North’s marriage vote ‘momentous’

Campaigners for same sex civil marriage in the North have hailed a first Stormont vote in favour of a law change as a “significant milestone”, even though the proposal fell due to a DUP blocking mechanism.

In a tight vote, 53 MLAs voted for a law change and 52 voted against, with one abstention.

However, the “petition of concern” tabled by the DUP at the outset of the debate meant the proposal could only have succeeded if a sufficient number of both unionist and nationalist MLAs backed it. Given the DUP is the largest unionist party, that was not going to happen. Even if the motion had been carried, the Stormont executive could only ever legislate in the current mandate with DUP support.

Nevertheless, supporters of gay marriage have characterised the first overall majority vote, in what was the fifth debate on the issue, as a “symbolic victory”.

John O’Doherty, director of the LGBT lobby group the Rainbow Project, said it was a momentous day.

Following the signing into law of same-sex marriage legislation in the Republic last week, the North is now the only part of the UK or Ireland where civil marriage is denied to same-sex couples.