Jen Cummins: Why we must keep marching for Pride
Jen Cummins speaks about the ongoing need for Pride and why she will take part in the march this Saturday, citing verbal abuse, rising hate crimes, and gaps in legislation affecting LGBTQ+ people and families.
Why Pride matters: Jen Cummins explains that Pride remains necessary while people continue to be attacked or targeted for their sexuality or gender identity. She frames the march as a defence of safety, security and belonging for LGBTQ+ communities.
The scale of harm: Cummins highlights daily verbal abuse and references Garda Síochána data showing a rise in hate crimes where sexual orientation and gender identity are monitored motivations. She praises the work of Belong To and youth workers, and cites their finding that many people face physical attacks because of their identity.
Impact on schools and staff: The speech addresses the INTO LGBT+ teachers group finding that about one in five primary school teachers are not out at work because they fear rejection, despite protections such as the Employment Equality Act 2015. Cummins stresses how this affects teachers’ ability to be themselves and to deliver the curriculum.
Unfinished legislation for families: Cummins also raises the Children and Families Relationship Act 2020, noting it did not include all children. She speaks from constituency contacts about families seeking full implementation and recognition, and underlines the importance of equal recognition for all children and parents.
Why Pride matters: Jen Cummins explains that Pride remains necessary while people continue to be attacked or targeted for their sexuality or gender identity. She frames the march as a defence of safety, security and belonging for LGBTQ+ communities.
The scale of harm: Cummins highlights daily verbal abuse and references Garda Síochána data showing a rise in hate crimes where sexual orientation and gender identity are monitored motivations. She praises the work of Belong To and youth workers, and cites their finding that many people face physical attacks because of their identity.
Impact on schools and staff: The speech addresses the INTO LGBT+ teachers group finding that about one in five primary school teachers are not out at work because they fear rejection, despite protections such as the Employment Equality Act 2015. Cummins stresses how this affects teachers’ ability to be themselves and to deliver the curriculum.
Unfinished legislation for families: Cummins also raises the Children and Families Relationship Act 2020, noting it did not include all children. She speaks from constituency contacts about families seeking full implementation and recognition, and underlines the importance of equal recognition for all children and parents.
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Transcript
Why is Pride important and why do we march every year? And I think, I was contemplating this over the last little while, it's because as long as people are being attacked for who they are, as long as people are not able to be who they are, and are targeted for their sexuality or their identity, that's why we will need to continue marching, and I look forward to Saturday. Verbal abuse in the LGBTQ plus community is a daily casual occurrence, it's a chipping away of safety, of security and of belonging. And Garda Síochána said that there has been a rise in in hate crimes over the last number of years, and not all LGBTQ plus, they weren't all from that, but sexual orientation and gender identity are amongst the monitored motivations. Belong To have recently opened a space for young people in town, and that's to make sure that they feel welcomed, they can be who they are, and they can be with people who will accept them for who they are. And I really want to commend Belong To and the youth workers who are there for creating that space for those young people, because they have found in Belong To that one in four people have been attacked physically because of their identity. And I just want to talk about teachers, ministers here, the INTO LGBT plus teachers group have said that about one in five teachers in primary schools are not out in their school, because they would know that they won't be accepted. And even though there are protections in the Employment Equality Act 2015, the reality for so many teachers is actually that they don't feel that they can be themselves when they apply for jobs, or when they're in those jobs, or when they're delivering the curriculum that's set out by the department, set out by the NCCA. And I just want to very quickly mention that the Children and Families Relationship Act from 2020 didn't include all children. And I'm thinking particularly of the families who contacted me in my constituency, who are looking for that legislation to be fully implemented. It is so important for those families. They love their children as much as everybody else, and they need to be recognized like everybody else is. Thank you.