Of the many societal changes Scotland has undergone in the last 30 years, surely one of the most progressive is the equality of rights now afford to the gay community. This culminated in 2014 with the introduction of gay marriage. Indeed, were it to be an independent country, Scotland would be the most gay-friendly country in Europe, according to the Rainbow Index, thanks to a raft of progressive policies. The UK as a whole, meanwhile, is also near the top of the index.

One home nation, however, lags behind: Northern Ireland. It is now the only part of the UK not to allow gay marriage. Though much has changed in that country over the years - especially since the peace process of the late-1990s - religion still plays a significant, some would say overly-significant, role in the political sphere. But in some ways this is why Ruth Davidson, the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is the right person to speak in Belfast in support of gay marriage.

Ms Davidson, a Scots gay Unionist protestant, became engaged to her partner Jen Wilson, a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland, earlier this year. During a speech as part of the city’s Pride celebrations, Ms Davidson wisely made the point that gay marriage isn’t about one religion, country or community.

“It’s about the people of Northern Ireland being afforded the same rights as everybody else,” she said, adding that Scotland is a “better place” now that marriage is offered to both heterosexual and gay couples.

Even the Republic of Ireland, a state tied for so long to a morally conservative church, has moved on. Last year it became the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage through a popular vote.

But Stormont has dragged its heals on the issue, repeatedly refused to engage. The Democratic Unionist Party has even deployed a controversial voting mechanism to ensure the matter has been effectively vetoed from the parliamentary agenda altogether. To be fair, gay marriage is still extremely contentious within communities on both sides of the religious divide.

Scotland is clearly a very different type of country. Indeed, Ms Davidson is not the only party leader at Holyrood to be in a same-sex relationship. Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, Green chief Patrick Harvie and Ukip leader David Coburn are all gay or bisexual. Scottish Secretary David Mudell is also gay.

But perhaps Ms Davidson, a person who is clearly happy in her own skin as a Conservative politician with different identities, is the most apt role model for Northern Ireland, a country that is still deeply traditional.

We would hope that the people of Northern Ireland, and the politicians who represent them at Stormont, listened carefully to her reasoned and heartfelt speech on the matter.

Devolution means different parts of the UK can have different policies, of course, and ultimately it is up to every society to decide what is important. But in the modern world it is surely right and proper that all UK citizens, regardless of where they live, are offered the opportunity to marry the man or woman they love. Equality, after all, is about far more than sexuality.