IRISH JUDGE TO RULE ON GAY MARRIAGE RIGHTS: From The Guardian

A lesbian couple yesterday launched a high court challenge against the Irish government's refusal to recognise their marriage, in a case that could have implications for thousands of cohabiting couples in Ireland.

Catherine Zapaonne and Louise Gilligan appeared in the high court in Dublin to seek a judicial review of the inspector of taxes' refusal to recognise them as a couple.

Dr Zapaonne, a public policy consultant and member of the Human Rights Commission, and Dr Gilligan, an academic, have lived together for 23 years and own a house together in county Dublin. They are Irish citizens and married in Vancouver, Canada, in September last year--a marriage recognised under Canadian law. When they returned to Ireland and applied for the tax allowances of a married couple, their application was rejected.

The couple claimed there was no legal impediment to the recognition of same-sex marriage. They argued that an opposite-sex couple resident in Ireland who married in Canada would be recognised. Lawyers said the revenue of fice's refusal to grant them the same tax relief as a heterosexual married couple was discriminatory and breached their constitutional and human rights under the European convention.

more

posted by Eve at 1:11 AM VOTE

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home