Hey guys, Dave here. It’s been awhile since I shared anything on the blog, but today I’m inspired to sit down and write a few words on the historic change to our constitution that now means same sex couples can wed in our beautiful country. I feel proud to be Irish and humbled at the huge outpouring of support for a vote which boils down to equality for everyone in Ireland when it comes to love.
As I sit typing this my two sons are playing in the kitchen beside me. Liam is two and a half and Conor is a little over 7 months old, and I voted yes for both of them yesterday. I want my boys to grow up in a place where they are free to be whoever they want to be, without fear of bullying or oppression. I want them to grow up in a society of acceptance and tolerance and love. As children they know no different, they don’t see gender, so why should that change as they grow up?
The reality is that none of us know what lies ahead for our children. My sons may each grow up to marry a beautiful and kind woman as I did, or they may grow up to realize that they are gay and that they find support and love with someone of the same sex. The only thing I, as a parent, can be sure of is that they will grow up with my unconditional love, support and blessing and that my wife and I are there for them, whatever the road ahead.
One of the most gratifying things as a dad is seeing the love my sons have for each other. My heart swells with pride at the way Liam is protective of Conor, or the way Conor looks up to Liam, idolizing his big bro. Their bond is so strong, and it is the purest love that holds it together. They support each other and care for each other and I would hate for one or both of them to grow up in a place where they were made to feel shameful for who they are. I’m immensely proud to say that my sons will never know the hurt or struggle that generations before them went through just to be the person they were meant to be.
I don’t know what the future holds for my sons, only that their future and the future of generations to come got a little brighter today.
After this referendum how can they deny equal parenting rights to fathers? Principles of equality need to be extended again and again and again. There are many marginalised groups. Let’s hope we are living through the beginning of the “equality revolution”
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