Finding the other end of the rainbow in Ireland is about to get a lot easier. Mary McAleese, Ireland's president, signed a Civil Partnership Bill into Law this Monday. Advocate.com reports:
[The law offers] same-sex couples protections that include access to pensions, inheritance, and power of attorney, among others.
The bill had been making its way through the various legislative bodies and McAleese was expected to sign it sometime in August. It is not expected to take effect until the fall.
“This is a great day for Ireland. Lesbian and gay people, their parents, families, friends neighbors, colleagues can now look forward to celebrating their civil partnerships in the near future," said Kieran Rose of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network. “It is a tribute to the openness and welcoming nature of Irish society and the commitment of all our legislators and is a major civil rights milestone for lesbian and gay people."
One can only hope that the luck o'the Irish will soon wear off stateside.
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2010.