Almost 100 years ago, the 1916 proclamation called on the Republic to cherish all her children equally, sadly this has not been the case for many. Many have been treated as lower classes these have included the Traveling community, disabilities and the LGBT community among others. We now have a chance to change the status qua and go another step of the ladder in Equality. I grew up in a time when it was illegal to be Gay, many hid their sexuality and many lived in fear. In 1982 Declan Flynn was murdered in Fairview Park , In 1983 David Norris took a case to the Supreme Court seeking to challenge the constitutionality of the Irish laws but was unsuccessful. In 1988 Norris took a case to the European Court of Human Rights to argue that Irish law was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The court, in the case of Norris v. Ireland, ruled that the criminalisation of male homosexuality in the Republic violated Article 8 of the Convention, which guarantees the right to privacy in personal affairs. Eventually Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1993 and Things have come a long way since. This is due on a large part to Norris, Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese all who were major early LGBT rights campaigners in Ireland. On the 22nd May we have a chance to add to the ethos of the Proclamation and show Ireland as an equal society where every citizen matters. I want a society that everyone is equal and I hope you will join me and vote yes for Marriage Equality on May 22^nd #sharethelove