all aboard the civil partnership train

The Belfast to Dublin railway line has reopened and you are invited to join us on the Civil Partnership Train departing Belfast at 12.35hrs for Dublin on Saturday 5th December.



The Civil Partnership Train is a civil rights initiative inspired by the landmark Belfast to Dublin ‘Contraceptive train’ of 1971 and the historic ‘Peace train’ of 1989. According to Dr Richard O’Leary of the Civil Partnership Train “The purpose of the Civil Partnership Train is to highlight the second class legal status of gay and lesbian couples in Dublin compared to Belfast, a situation which will continue unless the Irish government’s Civil Partnership Bill is upgraded”. Supporters include the Revd. Chris Hudson and Irish Senator David Norris, both of the earlier Peace Train movement.

Earlier this month the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheal Martin, called on the political parties in Northern Ireland to implement fully the Good Friday Agreement. However, according to Dr Richard O’Leary “The Irish government has not kept up with Northern Ireland as regards human rights protection in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, and especially on Civil Partnership legislation which Northern Ireland introduced four years ago”. Dr O’Leary added that “Since 2005 gay and lesbian couples whose UK Civil Partnership is recognised in Belfast are decoupled when they arrive at the Irish border town of Dundalk, as their UK Civil Partnership is not recognised by the Irish government”.








The four objectives of the Civil Partnership Train are to encourage the Irish Government to:



IMPLEMENT fully the Good Friday Agreement in the Republic of Ireland and to meet its commitment in the Agreement to provide in the Republic “at least an equivalent level of protection of human rights as will pertain in Northern Ireland”.



UPGRADE the Civil Partnership Bill to provide parenting rights for gay and lesbian couples equal with those in Northern Ireland.



INCLUDE in the Bill recognition of widowed same-sex partners who obtained their Civil Partnership overseas or in Britain or Northern Ireland since 2005.



STOP the proposed amendment to the Bill for an anti-gay opt-out on the grounds of ‘Christian conscience’. The proposed opt-out was not conceded in Northern Ireland.



You can support the objectives above by travelling with us on the train departing from Belfast to Dublin on Saturday 5th December 2009 at 12.35hrs, which we are describing to be a Civil Partnership Train



For persons beginning the journey from Belfast:

Book your own tickets individually as a normal journey by going to the NI railways website www.translink.co.uk and selecting the 12.35hrs train to Dublin (you can suit yourself as to the return journey time although most of us will return on the 19.00hrs train from Dublin). BOOK NOW – there are currently very cheap day return fares available at £7.50 return, but these may soon be sold to other travellers on the train. Booking on line gives you a voucher to be redeemed for a ticket at the train station on the day of travel. Once you have bought your voucher/ticket on the internet, please let us know on civilpartnershiptrain@gmail.com so that we will have some idea of the number of supporters who will be travelling on the ‘Civil Partnership’ train with us. On the day itself, please Assemble at Belfast central station at 11.45hrs. CP train supporters should first occupy the unreserved seating in the carriage behind the dining car.



For persons beginning the journey in Dublin:

Book your own tickets individually as a normal journey by going to the Irish rail website www.irishrail.ie and selecting the 9.35hrs train to Belfast and the 12.35hrs train returning from Belfast. BOOK NOW – there are currently cheap day return fares available at E20 return, but these may soon be sold to other travellers on the train. Once you have made your booking, please let us know on civilpartnershiptrain@gmail.com so that we will have some idea of the number of supporters who will be travelling on the ‘Civil Partnership’ train with us.



FREE TRAVEL PASSES:

While these should be valid as for any normal individual journey, they do not guarantee access to a particular train if that train is full. Therefore, at the very least persons hoping to use a Free Travel Pass are advised arrive early at the station on the day of departure to purchase a ticket.



Tell your friends – LGBT and heterosexual...bring your friends and family

....circulate this invitation to others



We look forward to seeing you



Dr Richard O’Leary

The Civil Partnership Train Contact persons

c/o Changing Attitude Ireland Dr Richard O’Leary

1 st Floor Old War Memorial Building Revd. Chris Hudson

9-13 Waring St Canon Charles Kenny

Belfast BT1 2DX UK Mob. +44(0)7816462107



e-mail: civilpartnershiptrain@gmail.com

For further Announcements see www.changingattitudeireland.org