Ursula Major

at

00115455

TV3 Political Correspondent Ursula Halligan in 2010

Homophobia was so deeply embedded in my soul, I resisted facing the truth about myself, preferring to live in the safety of my prison. In the privacy of my head, I had become a roaring, self-loathing homophobe, resigned to going to my grave with my shameful secret. And I might well have done that if the referendum hadn’t come along….

…As a person of faith and a Catholic, I believe a Yes vote is the most Christian thing to do. I believe the glory of God is the human being fully alive and that this includes people who are gay.

Ursula Halligan: Referendum pointed me towards telling the truth about myself (irish Times)

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

Meanwhile…

 

Sponsored Link

94 thoughts on “Ursula Major

  1. Grouse

    This is excellently written.

    Stories like this break my heart. I know things are changing for the better, but Christ. The loneliness of that teenager.

    1. ABM

      Transgender people are above criticisism. It only reinforces their shame and guilt. You are perpetuating the stigma in society (rooted in 1950s Ireland mindset) and are a homophone to boot. It’s 2015 for feck sake and we still have not realised the promises of the 1960s. You are still living in the dark ages. The lack of progress is all the evil Catholic church’s fault. If Archbishop McQuaid had actually (according to Irish Times anyway) abused altar boys none of this would have happened. We need another New Ireland based on reason, justice and common sense.

        1. (name)

          “You’ll all be crying salty tears on the 23rd when, like a slap in the face with a fish, you realise just how deep Christ’s message remains embedded in our national psyche.”
          brainwashed minds, not psyche.

        2. jeremy kyle

          Which one, “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”?

          Join us over here in the sunshine ABM, it doesn’t have to be this way…

        3. scottser

          Its a race to the bottom lad. To qoute grampa simpson : ‘i used to be with it, then they went and changed what ‘it’ was. Now what ‘it’ is, is scary and confusing’.
          still, the pressure’s off now. By all means moisturise your face while wearing a sarong. Men are allowed to do that now.

    2. Anomanomanom

      Brian lenihan, who helped wreck the country and whose political family are rotten to the core. Not much sympathy

          1. Smith

            the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter leaves the body, sometimes referred to as the anus

      1. donkey_kong

        actually you probably find Brian lenihan was one of the more able guys were had in the dail – to say he wrecked the country is a stupid comment. The half answers and mistruths from Trichet alone should put that to bed.

        1. JimmytheHead

          Lenihan allowed the country to be wrecked because he had the opportunity to do something before it got to this state, but decided to keep him mouth shut along with his 6 figure job and cushy lifestyle.

          1. donkey_kong

            lenihan was in the job a wet week – the damage was long done.
            but don’t let that stop you re-writing history.

          2. Anomanomanom

            You obviously have no brain cells. He was in politics and government YEARS backing policies and corruption that ruined us.

        2. Anomanomanom

          Nothing stupid. He along with the rest backed Bertie, the most cunning and devious of them all, Ahern. So I’m right in what I said.

    3. Mani

      Brian Lenihan Jr’s cancer was GAY?
      Was that why they had difficulty getting it out?

    1. Anomanomanom

      Yes. I’d like 99 reason and this piece ain’t one………I’m sorry*hanging head*

    2. Just sayin'

      Yes. I’m not voting Yes out of guilt for homophobia back in the 1970s when I wasn’t even born. This isn’t Pop Idol – I don’t vote out of mushy sentiment.

        1. scottser

          I have heard tell, that in australia you can get done for not voting. This is proper order in my book.

  2. Barbara

    A wonderful piece of writing. Would melt the hardest heart and could be a mind changer for some. Much much respect to Ursula.

  3. Anomanomanom

    10% of any population is gay! That’s news to me. Honestly would have thought lower. But after this vote I’m pretty sure what ever % it is will get their yes vote. Ireland has moved on massively since those days.

  4. donkey_kong

    heart wrenching piece. very emotional and I’d hate to think she wasted an aspect of her life for so long.

    But i have a questions –
    people like her and Pat Carey TD who have recently come out make me wonder – they are two successful headstrong confident people (look at their chosen professions, those professions arent for the faint at heart) and chose now to make this announcement (personally I think no announcement is ever necessary) but I can’t help wonder if the decision to stay quiet was career minded rather than genuine fear, self doubt etc…and now it is politically safe to do so.
    other people in the public eye were out and proud during that time so it’s not like they were the only gay in the village.
    I don’t buy it – am i wrong ?? or evil?

    1. Ted

      I’m sure Renua would be receptive to a bit of gender identity tokenism. With her media knowledge, she’ll be very useful for GE2016.

    2. ReproBertie

      Even if the decision to stay quiet was career minded what does that tell you about the way they saw homosexuals being teated or viewed within our society or their industry?

      Just because some people have the confidence to be out doesn’t mean that others should all follow suit.

    3. Starina

      You’re right to be suspicious of any politician but I also think that for someone who is struggling with an issue of sexuality it’d be difficult to see the bigger picture. Everything would be tainted with fear and imagined consequences that had built up psychologically over decades.

    4. Lu

      In fairness, in the piece she does pay some tribute to people like David Norris who fought the good fight when it was not so popular a cause.

  5. Just sayin'

    Pity she wasn’t so understanding when she broke the story of Brian Lenihan Jnr’s illness before he had a chance to tell his own family.

    I don’t remember seeing much compassion from her back then.

    1. donkey_kong

      yeah for sure that was gutter journalism at it’s worst. Not even the sun would stoop that low.

      1. Ted

        Irish Times only too delighted to give her ample space. Not sure the Sun would have many opportunities for her though…

      2. yeahand

        Indeed equality for all Ursula. Unfortunately Brian Lenihan never got the chance to tell his family of his own personal crisis.

        1. Don Pidgeoni

          Or an understanding that the psychology of some people can be complex for complex reasons?

    1. Ted

      Come on. It would only be profound if the announcement was made on Twitter, retweeted at least 1,000 times (at least one of which must be from a well-known feminist academic), a new book was planned and said Tweeter decided to dedicate themselves to a life of fighting for trans* rights in the Western Sahara.

  6. Drogg

    Great piece and completely heart wrenching to read. It is a very brave move of her to come out like this and effect her own coverage of the referendum.

  7. Tá Frilly Keane

    Here’ Ursula

    I couldnt give a tinkers who you fancy
    I am pissed off of your insisting message of your good catholic faith n’sh1te.

    An organisation more anti women and anti choive than any other in Ireland. Which is your constituency as a TV news journalist.

    D’mind yer sh1te talk about Homophobia
    Face up to your first hypocrisy first

    Having said that, I do hope you find the peace and comfort a loving relationship can provide.
    Its never too late.

    1. elsie

      Her mention of her Catholic faith is a good thing because it will only help the Yes vote,
      because there are alot of Catholics who feel they must vote No and this may help them realise it’s okay to vote Yes and be a Catholic

  8. elsie

    Excellent article, I think it is very easy for people under 50 to be completely shocked by any homobhobia
    but Ursula’s article illustrates an Ireland that hopefully is well behind us now, but that our parents were brought up in and were blinkered (some might say brainwashed) by the Church. It is near impossible for us to fathom that as recently as the 60s and 70s, people were told it was a SIN to eat meat on a Friday, and that’s not getting into the myriad of messed up rules and notions regarding sexuality.

    Count yourself very lucky to have grown up believing there’s nothing wrong with masturbation, there’s nothing wrong with sexual desire – hetero or homosexual – If we understand where the No vote is coming from (an Ireland of Fear and Repression) we can hopefully take a less aggressive approach to showing the older/Catholic voters that the future is one filled with LOVE TOLERANCE and COMPASSION, and that all these are the foundation of their dearly held religious beliefs.

    1. JimmytheHead

      Any genuine catholic/christian heads I know have been great, very open minded and happy to extend marriage to everybody. Me thinks the No minority like to big up the stats and push religion and shame as a good reason to spread hate. If Jesus was here he’d be morto :-)

      John 13:34
      “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

  9. joe

    I’d say the Yes side were thinking she looks the type to be advocating a No vote and had the gutting knife at the ready!

    Fair play for writing such a sincere piece.

  10. Pip

    Profundly depressing – the Halligan piece is like something from the eighties.
    How could you get to 2015 in western society and be so…. disempowered?
    Not a good role model for anyone, gay or straight.

    1. Annie

      Trying being a 54 year old lesbian woman having grown up in 1970s Ireland. That doesn’t wash off that easily. Try being a gay man like Pat Carey involved in politics and having to hide your real self. That doesn’t wash off that easily. Try being a person whether gay or straight who was bullied unmercifully in school during one’s formative years. That doesn’t wash off that easily. Try being a pregnant teenager in 80s rural Ireland, maybe in Granard. That doesn’t wash off that easily. Try being a woman like Sheila Hodgers. That doesn’t wash off that easily.

      All very well to talk of empowerment if you are the right age not to have personally experienced how things actually were. Empowerment, when it does come, it better late than never. I’ll give you that.

      1. ahyeah

        How dare you come on here telling me to try being a 54-year-old lesbian woman. You’ve got issues.

        1. ReproBertie

          You tell them ahyeah. Stick with a being a 54-year-old lesbian man. Don’t let them bully you.

      2. Tá Frilly Keane

        Ah ffs

        Lemme spell this out

        Pat Carey and Ursula Halligan can say and do what they like. I don’t care for either of them.

        Ursula says she stayed in the closet because she’s a faithful catholic. I find her endorsement of that organisation, above all else, worth pointing out.
        Pat’s reason was purely for his own self interest. He was part of an organisation that had no openly gay member until this century.
        Since Leo came out, these pillars of political commentary came upon a coast is clear its safe to come out opening.

        Good luck to them. And since their private lives are none of my business, I’ll shur’up now.

        But for the rest of ye, pretending that staying in the closet wasn’t self serving, and in-turn damaging to the community-at-large is schoolyard stuff.

        1. Joe the Lion

          different generation though mate

          I think we take the progress made by this one for granted – that’s my two anyway

        2. P

          Nobody stays in the closet to be self-serving, it’s a horrible and lonely place. The community at-large put them there and by doing so damaged itself. You really and clearly don’t have any comprehension of what it is like so you can’t issue an opinion on it.

          1. Tá Frilly Keane

            My hole.
            The Community at Large
            30 and more years ago
            Put them in the closet

            But not 20 years ago ( in Dublin & Cork anyway)
            Not 10 years ago
            And not 5 years ago
            When Pat Carey was a Minister……
            The Community At Large didn’t keep them there
            They did it themselves

            Ursula insists her Catholic Faith kept her there.
            Which she upholds.
            Fair enough. That’s what choice is.

            But afaic,
            Subordinating herself and wellbeing, to stay in the favour of the most Anti Choice Anti Equality Anti Women organisation, and I’m actually holding stuff back, is a level of Hypocrisy that found a grand home in the Irish Times

            The former Minister for Rabbit Food
            Is an FFer
            He’ll tell ya anything
            That matches the general mood
            If the numbers on the ground weren’t in his interests
            He’d still be in the closet
            Christ. He’s had more photo opps in the last 3 months than he ever had as a Minister

            I’m sorry they missed out on what I take for granted
            I’m sorry they were that afraid of their families, friends, colleagues and neighbours etc reaction to their homosexuality.

            But neither are silly, whimsical, mediocre people
            They are accomplished professionals
            And well able to represent themselves
            But they chose not to

            Like I said earlier
            The Community at Large didn’t keep Ursula and Pat in the closet.
            Their own interests did

      3. Pip

        Appreciate your considered response, Annie.
        Only fair to point out that I’m a year older than Ursula Halligan, and male.
        What really got my goat was her ‘poor me’ approach.

  11. Ppads

    Some of the things said by the No in this campaign have been disgraceful. They have hurt people in a very callous way which will be played out in the months after the referendum.
    If ever there was a reason to vote Yes, it is the fact that the people responsible for the No campaign could one day be in a position to revoke the legal standing of civil partnerships. And make no mistake, if they can they will because they were opposed to that too.
    But, they have also lit a fire in some people’s bellies. Ursula is one of these people. She has eloquently written about how the key was in her own heart all along. We are moving forward not back and you are very welcome on board Ursula.

    1. Joe the Lion

      I’m surprised to read that if the Yes is carried the Civil Partnership Bill will be repealed. I’m not very happy about this at all.

  12. Lilly

    Desperate pic of her in today’s Irish Times, have they no Photoshop in Tara Street.

    The more of these coming out stories I read, the more I respect people like David Norris who refused to live a lie.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie