Northern Ireland

20,000 people sign equality petition for gay marriage

People taking part in Belfast Pride Festival this year. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press
People taking part in Belfast Pride Festival this year. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press People taking part in Belfast Pride Festival this year. Picture by Arthur Allison, Pacemaker Press

A PETITION calling for an end to the block on gay marriage will be presented to the Assembly on Tuesday.

People Before Profit assembly member Gerry Carroll will present the 20,000 signatures, gathered by LGBT group The Gay Say, which call for an end to the use of the petition of concern mechanism at Stormont.

Although most assembly members voted in favour of introducing gay marriage when it was last debated in November 2015, the proposal fell because unionists who opposed the move used a controversial petition of concern to block the vote.

Mr Carroll said there was a "groundswell of support for equal marriage".

"This year's Pride also saw tens of thousands take to the streets calling for equality, and it's about time the Assembly represented public opinion on this issue and recognised the rights of the LGBT+ community," he said.

"For too long our LGBT+ friends, family and comrades have suffered discrimination under the current outdated and backward law, which denies people here the same rights afforded to people in the rest of the UK. It's about time that is rectified. In fact, it's long overdue."

Campaigners are expected to gather at Stormont from 10am today, before the petition is handed over.

Danny Toner of The Gay Say said more progress on LGBT equality issues was needed.

"People are growing increasingly frustrated by the ongoing failure to deliver equal civil rights for same-sex couples," he said.

"Following the repeated failure of the Assembly to legislate for marriage equality we decided that it was time for action."