Everyone talking about their cute #MarRefMemories so thought I'd share mine

I was in secondary school too young to vote and deeply closeted

Both my parents voted no

I kno several of my family members did as well

I kne my mam would but I held out hope for my dad

I tried taking to them. I pleaded. I learnt all the facts and stats

All I learnt from the marriage ref was which of my family members believed I deserved rights

Who I could and couldn't trust in my future coming out and transition

I asked about 9 months ago if they would vote different today. Knowing what they kno now about me

They refused to answer

This is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life

My family couldnt look past them selves and their own narrow experience of the world

People talk all the time about how great of a message the ref sent to young lgbtq+ people

It was a signal that their country had a choice to accepted them & overwhelmingly said yes

All while completely disregarding the harm done to young that having our rights debated on such

Not only on such a public form but also over the dinner table

Had to listen to our family and community tear into us and unknownly break us dow

We had to see no posters outside our schools

We had to feel unwelcome and unsafe within our communities.

The marriage ref win was undoubtedly a huge victory for the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland. And I am proud every day of the activists who made it happen.

But we have to acknowledge the harm done when we leave the rights of a vulnerable minority to the wims of the majority

(as a side note I'd like to add a quote from my mums counselor when I came out as trans)

"people in my profession (mental health field) knew that more stuff like this would happen if the marriage ref passed"

Meaning more people would become trans if we gave marriage equality??