Mothers and Fathers do matter #marref

High profile opponents of the marriage equality referendum often accuse those of us in
favour of a yes vote as undermining or rejecting the importance of a mother or father’s love – that
we spend our time plotting ways to undermine family and love and happy stable homes for children
of all backgrounds.
Far from corrupting family life, many of us, myself included, desire nothing more than to ensure that
generations of children to come enjoy the same loving, stable family life we were lucky to enjoy. It is
insulting to suggest that we believe mother or fathers don’t matter – in fact many of us were blessed
with mothers and fathers who supported us, loved us, cherished us and raised us with the love and
care all children should receive. The difference, it seems, between our appreciation of our parents
and the no campaign’s is that we don’t reduce our parents to nothing but their genitals.
My mother and father matter because they love me.
My mother and father matter because they raised me with kindness and compassion – with
acceptance and understanding.
My mother and father matter because like all loving parents, regardless of gender, their children
matter to them more than anything else on this earth.
When I look back on my childhood with gratitude, it is not because my father is a man and my
mother is a woman – it is because my loving parents, regardless of gender, provided a nurturing,
playful and safe home where I was free to develop freely and happily into the woman I am today.
If only the no side could see people and parents as more than just their biology.

Speech at Yes Equality Cork Launch

I delivered this speech today at the Yes Equality Cork launch in 8 North Mall. It's more or less as I delivered, with only minor interruptions from my mother cheering sending me off script ;)

For more information about the Yes Equality Campaign, please see www.yesequality.ie

My name is Rebecca Murphy and I am a Yes Equality Cork committee member. I’ve been asked to talk to you all this afternoon about volunteering and more importantly, how vital it is that we all work together to make a yes vote happen.

On a personal note, I’ll be voting yes on May 22^nd because I believe same-sex couples should have the same rights that straight ones do. On a very personal note, my brother and sister both had the right to marry the people they love, and I think I should have the same rights – my parents, who are here today, who loved and raised all 3 of us equally, agree 100%.

I love this country, I’ve lived here my whole life, I work here, I pay my taxes drive, I drive around this country sometimes and I gasp at the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of its people. I hope this Ireland that I love votes yes. I know this will only happen if we all work together. This referendum won’t be won by a committee, nor will it be won on Facebook or on Twitter. It will be won because those who want a yes vote will find that extra hour in their week to put up posters, or knock on doors, or answer phones, or make phonecalls, or write letters, or make badges. It will be won because groups of ordinary people will stand together and say “yes – we believe in love, we believe in equality, we believe our LGBT friends and family are full equal citizens of this country, and we are willing to work to make this yes vote happen.”

We CAN win this. And if we work together, we will win this.

We will win this for ourselves, we will win this for our families, for our friends, for the person we love. We will win this for the children of the nation – those who cannot vote yet, and those yet to be born.

We will win this for those who have gone before us. We will win this for our country and our society, and for the men and women who fought and died for what they believed was a true Republic – a Republic of Equals where regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, of age, race, class or ability, cherishes its children equally and affords all it members human rights, respect and dignity.

So sign that volunteer form, find that extra hour – wake up on May 23^rd knowing you did absolutely everything you could have.

We have an opportunity to make Ireland a fairer, more equal place – let’s grab it with both hands.

Let’s win this referendum together.

Thank you.