Attitude’s Greatest Moment of the Year Award: Ireland votes YES

There was never any question that the stand out LGBT moment of 2015 was Ireland’s historic decision to pass same-sex marriage by referendum, becoming the first country in the world to do so.

The national vote was necessary in order to change the republic’s constitution; altering the definition of marriage so that it ‘may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex’. As anticipated, the campaign was fairly heated. With all of Ireland’s political parties supporting a Yes vote, and the No campaign led largely by the Church, it looked very much like modern liberalism taking on the status quo of religious establishment. Though a Yes voted seemed the likely outcome, a shock result in the British General Election weeks earlier gave many supporters cold feet.

But by the time polling day came around, the country was gripped by positive, hopeful enthusiasm, and from the moment the first ballot boxes were opened at 9am on Saturday 23 May, it was clear the Yes campaign had won, meaning celebrations began long before the official announcement that evening.

Same-sex marriage was not achieved in Ireland purely by political will, but by popular consensus. So, this award is given to the 1,201,607 people who voted Yes on 22 May. In doing so they repositioned Ireland as a thoroughly modern country, with an admirable moral compass. Their advocacy of equality may have come from a small island, but it rang out loudly to a world slowly realising that the tide of marriage equality is unstoppable.

Read more about our Greatest Moment of the Year and all the other winners from our Attitude Awards in association with Virgin Holidays in our new issue, out to download from 11pm tonight at attitudedigital.co.uk and in shops from tomorrow (October 15).