Rachel Armstrong lives 100 miles from Belfast, but it sometimes feels a million miles away .
"Geographically we're very close, but there is a huge chasm between us," says Dublin-based Armstrong (31), who has been in a relationship with Michelle Farrell (32), from Co Westmeath, for more than six years.
"What's happening in the North is really exciting, it's such a momentous occasion. It's the biggest thing to happen since homosexuality was decriminalised. But down here, if you're a gay couple, you're treated as a second-class citizen. You're discriminated against in all sorts of ways," says Armstrong.
While gay couples can have their relationships recognised in law in the North from today, it could take years before a similar law is enacted in the Republic. Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has said he is in favour of such legislation, but has warned that such steps could be highly complex due to our Constitution.
Discrimination in the eyes of the law is something which rankles with Armstrong.
"Myself and Michelle are looking after her younger sister, who's 16. She's on medication and I'm on medication. Under the Drugs Payment Scheme, this monthly could be limited to around €80, but because we're not recognised as a couple, it's costing us €200 a month," she says. "Then, when you apply for a medical card, they take into account your partner's income, which puts you over the threshold."
Armstrong, an assistant editor at GCN magazine, and Farrell, a web designer, say they would be first in the queue if a civil partnership law was introduced here. "I think it will happen in a few years," says Armstrong. "This should be about society - it's about being treated as an equal citizen."
Carl O'Brien