Journal of SCA: Spring 2016

profound speech she gave in response made her one of the most prominent voices in the campaign for marriage equality. O’Neill told Independent.co.uk that he received “thousands of emails from gay people…people in wheelchairs and with autism… and from women.”11 He also said that people are united in their experiences of oppression and that he hoped his speech would start conversations about homophobia within families; a lot of gay people thanked him for his words. By drawing attention to the basic rights that gay people deserve but are not awarded, Panti Bliss advocated not only for herself but also for oppressed people from all walks of life. The intense social activism she incited suggests that there was more at stake in the referendum than samesex marriage rights. As the LGBT community came into focus just months before the referendum date, Irish people expressed a growing interest in and a deepening concern for how gay people are treated and how homophobia manifests in their society. Voting ‘Yes’ on gay marriage became equated with voting ‘Yes’ to a society that encourages and values respect for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation.

CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES: WHAT, WHY, & HOW The Human Story “The real ethos of the campaign,” Griffith remarked, “was the human story. The personal stories that people shared that everyone could relate to or find empathy for. This needed to inform all the work we were doing, even with politicians.” For instance, adults and young adults from the LGBT community were brought in to talk to the politicians directly so that a face could be put to the issue. To figure out what angle Marriage Equality would need to use with certain politicians to convince them to support samesex marriage, the organization conducted extensive research into their backgrounds and passions outside of politics. Often this led to a familial or otherwise relational connection that would help Marriage Equality convince the politicians to express support. The importance of the human story is a thread that runs throughout the narrative surrounding the referendum. With the Labour Party making up 10-15% of the voting population at that time, Farren noted how necessary it was to initiate campaigns that touched people’s hearts—not just their minds. The main 41