In Support of LBGT’s Same-Sex Marriage Campaign

NOBEL LAUREATES, SEXUALITIES, 7 Aug 2017

Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate – TRANSCEND Media Service

Mystery of Life and Love – A Cause for Celebration

On Saturday 1st July, I walked to Belfast City Hall, with thousands of people, marching in support of the Same-sex marriage campaign being run by the LBTG community (Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals and Trans people).

It was a joyous, happy occasion and the call was simple and clear. When LBGT people fall in love and when they choose to enter into civil or marriage partnerships legislation should make it possible for them to do so. Therefore, change the law in N. Ireland to allow same-sex marriage.

Life is a mystery and love is the greatest mystery of all and should be celebrated and freedom to choose whom to love and whom to marry is one of our basic human rights. Equality is a key priority for a genuine solution to our problems in N. Ireland and none less so for the LGBT community that for years has faced harassment and discrimination.

In many parts of the world, violence against LGBT people is especially vicious with killings, rape and physical attacks, torture, arbitrary detention, the denial of rights of assembly, etc. 67 countries have laws that are used to criminalize LGBT people, because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. LBGT’s continue to be persecuted, with the death penalty (5 countries) and imprisonment (73 countries) being carried out against our LGBT brothers and sisters.

This State sponsored homophobia challenges those of us who believe in the dignity of every human being, to work for the de- criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love and for Lesbian and Gay Rights, both here in N. Ireland and throughout our world.

Homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia should have no place in a civilized society and the Mystic Law of Life and Love and the LBGT’s community right to legislation to protect that right be upheld.

On Saturday [5 Aug] the Gay Parade will take place in Belfast and I know it will be a cause for the celebration of same sex love and marriage, as Northern Ireland too is changing and moving towards Equality, Rights and Harmony, not only for the LBGT community but for all its citizens.

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Mairead Corrigan Maguire, co-founder of Peace People, is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. She won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace in Northern Ireland. Her book The Vision of Peace (edited by John Dear, with a foreword by Desmond Tutu and a preface by the Dalai Lama) is available from www.wipfandstock.com. She lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. See: www.peacepeople.com.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Aug 2017.

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