On May 22nd, Ireland will vote on whether or not same-sex couples should be allowed to marry
The Trinity College Students Union in Dublin have put together this moving video, urging young voters to speak to their older relatives about the upcoming referendum. They have been using the hashtag #ringyourgranny on Twitter these last few days.
Although young people are most likely to support marriage equality, there is low voter turnout amongst youth compared with older people, making the older demographic a key component in bringing marriage equality to Ireland
Both sides are represented well, and there’s one touching moment where a young man’s father tells him, “when it’s your turn, I will walk proudly and stand beside you whether it’s a church or registry office or wherever the hell it is. I will stand proudly beside you.”
One grandparent said: “My age group wouldn’t vote in favour of that at all” – but added: “I will vote for it, all right.”
Another added: “I’d have to think about it. In my time, when you got married children were there.
A statement from the Tinity College students read:
“On May 22nd, Ireland will vote on the Marriage Equality referendum, deciding whether or not same-sex couples can get legally married. In Ireland, and particularly here in Trinity, students and young people are the most likely to vote yes in the referendum. But we typically have the lowest voter turnout. However, it’s still unclear how the older generations are going to vote. And, given that older Irish people are more likely to turn out and vote on the day, this demographic could swing the vote in a very big way.”