Richard O'Donoghue: Respect Equals Pride - A Father's Plea
Richard O'Donoghue addressed the Dáil on LGBT and Pride, urging respect for people regardless of identity and criticising political branding. Speaking as a father, grandfather and public representative, he called for safety, inclusion and fair treatment for all.
Richard O'Donoghue told the chamber that Pride stands for respect and criticised the habit of branding people 'far left' or 'far right'. He argued that labels do harm and insisted that anyone who is gay, lesbian or trans should be treated as a person first and given respect.
O'Donoghue spoke from personal experience, noting attacks he has faced in the house and revealing he has a son who is gay. He used that personal context to underline why labelling people is wrong and to emphasise the need for mutual respect across political and religious lines.
He connected the discussion on Pride to broader questions of inclusion, citing past treatment of people with disabilities as an example of exclusion now being corrected. He called for safety in public spaces and for an end to targeting people for being different.
O'Donoghue concluded with a simple maxim: respect equals pride. He urged everyone to treat others with dignity regardless of belief or identity and dismissed attacks on people who are different as the problem of those who cannot respect others.
What he said
Richard O'Donoghue told the chamber that Pride stands for respect and criticised the habit of branding people 'far left' or 'far right'. He argued that labels do harm and insisted that anyone who is gay, lesbian or trans should be treated as a person first and given respect.
Personal testimony and context
O'Donoghue spoke from personal experience, noting attacks he has faced in the house and revealing he has a son who is gay. He used that personal context to underline why labelling people is wrong and to emphasise the need for mutual respect across political and religious lines.
Wider implications
He connected the discussion on Pride to broader questions of inclusion, citing past treatment of people with disabilities as an example of exclusion now being corrected. He called for safety in public spaces and for an end to targeting people for being different.
Closing message
O'Donoghue concluded with a simple maxim: respect equals pride. He urged everyone to treat others with dignity regardless of belief or identity and dismissed attacks on people who are different as the problem of those who cannot respect others.
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Transcript
Thank you Comhairle. LGBT and pride. Pride stands for respect. I listen in this house on a daily basis and people are saying far left and far right and they're branding everything. What's wrong with just being yourself? Why have you to be branded? Respect means that if somebody is gay, lesbian, trans, give them the respect and let them give you respect. I don't believe in all this Brandon. They're people. They're human beings. That's what they are. I've been attacked here myself. Call me far right and you're a homophobic. And then they found out that I had a son myself that's gay. But why should he be branded as gay? He's my son. He's a person. So why have we to brand everything? Regardless what you are or what you want to be, you should be treated with respect for whatever you want to be. And if a person has a problem with that, they have the problem, not the person that wants to be whatever they are. That's what it comes down to. Simple respect. And as a father and as a grandfather and as a public representative, I am hopeful into the future that regardless what you are and what you identify in this country or in this world, that you'll be safe. And when you go out, that you're not being targeted or identified for being different. For decades, we've seen this country going back decades ago when people had disabilities, they were hidden from the public. Now, and rightly so, they're part of our families. They're part of our communities. They're part of our workforce, where they were first being identified and hidden away. If anything can be learned from this today is respect equals pride. Regardless what you are or who you are, there should be nobody labelled. You're a person, you're a human being, and I think that deserves respect from all fields, regardless of your own beliefs or your own religion. It doesn't matter. I have my religion. Other people have theirs. I respect theirs, they respect mine. That's what I stand for. It's respect. And if you can't respect other people and you're trying to have a go at other people, even down to religions, then you've the problem. I don't. And it doesn't bother me anymore. And there's only one answer I have for people like that. In one ear and out two. Thank you Chair.