Ireland Votes to Approve Gay Marriage, Putting Country in Vanguard

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Danny Hakim and Douglas Dalby

A couple at Dublin Castle on Saturday.

IRELAND---Ireland became the first nation to approve same-sex marriage by a popular vote, sweeping aside the opposition of the Roman Catholic Church in a resounding victory Saturday for the gay rights movement and placing the country at the vanguard of social change. With the final ballots counted, the vote was 62 percent in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, and 38 percent opposed. The turnout was large — more than 60 percent of the 3.2 million eligible voters cast ballots, and only one district out of 43 voted the measure down. [link]