Northern Irish student praised online for carrying Pride flag to graduation

Over the weekend thousands of people took to the streets of Belfast to march for marriage equality in Northern Ireland.

Unlike in the Republic of Ireland and in the U.K., same-sex marriage is not recognized in Northern Ireland and any attempts made to legalise it have been prohibited by the DUP.

The march happened to take place at the same time as one student’s graduation ceremony at the Queen’s University - but that didn’t stop her making her stance on the issue known.

As Ciara Cinnamond walked up to accept her diploma, she proudly carried the Pride flag with her and made sure that the acting Vice Chancellor noticed.

During the #equalmarriage rally, this student was unfurling a rainbow flag at her @QueensUBelfast graduation.#Solidarity @Love_EqualityNI pic.twitter.com/wR6zlM0uiV

— Brendan Hughes (@brendanhughes64) July 2, 2017

She then took to Twitter after the ceremony to reiterate her statement.

“Nothing was stopping me from making a statement on the same day thousands marched for equal marriage,” she tweeted linking the video.

People have since replied to the tweet to congratulate her.

👏🏳️‍🌈👏🏳️‍🌈👏🏳️‍🌈👏✌️️

— Seán Napier (@Seanofthesouth) July 2, 2017

Brilliant! Love this ! 🌈

— lbrownb4 (@OliviaGirlz) July 3, 2017

Brave young lady, congratulations on your step into a bright future! I wish you the best.

— designerdarcy (@designerdarcy) July 3, 2017