Conor D McGuinness: Pride, Equality and the Work Ahead
Conor D McGuinness affirms his commitment to LGBTQ equality in a brief address, arguing that equality, solidarity and community are central to both his politics and Pride. He acknowledges progress but warns that discrimination, gaps in mental health support and housing barriers remain, particularly outside major urban centres.
Core message: Conor D McGuinness frames Pride as a celebration of people living free, openly and without fear. He situates those values-equality, solidarity and community-at the heart of his republican politics and describes Pride as a commitment to dignity and belonging for every person.
Progress and remaining challenges: While recognising significant legal and social advances, McGuinness stresses that the work is unfinished. He points to ongoing discrimination and isolation, and highlights persistent barriers to services, naming mental health and housing as areas where inequality is especially acute.
Visibility and representation: McGuinness emphasises that representation and belonging matter - that knowing you are seen and accepted in your community affects safety and wellbeing. He argues these issues are felt nationwide, not only in major urban centres.
Republican values and the call to action: McGuinness honours the activists whose determination secured rights to date and warns that progress was not inevitable. He calls on Republicans and the wider community to defend principles of solidarity and continue striving for full lived equality every day.
Core message: Conor D McGuinness frames Pride as a celebration of people living free, openly and without fear. He situates those values-equality, solidarity and community-at the heart of his republican politics and describes Pride as a commitment to dignity and belonging for every person.
Progress and remaining challenges: While recognising significant legal and social advances, McGuinness stresses that the work is unfinished. He points to ongoing discrimination and isolation, and highlights persistent barriers to services, naming mental health and housing as areas where inequality is especially acute.
Visibility and representation: McGuinness emphasises that representation and belonging matter - that knowing you are seen and accepted in your community affects safety and wellbeing. He argues these issues are felt nationwide, not only in major urban centres.
Republican values and the call to action: McGuinness honours the activists whose determination secured rights to date and warns that progress was not inevitable. He calls on Republicans and the wider community to defend principles of solidarity and continue striving for full lived equality every day.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett: Haldane Fisher Must Negotiate
Ken O'Flynn
Ken O'Flynn: Publish Evidence on Defective Concrete Now
Victor Boyhan
Victor Boyhan: Horticulture in Crisis - PEAT Policy Delays
Mark Wall
Mark Wall: Pride Was Built by Decades of Bravery
George Lawlor
George Lawlor: Welcomes AI Bill but warns of constitutional risk
Ken O'Flynn
Ken O'Flynn: Movement Hijacked, Tricolour for All
Transcript
I'm an Irish Republican and I believe deeply in the principles of equality, solidarity and community. Those values shape my politics and they're also the values that exist at the heart of Pride and that's why I'm proud to stand here today and every day as an ally of the LGBTQ community. Pride is a celebration of people being able to live free, openly, honestly, to live without fear. It's about recognising the dignity and worth of every person and building a society where everyone feels respected and included. Tá cearta agus có ananas ríocháchtach agus tá sé chó táchtach céanna go dógamid pobol in ar vector gach aile dinne, in a glustre iad agus in a bhfuil grá, cinnáltas agus mas, glocha mar chroí lór na beatha. And while we have made significant progress in recent decades, we know that the work is not finished. Many LGBTQ plus people continue to experience discrimination and isolation, barriers to services continue to exist. We see this in areas such as mental health and in housing in particular and those challenges can be particularly acute outside major urban centres. And we know that visibility matters, that representation matters, knowing that you belong in your community matters and every person, regardless of where they live, deserves to feel safe and deserves to feel accepted for who they are. We should also remember that the rights enjoyed today were secured through the determination and courage of many, many activists and there's nothing inevitable about the progress that we enjoy today and the progress to date was only achieved because people stood up, they spoke out, they demanded equality and they fought for it. Tá coacht ar leibh bhuint le séle chátham le brod, le bheimharchaidh de pobl, le glocha le daoine aile agus le glocha anot féin. Is é sin críolóir an brod. And as Republicans, we seek an Ireland based on equality and respect for all. We must continue working towards that full lived equality where every LGBTQ plus person is seen, heard, where they're protected and valued because we know that pride is about solidarity, it's about community and belonging and those principles are principles that are worth defending every single day of the year.