In the mood for a feel-good cry? We've got your back.
Ireland's voting next month on whether to legalize same-sex marriage, and BeLonG To Youth, an Irish LGBT group, has just released a campaign ad that seems likely sway people on the fence and get marriage equality supporters to the polls — if they can stop sobbing and holding their loved ones.
Things are looking good for the "Yes" camp. A recent poll by the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI found that 74 percent were planning to vote to legalize same-sex marriage, while just 26 percent said they were voting "no."
The referendum, which takes place on May 22, is likely to be a much tighter contest, the Times warns. Conservatives will ramp up their campaigning in the final weeks, and current poll numbers could be skewed if some opponents of gay marriage have been reluctant to share their true opinion with an unknown pollster.
There's also the question of demographics. Support for marriage equality in Ireland — like in many Western countries — is strongest among young people and weakest among elders. The same Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI found that 85 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 supported legalization, and only 10 percent said they were against it. The gap narrows as the people surveyed get older and flips once respondents are 65 or older. They plan to vote "no" by a margin of 43 percent to 37 percent, with 14 percent undecided and 5 percent saying they won't vote at all.
That explains why the theme of BeLonG To Youth's ad is simple. Young people: Bring your older family members to the polls.
If it works, and the referendum passes in Ireland, it will be the first time in history that a country has legalized same-sex marriage through a popular vote.
That's a huge deal.
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