Member-only story
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Northern Ireland; what does it mean?
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Northern Ireland, bringing the region in line with both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Stormont, the seat of Northern Ireland’s legislative power, did not follow England, Scotland and Wales after parliament in Westminster voted by a huge majority to legalise same-sex marriage in 2013.
Following Westminster’s vote, Stormont held five votes before eventually gaining a slim majority in favour of legalisation in 2015.
The legislation vote was immediately attacked by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which launched a ‘petition of concern’ — a mechanism in which 30 Members of the Legislative Assembly sign a notice for the Speaker, expressing their concern.
Due to Northern Ireland’s unique political history, Stormont operates on a power-sharing agreement; both republican and unionist communities must govern together.
That agreement collapsed in 2017 and has only recently been restored.
Therefore, Northern Ireland had no government and politicians in Westminster had to ensure that the region still operated, despite no assembly at Stormont.
In October 2019, Westminster passed a law that would legalise same-sex marriage in…
