On Friday, Ireland will put a referendum to vote that, if passed, will “enshrine marriage equality in the Constitution.”
Voters will be asked to vote Yes/No on whether to add the following to the Irish Constitution: ‘Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.’
“Although Civil Partnership has been legalised in Ireland since 2010, same sex couples are not currently afforded the right to marry,” 3Fe owner Colin Harmon tells us. “As Ireland has a constitution, a referendum is necessary to amend this position and on the 22nd May the country seeks to become the first country in the world to legalise same sex marriage by popular vote.”
In Ireland, coffee bars are going all in with their support of the historic referendum. “Cafes all around the country have become huge advocates of the #voteyes campaign and many have put a lot of effort into supporting the local LGBT community and showing support for same sex marriage in Ireland,” Harmon explains. “I know its a decisive issue for some but for me it comes down to basic human rights and building a country where each person is afforded the same opportunities as the next.”
Here’s eight cafes that are showing their support of the referendum.
Barista and illustrator Bruno Ferrer designed this window for Brother Hubbard.
Slice has this on their window:
It's nearly Friday …… pic.twitter.com/LetKHKrV05
— SLICE Stoneybatter (@sliceD7) May 18, 2015
Slice also held a special drag brunch at their sister cafe Cake:
Full table eating golden eggs #dragbrunch @PantiBliss Bar pic.twitter.com/16EgRW2Hsm
— The Cake Cafe (@CakeCafeDublin) May 3, 2015
Wuff donated all proceeds from their May 8th coffee sales to support marriage equality:
Coffee Day next Friday 8th May @wuffd7 in aid of @YesEquality2015 @YesEqualityD7 Kindly supported by @illyireland pic.twitter.com/MhwYbFjW4K
— Wuff (@wuffd7) May 2, 2015
Cafe Rothar shows their support:
— Rothar (@CafeRothar) March 10, 2015
Love Love Supreme dressed up their outdoor signage:
Y E S#YesEquality #MarRef #youryesmatters #stoneybatter #lovelovesupreme pic.twitter.com/AyXRpJzyEj
— Love Supreme (@LoveLoveSupreme) May 17, 2015
3FE gussied up their cups in support:
3FE owner Colin Harmon told us we couldn’t leave out “this incredible mural, even though it wasn’t coffee oriented, it had such a massive impact!”
We couldn’t agree more!
Totally Dublin interviewed Cloud Picker Coffee Roasters/Science Gallery Cafe owners and life partners Peter Sztal and Frank Kavanagh.
Should the referendum pass, Kavanaugh says they plan to “take our dog, Henry, for a walk on the beach and then go hold hands at the local bar.”
Much support from across Ireland, including in the country’s coffee scene, has coalesced online around the hashtag #makegráthelaw—grá is the gaelic word for love. This historic referendum happens Friday, May 22nd.
