Irish community divided as Obama backs same-sex marriage

@Skibberrean

I suppose you haven't noticed that it is Romney who is calling for a FEDERAL constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage...

Marriage between gay people WILL be legal in ireland in the next 5 years.

Chrissie Quinn is the "lipstick lesbian" in her relationship. She wants to be treated like a woman by another woman. She has the political power and wants to be chased and wooed. Actually, she will keep her beloved "on a yo-yo string".

Why all this discussion. you people that are quibbling over civil union which should be handled by the states only, this was all a re-election ploy by the liar in chief and nothing else. I have gay relatives and they are not falling for his campaign crap!I,I,I, me, me, me. It is all about Mr. Narcissism and nothing else!

73% of Irish people in Ireland (not so-called New York Irish who are actually Americans) support Gay Marriage. Why isn't it a law yet? Because DeValera's iron-clad structures gagging the Irish people and assuring the primacy of the Catholic Church in Ireland forbade it. Those structures are being changed and civil marriage laws in Ireland will be enacted following the wishes of the majority of Irish people over the coming months!

faberm1 - if the government did only "Civil Unions" for everyone and only "Civil Unions" were mentioned in laws in the US, then you are correct there would be equality. However "Marriage" is already written into our laws and I doubt that any legislature is going to replace it with "Civil Union" anytime soon. Having "Civil Unions" for some citizens and "Marriages" for other citizens would be unconstitutional even if all of the legal rights and responsibilities were the same because "Separate but Equal" was found to be unconstitutional in the '60s. The fact that the legal rights granted to the two groups are not the same makes them "Separate and not Equal" and therefore even more unconstitutional. All citizens must be treated equally before the law. Your idea is a sound one but just comes too late.

American, not Irish. You're not in Ireland New York, you're Amerucan!!

Steve-Why is Gay marriage illegal in Ireland if you are so righteous?

From what I understand Gay Marriage is still illegal in Ireland. Ireland permits "Unions between Gays" and that is what we need in the USA. The government never belonged in the business of calling this or that a marriage. I think all citizens (gay or straight) should have a "Civil Union" as a state function and then have a "marriage" if they so choose in a ceremony of whatever faith paradigm they belong to.

IRISH ? YOU MEAN AMERICANS ARE UNDIVIDED.. OVER HERE IN IRELAND MOST IRISH HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH GAY MARRIAGE A RECENT SURVEY SHOWED THAT 73% OF IRISH PEOPLE HAVE NO ISSUES WITH SAME SEX MARRIAGE... YET AGAIN AMERICANS ARE WAY OFF THE MARK AND THIS IS AN AMERICAN POINT OF VIEW AND ALL THEM AMERICANS CALLING THEMSELVES IRISH GIVE THE REAL IRISH A BAD NAME AS FAR AS IM CONCERNED ... WITH THEIR OUTDATED BACKWARD AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VIEW POINTS WHICH HAVE NO PLACE IN IRISH SOCIETY OR EUROPEAN CULTURE...