"Just like my mam, I believe that Irish people are willing to open their hearts and accept change"

Last week in the Dáil, I raised the recent controversy about RTÉ and the reported €85,000 pay-out they made to several individuals following a discussion on The Saturday Night Show about what homophobia is.

As I spoke I thought about a conversation I had with my mam in the kitchen in Ballymun about 10 years ago. I had come out as being gay already at this stage and conversation turned to the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.

I was a little taken aback with my mam’s attitude to gay marriage. While she had no issues with gay people, or my own identity, she was against same-sex marriage and it made her quite uncomfortable. At that time there weren’t even Civil Partnerships in Ireland, so I imagine her opinions were shared by a lot of people.

Do I think that made my mam a homophobe for thinking this way? Absolutely not!

My mam is a good example of the ‘decent folk’ that make up Irish society. She is the same loveable person that she was 10 years ago. Slowly, however, over time, her opinions have changed about the rights of gay people to marry. I put this down to her willingness to open her heart to what life presents her.

In the years that followed, Civil Partnerships were introduced for gay and lesbian people and I think they’ve changed a lot of people’s opinions on the rights of gay couples.

I have a great memory of all my family, including my mam, going to the Civil Partnership ceremony of my sister’s best friend a couple of years ago. It was a very happy occasion with friends and family celebrating a couple who had been together for well over a decade.

Over the last two weeks there has been a lot of public debate on the rights of gay people to marry in the same manner as straight couples. A lot of different things have been said. I believe this debate has been a good thing. I also think that over the last two weeks many people have come out in support for the right of gay and lesbian people to marry. 

In 2015, the Irish public will vote on a referendum on this issue. Just like my mam, I believe that Irish people are willing to open their hearts and accept change.

And I believe they will open up their hearts like they did this week and vote yes to extend equal rights to their sons and daughters, their brothers and sisters, friends and fellow citizens.  

This blog post appeared as an opinion piece in the The Irish Sun newspaper on Sunday 9th February.

Other media from last week:

You can send the end of my contribution in the Dáil chamber here:

 


I also spoke to Ryan Tubridy on his radio show on Friday reflecting on recent events - you can listen to my interview here as well.