May 22nd will forever be known as the day that love triumphed. It was a historic day for the world at large, but it was so much more than that to Ireland. For us, it was our opportunity to give the Catholic Church a giant, long-overdue “Fuck you”. It really was a magical day.
But several months and a handful of failed court cases later, the dust is beginning to settle, the feather boas and short-shorts have taken up permanent residency in vacated closets around the country, and we are beginning to see a bleak reality.
Gone are the gays of yore, when subtle looks and public toilets set the scene for the disposable relationships that became sin-onymous with homosexuality. Gone are the men of yesterqueer, who had to fight not for the right to marry, but for the right to simply be alive. And gone are the g-eighties, the golden decade of gay music that led homos worlwide to stand up and say “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it”.
Unfortunately for the gays, we did. We got used to it. Very quickly actually. In one fell swoop, the gays of Ireland managed to strike gold at the end of their rainbow. Gay marriage has been the ultimate goal for years, and now that they have it, the gay community has found itself at a loss. Plan B is not something that they need to consider very often, so you could forgive them for not thinking ahead.
Soon after the referendum, many people began to focus their attention on laws that allowed schools and hospitals to fire people based on their sexuality. Unfortunately for the gays, a new equality law was passed almost immediately, ending that battle before it really began.
Worst of all is the fact that 62.07% voted yes on May 22nd. Although 37.93% of voters may have said no, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they would all treat gay people badly. This has lead to gays now being gay wherever they like, as opposed to limiting their gayness to a handful of gay bars. It is no longer a fun little secret to keep for your entire life. It is no longer a chic underworld of oppression. It’s just normal. And if the gays have taught us anything, it’s that normal is never in style.
Thankfully the blood ban is still in effect, although that is not currently a high-priority issue for the gay community, as gays in general are not fans of such small pricks.