Mock same-sex weddings were held during DCU’s Diversity Week to raise awareness around marriage equality.
Two grooms and two brides were married in fake ceremonies organised by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Society (LGBTA) which took place outside the Henry Grattan building.
The weddings were a once-off, but the LGBTA Society is planning to hold more events next semester. Cormac Warrillow, DCU LGBTA’s Treasurer, revealed that they are planning to hold talks based on equality and issues that affect the LGBTA community.
The marriage event was just one event that took place during last week’s Diversity Week, which also included a culture fair organised by DCU’s Enterprise Society and a photo exhibition based on the Intergenerational Learning Programme.
Gillian McInerney, the first-year representative for the LGBTA Society, highlighted the importance of raising awareness with these kinds of events.
“A lot of people are still quite confused between civil partnership and civil marriage,” she said. “I really think, especially in a week such as Diversity Week, it’s very important to show that LGBT people still don’t have an awful lot of rights in Ireland.”
McInerney said that the society will be heavily involved in running awareness campaigns in the run-up to the referendum on same-sex marriage in Ireland, which is expected to be held in 2015. “It’s something a lot of us feel very passionate about,” she explained.
The LGBTA society was voted ‘Most Promising Society’ in DCU last year, and was also nominated for the ‘Most Improved Society in a Large College’ at the National Student Society Awards.
Kirstin Campbell
Image credit: Ethan Browne
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