Boko Haram kidnapped 60 people in
Are there more blatantly obvious and serious issues in the
world? Yes. Is the sexuality of a cabinet minister really worthy of front page
news headlines all over the country? No. Yet, that’s what you’ll find if you
happen to glance at any newspaper or online news website today.
If a politician is heterosexual the widely held view is that
it is no one’s business except his or hers. So why do we, as a self-proclaimed
liberal country, struggle so much to adopt the same attitude if a politician is
homosexual?
The fact that the next potential leader of Fine Gael or
indeed potential Taoiseach felt he even had to address his sexual orientation
on national radio shows we are not as liberal a nation as we might like to
think we are, nor have we progressed as much as we say we have.
It is not an ideal situation but, in a country like Ireland
where homosexuality was deemed criminal less than a quarter of a century ago,
Leo Varadkar coming out is not a small step but a giant leap for the Emerald
Isle. The power of someone as high profile and well respected as the Health
Minister openly coming out cannot be underestimated in a society where so many
people feel they cannot come out and express who they really are.
Like Obama will always be known as the first
African-American president of America ,
Varadkar will always be known as the first openly gay cabinet minister. However, speaking to Miriam O’Callaghan he said it will not define him, yet it may
always be noted:
“It’s not something
that defines me, I’m not a half-Indian politician or a doctor politician,
I’m not a gay politician for that matter, it’s just part of who I am.”
To live in a society where coming out isn’t a momentous and
difficult task for people is a society we can only hope for. Leo Varadkar must be commended for speaking out. His decision to freely discuss his
sexuality will hopefully help pave the way for many people and can only be
described as a positive and game-changing step for Ireland .
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