Rory O'Neill (Panti): It's going to be devastating if referendum fails

'The people will have spoken and said: no, there's a limit to our acceptance of you, a limit to our respect for you.'

Tue, 12 May, 2015 - 11:05

Rory O'Neill - also known by his stage name Panti Bliss - became something of a figurehead for gay rights in Ireland after his world-famous speech on the stage of the Abbey Theatre last year.

His thoughts on the upcoming marriage equality referendum were laid out in a documentary excerpt uploaded to YouTube last night – in which he says this month's vote is deeply personal for the LGBT community.

In the interview, recorded last Friday, O'Neill said: "If the referendum doesn't pass, it'll be crushing. I have no intention of getting married any time soon, and maybe ever."

"It won't be crushing to me because I can't get married ... [but] because the people will have spoken and said: 'no, there's a limit to our acceptance of you, a limit to our respect for you, and you've reached that limit.

"We're not okay with you. We don't think you're actually the same as us. I don't think you should be a full and equal citizen.'

"That may sound like an esoteric thing, but it's actually powerfully personal. All the people in your country got together and decided: no. You've reached the limit of your place in society.

"I think gay people will take that horribly personally - as they should.

"If it doesn't pass it's going to be devastating."

Rory said that while he is not one of those who will threaten to leave the country, he understands the sentiment - particularly for younger gay people who may not have the ties he himself has to Ireland.

"People are going to take it that personally - because it is that personal. It isn't some esoteric discussion about citizenship ... it's actually peoples' lives."

The interview was recorded for the upcoming documentary 'The Queen of Ireland' about O'Neill's life.

'Aggressive and divisive' campaign

Meanwhile, the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, has predicted the debate in the marriage equality referendum will become "aggressive and divisive" as polling day draws near.

In the last few days, a number of bishops in Ireland spoke out against the referendum, prompting the Taoiseach to comment that the change has "nothing to do with the religious ceremonies, nothing to do with the teaching of any of the churches."

Labour Minister of State Aodhán Ó Ríordáin found himself at the centre of a small controversy when he was asked to remove his Yes pin during an interview on the Saturday Night Show.

And in Cork,