Stephen Teap: We’ve basically gone out and said a woman’s place is in the home... It’s embarrassing
And Such Stephen Confusion Weak About Of This And From Us This Language, Campaigner By Words, A Two Was The "strive", Hijacked That Was And What Really Created Referendum 'as "durable" Of All Referendum Cervicalcheck Teap: Result Is Confused Distracted By
To say I’m disappointed by the referenda results is an understatement. I’m very disappointed.
I’m sad for my children, for myself, for all those sole and single parents out there, for everyone that’s in a relationship outside the confines of a traditional marriage.
But am I surprised at the result? No, I am not.
The writing has been on the wall for the past few weeks on what direction these referenda were going.
Was this because the ‘vote no-no’ campaign was so strong in their message and led a successful campaign to victory? I think not.
I believe this was lost because the legislators who wrote this text failed us. They were led by a government that couldn’t stand up to them in forcing them to put a proper narrative in front of the people of our country that was strong and made sense to us all.
As a result of the confusion that was created by such weak language, this referendum was hijacked by two words, ‘durable’ and ‘strive,’ and distracted and confused all of us from what this referendum is really about.
And to me, this is the government's failure to commit fully to these amendments.
Equality, acceptance, and recognition, that is all these two referendums were about and should have been the only things spoken about.
Equality in the home. That it isn’t the job of just the mother to maintain the duties within the home.
All of us, men and women, have a role to play in the home of equal measure that none of us should neglect.
Accepting that not all families are the same and come in all shapes and sizes.
That there are multiple variations of humans who head up the family home, married or not married, gay or straight, blood-related or not, and the list goes on.
In a perfectly equal world, we should be accepting of them all without putting a title on it, whether it's durable or not.
How great would it have been as a widower, and recognition by the state for my family, and for all the other households hit by tragedy, and who no longer fit the mould of the traditional family as laid out in the constitution?
Yet some used this argument for their no-vote campaign which to me wasn’t what this referendum was actually about.
Yes, the word ‘strive’ was ridiculous; it was a really poor and weak use of language that angered many carers out there who I fully support. I hold nothing against them whatsoever for the stance they took when casting their vote.
But what has been achieved by their no vote? Nothing. Like me, they’re still not recognised in the constitution and like me, there is no reference to support anywhere for us now.
The piece of this referendum that was a no-brainer, that should have been the easiest for this government to get passed, didn’t.
How ridiculous does this country look today?
We’ve basically gone out and said a woman’s place is in the home, and that’s where she shall remain.
It’s embarrassing.
In the last decade as a country, we took huge leaps forward in equality and women's rights when we repealed the 8th amendment and increased women's rights within healthcare, and also when we voted for the marriage act to give the same recognition to same-sex marriages as everyone else.
These opportunities to correct the misogyny of the past in this country don’t come around too often.
Some campaigned for over 25 years for this referendum for it not to pass.
This may never present itself again in our lifetime, a complete waste of an opportunity to take another positive step forward in our country for equality and free choice.