PRETTY GIRL

Thousands of LGBT people took to the streets of Dublin yesterday to protest the lack of civil marriage rights for same-sex couples.

As reported in the Irish Independent, the streets of the Irish capital were filled with up to 3,000 protesters of all ages waving rainbow flags and chanting a refrain of "Equal rights now!"

The crowd was cheered on by the public as the peaceful procession made its way from Dublin City Hall to the Department of Justice on St Stephen's Green.

The procession, which was the second March for Marriage organised by the gay rights group LGBT Noise, followed the signing into law of Ireland's Civil Partnership Bill, passed on 19 July. While the bill was a victory for gay rights in Ireland, it does not allow same-sex couples to marry.

Without full marriage, children of same-sex couples will grow up without the rights of their contemporaries who are raised by heterosexual couples.

One of the march's key organisers, Max Krzyzanowski, said: "We have always sought the opening of the institution of civil marriage so that same-sex couples can raise children with the same protections as their straight brothers and sisters.

"There are 300 rights that accrue to heterosexual married couples that are missing from civil partnership legislation."

Mr Krzyzanowski added that it was "unnacceptable in 2010″ when countries all over the world were allowing same-sex couples to be joined together in civil marriage.