Belfast rally for gay marriage in North

A major rally calling for gay marriage to be introduced in the North will take place in Belfast later.

Thousands of people are expected to walk through Belfast today in a rally for gay marriage rights.

Following the Yes vote in last month’s Irish referendum, the North is now set to be the only part of the UK or Ireland where civil marriage is denied to gay couples, campaigners said. Actress Nuala McKeever is expected to address protesters.

Unionists earlier this year rejected a proposal from Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to hold a referendum on the issue similar to the Republic.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected a proposal calling for the introduction of gay marriage, after debating the issue for a fourth time.

Sinn Féin said equality rights for same-sex couples must be shared by citizens in the north and it will continue to campaign for the reform.

Other high profile supporters of the campaign include singer Brian Kennedy and Olympic boxer Paddy Barnes.

Singer Bronagh Gallagher, supported by Quire, Belfast’s LGBT choir, will perform at the Belfast City Hall rally, which will follow the march from the Ulster University on York Street.

Organisers Amnesty International, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and the Rainbow Project are asking marchers to assemble outside the Belfast campus of Ulster University from 2:30pm on Saturday.