Dublin footballer Ger Brennan has explained his reasons for voting 'No' in a piece in today's Irish Independent.
The two-time All-Ireland winner and former All-Star has penned a lengthy piece outlining the reasons why he'll be voting 'No', following on from
Tipperary hurler Kieran Bergin adopting a similar stance ahead of the referendum on May 22.
Brennan and Bergin are among a minority in the GAA world to have come out in support of a 'No' vote in recent weeks.
Eamon McGee, Aidan O'Shea and Rory O'Carroll are amongst a number of high profile players to come out in support of a 'Yes' vote, while the Gaelic Players' Association (GPA) have also backed the 'Yes' side, having recently polled members and found that six out of every seven players were in favour of voting 'Yes'.
You can read Brennan's piece in full in the Irish Independent
here, but we've included some notable excerpts below, including his admission that he nearly didn't write the piece and that he expects to be targeted and labeled for doing so.
Ireland, as a society, has thankfully progressed in its acceptance of gay people and this is to be embraced.
I am proud to love my gay family members and my gay friends. And yet I feel strongly there is more to the marriage debate than adult equality.
For a start, this isn't a referendum on whether we like gay people or whether they should be equal citizens according to the Constitution. They already are equal citizens. Article 40.1, which deals with equality, declares that all citizens shall be held equal before the law. We are not being asked to amend Article 40. We are instead being asked to amend Article 41, which deals with the family and with marriage.
Nor is this referendum about whether gay couples should have their relationships recognised by the State. They already do. Bar a couple of minor grey areas to be ironed out legislatively, gay couples in civil partnerships have all the rights married couples have. Civil partnership ceremonies are virtually identical to civil marriage ceremonies
I just can't see why anyone would want to deny that it is good, all else being equal, for a child to have a mam and a dad.
It seems like every celebrity and every group in the country is calling for a 'Yes' vote. Even the Gardaí have been used by the 'Yes' campaign to support the referendum proposal. I see all the 'Vote No' posters being ripped down and defaced all across Dublin without anyone in politics or in the media condemning it.
I very nearly decided not to write this piece. I know I'll be targeted for it and labeled for it. It would have been easier to keep my mouth shut and not rock the boat. But I'm sick of the accusations being flung around that if you vote 'No' you are homophobic. I know I'm not homophobic; my gay friends and family can attest to that. I am voting "No" because I don't want our Constitution to deny that it is a good thing for a child to have a mother and a father.
The Universal Declaration on Human Rights proclaims that everybody is equal in dignity and it holds that marriage is a male-female union. I don't think the Declaration of Human Rights is homophobic. I'm voting 'No'.
