Irish senator claims Mother’s Day will be banned if same-sex marriage becomes law
An Irish senator has claimed that Mother’s Day will be banned if the country passes same-sex marriage.
The Republic of Ireland is set to vote on proposals to legalise civil same-sex marriage on May 22.
However, independent senator Fidelma Healy Eames – who was stripped of the Fine Gael whip in 2013 – tweeted a stark warning on Mother’s Day.
She claimed: “Happy Mothers’ day all! Hope we can continue to celebrate it after #SSM passed. In some US states Mothers & Father’s Day banned #pcgonemad”
Happy Mothers’ day all! Hope we can continue to celebrate it after #SSM passed. In some US states Mothers & Father’s Day banned #pcgonemad
— Fidelma Healy Eames (@senhealyeames) March 15, 2015
It is correct that the United States is not celebrating Mother’s Day today – but only because unlike Ireland, the country celebrates Mother’s Day in May.
No state has ever tried to ‘ban’ Mother’s Day, and indeed the day is marked by LGBT activists and same-sex couples.
However, despite ridicule she stood by her claim that it had been ‘banned’.
Lying not my thing. No slur intended either. #justsaying Mother’s Day banned in a NY & Nova Scotia school. Happy Mothers Day!
— Fidelma Healy Eames (@senhealyeames) March 15, 2015
PinkNews found one tabloid report from 2001 claiming a private New York Reform Jewish school, Rodeph Sholom Day School, opted not to celebrate the holiday in favour of Jewish traditions, but could not verify that this was the case. Same-sex marriage was not legal in New York in 2001.
Nova Scotia is in Canada – not the United States. In 2013, Astral Drive Elementary school in the province opted to celebrate ‘Family Day’.
A recent poll showed that support for same-sex marriage was as high as 76% among the Irish public.
Earlier this week, an Irish senator opened up about his struggle accepting his son’s sexuality – in a bid to convince people to support same-sex marriage.
Fine Gael senator Eamonn Coghlan said: “It is clear to me as a parent of a gay child that the marriage equality referendum is about voting for real people and their lives.
“It is not about politics or about voting for a particular party. It is about equality, removing rejection, removing exclusion, removing the guilt, shame and fear that gay people experience.”
