Gay couples invite politicians who vote for equal marriage to their weddings
Two gay couples have said they will invite members of the Northern Irish Assembly who vote for same-sex marriage to their weddings.
Stormont will vote on same-sex marriage for a fifth time, in coming weeks, and will debate the issue on Monday
Sinn Féin has uged all SDLP members to support a measure to legalise same-sex marriage.
The couples, Jayne Robinson and Laura McKee and Michael McCartan and Malachai O’Hara have said they plan to attend the debate, and that they would like to host any MLAs who vote for marriage equality to their weddings.
Ms Robinson told Belfast Live: “I love Laura and I know she loves me. Just like most other couples in a long-term, committed relationship, we want to get married. At the moment our politicians are stopping us. We want them to take the politics out of our personal lives and give us the same rights as couples in the rest of the UK and Ireland.
“If the politicians pass a marriage equality law for Northern Ireland, we’ll invite them to our wedding.”
Mr O’Hara added: “Michael and I are ready and waiting to be a married couple. We shouldn’t really have to ask the permission of 108 politicians at Stormont to do so.
“But we will be at the Assembly for the vote, because we want politicians to understand that their decisions affect real people’s lives – ours.
“When the law changes – and it will sooner or later – Michael and I will get married and all the politicians who vote to make it happen will be welcome at the ceremony. Or at least for the disco after the meal.”
Northern Ireland has been criticised for being the only major territory in the UK not to have equal marriage after Scotland, England and Wales passed it in 2013.
The last time Stormont voted on the issue was in April this year, when it was defeated by 49 votes to 47.
