”
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Several polls have indicated that a strong majority of the public in Northern Ireland would back a new marriage equality law, including one conducted by Ipsos Mori in 2016 that put support at 70 per cent. Ms McCann said that Love Equality would continue to lobby the DUP on the issue.
“Failing that, we will shift our focus to Westminster and ask the UK government to ensure equality for all citizens, rather than uphold discriminatory laws in Northern Ireland,” Ms McCann said. “We look forward to meeting with Karen Bradley, the secretary of state, in the coming weeks.”
Ms Bradley, the Northern Ireland secretary, was criticised last week when she compared the issue of marriage equality to the installation of high-speed broadband. She said that while she had supported marriage equality in England, it would be a matter for politicians in Stormont to decide if it should be extended to Northern Ireland.
“That’s for them to decide, it’s not for me to impose, in the same way it’s not for me to impose the way that superfast broadband is rolled out across the country,” Ms Bradley said.
Campaigners described the comments as an insult.
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Theresa May and Leo Varadkar have both said that they would support the North changing its laws and allowing same-sex couples to get married.
In November 2015, the majority of the MLAs in the Stormont assembly voted in support of equal marriage. The measure was immediately blocked by members of the DUP using a petition of concern, which is a voting mechanism that was originally designed to protect the rights of minority groups in Northern Ireland.