Gay rights campaigner would lovett if you voted yes

Damian McCarney

A gay Kilnaleck publican has enlisted the help of straight friends to support his video campaign calling for a ‘Yes’ vote in the forthcoming referendum on marriage equality.
Gerard Lovett was moved to call on support of his family, friends and neighbours because he believes that an apathy towards the issue from those outside the gay and lesbian community could see the Marriage Equality Referendum - expected to take place on Friday, May 22 - return a No result.
His short video features a series of straight people committing on camera to vote Yes with many adding sentiments such as: “We’re a married couple and we believe everybody should have the right to get married.”
“Less than one in twenty people are gay,” explains Gerard, “so, if only gay people go and vote Yes, that’s not going to get it passed. Most people are probably okay with gay people but they might think this referendum has nothing to do with them, or they might think that it won’t affect them so it doesn’t matter if it is passed or not. So, I thought it might get straight people more interested in it.”
He said finding enough recruits to declare their support in front of a camera lens “was no hassle at all” and estimates that 95% of those he asked agreed. He says that the other five per cent were camera shy rather than No-voters.
“I was really surprised that people didn’t mind doing it at all - they are all friends of mine anyway and some of them are my brothers and sisters.”
Gerard is a member of a support group for gay and lesbians, called LBGT In Cavan (LBGT INC), and who meet in every fortnight in Bridge Street Centre, Cavan Town. Among the other members of LBGT INC, who are promoting the Yes campaign are a lesbian couple printing and distributing fake wedding invitations to all of their friends, appealing to vote to let them have the right to get married.

https://youtu.be/6cKZCvZ5WXk

Gerard’s video concludes with him giving his long-term partner a kiss. He says that, while they have no “definite intention to get married straight away” the couple would “certainly like to have the choice”.
“It’s equality,” says Gerard. “You can say that having a civil partnership gives gay people most of the rights of being married but at the same time, it’s not the same. I feel that the relationship I have with my partner is the same relationship that a straight man would have with his wife, or a straight woman would have with her husband. So, I don’t see why I should be treated differently
“It’s only civil marriage we are looking for - we are not trying to force priests to marry us.”
The Anglo-Celt contacted the Kilmore Diocese for their view-point on marriage equality, but they did not reply at the time of going to press.

Bishops ‘wrong’
Gerard, who owns The Copper Kettle on Kilnaleck’s Main Street, says that he was listening to the radio show in which Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran made incendiary comments that gay people “are not necessarily parents” and implied that God never intended to create gay people in the same way He did not intend to create people with Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida.
The Bishop has since expressed regret for the hurt caused by his comments, rather than the content of the comments.
Gerard doesn’t believe that such comments are made maliciously. “I believe they are wrong, but I believe they are sincere - they really believe what they are saying. Why would they come out and say stuff like that if they knew they were wrong or were malicious? I don’t think they are malicious. They are certainly sincere in what they say and I respect their right to think it. But most people don’t think like that, we’ve moved on from that,” he said.

Children
Asked about a key argument expressed by some in the No camp, relating to children and undermining the family unit, Gerard replies:
“Most of their concerns about family are not really concerns about marriage equality, they are actually concerns about the Children and Family Relationships Bill - they are very against that. That’s what their argument is with - I think they are mixing it up with marriage equality.
“Marriage equality isn’t about children or gay adoptions. Gay people aren’t going to go to Ikea to pick out a brown child to go with their sofa, it isn’t going to be like that.
“We shouldn’t push one option - it should be whatever is best for the child.”