Tag Archives: equality

iona1

They think of little else.

In fairness.

Ciarán Ó Raghallaigh writes:

Because I have a lot of free time on my hands and no life, I spent some time last night doing searches on the Iona Institute [Catholic Multi-denomination think tank] website to see how frequently particular words appear on it.

Bear in mind they’re supposedly an organisation concerned with the rights of children and problems facing families and the institution of marriage in Ireland. So I chose words that I thought would be relevant.

I got the data from Google. You just type in each term followed by “site:www.ionainstitute.ie” – the latter part makes the search specific to the site itself.

So, for example, typing into Google “unemployment site:www.ionainstitute.ie” will return the number of references to the term “unemployment”. Ye probably know all this already. I’m just saying it so ye can check the figures for yourselves, if ye wish….

If the occurrence of particular words can be taken as an indication of what they’re concerned about, then their worries seem rather skewed towards one issue: gay people. Under the term “gay”, I didn’t even include words like lesbian, homosexual, homosexuality etc. That would have made the count even higher.

Iona Institute

90270018The 2012 Noise for Marriage march in Dublin

‘Marriage May Be Contracted In Accordance With Law By Two Persons Without Distinction As To Their Sex’

The wording of the May same sex marriage referendum. The Cabinet met this morning to discuss the referendum along with one on reducing the age limit for presidential election candidates from 35 to 21 years of age. No exact date has been given for the vote.

Fight!

Wording of Marriage Equality referendum published (RTÉ)

(Photocall Ireland)

Update:

“This is a historic day for Ireland and Irish people. The proposed wording would amend the Constitution to add a right for lesbian and gay couples to have a civil marriage. Today we move a step closer to full inclusion in our Constitution for lesbian and gay couples. The referendum will put the question of equality in the Constitution for lesbian and gay couples to the people, as recommended by the Constitutional Convention. The referendum, if carried, will complete the remarkable 25-year journey to Constitutional equality for lesbian and gay people in Ireland”

Kieran Rose, chairman of Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN)

“We have made great progress towards equality based on the generosity and fairness of the Irish people and we are confident that we can appeal to this sense of generosity and fairness once more. The proposed wording would ensure that existing marriages and future marriages of men and women are not altered in any way. The proposed amendment would update the Constitution to say that any two people can marry, regardless of their sex. This wording rightly emphasises that the intention is to extend marriage ‘without distinction’ as to the sex of the spouses, thereby removing the last roadblock to the recognition in law of the full equality and dignity of same sex couples.”

ICCL Mark Kelly, director of the Irish Council on Civil Liberties (ICCL)

“We look forward to a positive campaign for the referendum which focuses on the value of marriage to everyone in Irish society and explains why marriage matters to lesbian and gay couples. Irish people rightly take constitutional change very seriously and our job over the next four months will be to engage in a national conversation with the citizens of Ireland to understand and assuage any concerns, and to encourage people to have their voices heard on the day.”

Grainne Healy, chair of MarriageEquality.ie

brian

Brian Finnegan, editor of GCN [Gay Community News]

Further to Leo’s coming out.

Brian Finnegan writes:

…For a member of the cabinet to come out as gay  sends a huge message to the public. The message is that our leaders, the people who make decisions that affect our lives, are a more diverse group of people than we might imagine. Gay people are elected and appointed to positions of power too, and it has no effect on whether they can do their jobs properly or not.

For someone like High Court judge, Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly, who has acknowledged her female partner since her elevation to the High Court last July, and had her partner acknowledged by the powers that be, I think it’s about being true to yourself while doing the job you have been entrusted to do by society.

Such honesty can only be applauded, and celebrated. Such honesty shows how far we have come as a society in understanding diversity, how far we have travelled in learning to have compassion and respect for our fellow citizens.

I heard this morning about a 62 year-old man who came out to his family after listening to Minister Varadkar’s interview yesterday. I hope that such inspiration spreads. At this time in the history of our country, when the public are being given the serious responsibility to vote on whether certain people deserve to be treated equally under our laws or not, we need more and more gay and lesbian people to be visible, showing they are just like everyone else, that they have the same hopes and dreams, that they take the same social responsibilities, and hold the same commitment to a good, fair and working society, as heterosexual people. They just happen to be gay.

People In The Highest Echelons Of Ireland Are Out At Work (Brian Finnegan, Outmost.com)

(GCN)

90367807

Health Minister Leo Vardakar

Irish Times columnist Miram Lord writes:

“Leo’s brave declaration will also put a stop to the gallop of the gossipmongers.
It is true that certain media organisations have been itching to “out” him. Queries were regularly submitted to his department seeking information about his personal life. Certain photographers were keeping an eye on his movements. He had to time his announcement between health controversies. He had a small window of opportunity yesterday. For those aware of where his interview was heading, it made for difficult listening.”

Really?

Really?

REALLY?


Miriam Lord: Brave Leo Varadkar gives it to us straight (Irish Times)

Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Meanwhile…

90355817Health Minister Leo Varadkar

“I am a gay man, it’s not a secret, but not something that everyone would necessarily know but isn’t something I’ve spoken publicly about before. It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it is part of my character I suppose.

“It’s not a big deal for me anymore, I hope it’s not a big deal for anyone else, it shouldn’t be”

Leo Varadkar on RTÉ R1’s Sunday with Miriam O’Callaghan this morning

Leo Varadkar: ‘I am a gay man’, Minister says (Irish Times)

(Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland)

Meanwhile

travelleracadamy

Norah Casey (top centre) with from left: Christine Collins, Leanne McDonagh, Tracie Joyce and Ann Rose Mongan.

Norah’s Traveller Academy.

Yes.

Melanie O’Connor writes:

For each of the four young Traveller women featured, the mentoring process represents an unprecedented and revealing journey of personal discovery. In the course of their training, the four trainees will share their experience and perspectives of the casual prejudice and cultural mores that continue to act as a barrier to independence and business opportunity for travellers in modern Ireland.

This is no ordinary mentoring process. Traditionally, traveller women are consigned to the home and discouraged from the world of business. Few finish school and fewer still progress to third level education. Norah has a unique challenge on her hands. Along with commercial know-how, she’ll have to encourage the confidence and resilience her trainees will need to survive in the business world. …

A novel way of showing the challenges facing women in the travelling community?

Or Pygmalion-style reality sop to misunderstood minority?

Find out on Thursday at 9pm on RTÉ2.

(RTÉ)

pamelaandson

‘I bawled for Ireland.’

Parent Pamela Cleary (top with her son Marc) talks with Sharyn Hadyn of parenting website Raising Ireland about his coming out in the 1990s.

Sharyn writes:

Pamela Cleary is a proud mum to an amazing gay son – before and after he came out. She makes acceptance and love sound exactly like what it should be – EASY.

Raising Ireland

donalog

Coming Out Of The Curve.

With Donal Óg Cusack.

Fergus McCormack writes:

In ‘Coming out of the Curve’, Dónal Óg Cusack takes stock of gay rights, both at home and abroad, and asks how far we have travelled, from the days when being gay was against the law in Ireland. He talks to other sports people about coming out and interviews an ‘ex-gay’ man who claims he has been cured of his homosexuality…

Coming Out Of The Curve is on RTE One, Monday 19th January, 9.35pm.

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calendar

The Government today indicated that the referendum on civil marriage equality will be held in May 2015.

Kieran Rose of GLEN [Gay and Lesbian Equality Network} write:

“We welcome the Government decision to outline the timeframe for the referendum. The referendum will put the question of equality in the Constitution for lesbian and gay couples to the people, as recommended by the Constitutional Convention. The referendum, if carried, will complete the remarkable journey to Constitutional equality for lesbian and gay people in Ireland

“We look forward to a positive campaign which focuses on the value of marriage to everyone in Irish society and explains why marriage matters to lesbian and gay couples”

FIGHT!

GLEN