A campaign poster encouraging Irish citizens to vote no in the same-sex marriage referendum has created a storm on social media with some of the world’s top comedians getting involved.
The poster shows a baby being kissed on either cheek by its mother and father, and is accompanied by a headline reading: “Children deserve a mother and a father.”
The reason the poster has created such a stir is that the couple featured in it are completely opposed to the message they are being used to promote.
Australian comedian Adam Hills was alerted to the poster after British funnyman Jason Manford saw it whilst during his tour of Ireland. He was clearly irritated by the message and posted about the poster on Twitter.
Fellow comedian Hills spotted the tweet and got involved in the debate himself when he realised that he recognised the couple in the picture. He took to Twitter himself to explain that they are friends of his wife, and are ‘appalled’ that their faces are being used to promote a cause that they are personally against.
The vote on the same-sex marriage referendum is set to take place on the 22nd May. It has been the source of much debate in Ireland. Some are concerned that allowing it will undermine the traditional family values in the country.
Others feel that Ireland should demonstrate that it is a tolerant and accepting country and vote yes in the referendum.
A message from Mrs Brown (played by Brendan O’Carroll) was uploaded on to YouTube recently to offer her thoughts on the referendum and a video featuring a 101-year-old Cork woman was also viewed thousands of times online.
