Eight out of ten Irish people think same sex couples should have the same legal rights than married (and heterosexual) ones, according to the latest Landsdowne Market Research Poll.
The survey, commissioned by the Gay and Lesbian Network, throws a bit of light on what Irish people think about homosexual couples. However, the survey also shows that only 51% percent of people support the concept of gay marriage.
39% of people interviewed think same-sex couples should also have the right to adopt kids.
Despite not being able to marry officially in Ireland, some gay couples have managed to ‘tie the knot’ in the last year, according to a Sunday Tribune report. The British Embassy, considered as British territory, has hosted five civil partnership ceremonies since August.
At least one member of the couple should be a British citizen.
Countries like the UK, Denmark and the Czech Republic allow gay couples a ‘civil partnership’, with some limitations on the couples’ rights.
Marriage with all its rights and obligations is legal for gay couples only in the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain.
Registered cohabitation is legal in Andorra since 2005, regardless of the couple’s genders. They have to register in a registry of ‘stable unions’. Registered couples will enjoy most of marriage rights. Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and France have similar laws.
In Austria and Croatia, cohabiting same-sex partners are entitled to the same rights as unmarried cohabiting heterosexual partners (unregistered cohabitation).
Ireland doesn’t recognize any legal or inheritance rights for cohabiting couples, whether homosexual or heterosexual, even though the 2002 Irish census revealed the number of cohabiting couples had almost doubled since 1996, reaching 77,000 families.
1,300 of those families were same-sex relationships.
For more information:
www.ilga-europe.org
