Ireland, The Little Island That Could

It has been a pleasure to watch the campaign for marriage equality in Ireland progress over the past several months. Not just because of the final, and in our opinion right, outcome, but also because of the activism and energy it inspired.

From a campaign mechanics perspective it seems the Vote Yes side did everything right. They got their message out clearly and succinctly, didn’t fall prey to negative and untruthful attacks, and never took their eye off the prize, even when it was clear momentum and public sentiment was firmly on their side.

Efforts to capitalize on social media, notably through the ‪#‎hometovote‬ twitter movement, showed again the power to connect through a still largely misunderstood and underutilized medium.

Great to see friend Jay Lassiter mentioned in the Irish Times, his energy and that of others like him that took part in this election showed that the Vote Yes campaign was about more than just marriage equality in Ireland. It was also about showing that Ireland, a tiny island across the Atlantic, is a beacon of freedom and progressive values. It also showed that the fight for fairness and freedom, in whatever form that takes, is one we must all take on together.

Ireland has long “punched above it’s weight” when it comes to attracting foreign investment, today we know also that it does so in matters of equality!