Securing legally enshrined equality for lesbian and gay couples is a key policy priority for GLEN and a number of important initiatives have taken place in this area.

Following a meeting with GLEN, the Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform established a Working Group on Domestic Partnership in early 2006 to identify options for the government to consider in relation to the legal recognition of same-sex and cohabiting relationships

The Minister appointed Eoin Collins, GLEN Director of Policy Change, to the Working Group which was chaired by Lawyer and former Progressive Democrat TD Anne Colley.

In their report, the group outlined just two options for government to consider – opening up marriage to same-sex couples which was described as representing "the full equality outcome" or full civil partnership entailing all the rights and responsibilities of marriage.

Shortly afterwards, The Labour Party produced a Civil Unions Bill which was based on the full civil partnership option contained in the Colley Report. The Bill proposed to give same-sex couples all the rights and responsibilities associated with marriage and party leader Pat Rabbitte described the initiative as an "important milestone on the road to full equality for gay and lesbian people."

The Bill was deferred by Government for six months

In June 2007, the new Fianna Fáil-Green government stated their intention to legislate for civil partnerships taking into account the findings of the Colley Report. Click here to read commitment contained in Programme for Government

GLEN strongly welcomes this commitment and looks forward to working with government on its implementation.

A number of other important initiatives have also occurred to date. For example, in October 2006 The Green Party launched a policy document entitled 'Valuing Families-A Policy on Marriage and Partnership Rights' in which the party outlined its support for opening up marriage to same-sex couples.

The Law Reform Commission also produced an important report on the rights and duties of Cohabitants in late 2006. It recommended equal treatment for opposite sex and same sex couples in the proposals it put forward.

Public support for legal recognition has been demonstrated in successive polls over the past year. In the most recent survey conducted by Lansdowne Research, public backing stood at 84% for legal recognition with 51% in favour of civil marriage for same-sex couples.