Jerry Buttimer: On Pride, Equality and Gender-Affirming Care

Thank you, Ciann Comhairle, and first of all, I'd like to welcome you all to this important event. I'd like to wish everyone a happy holiday, and first of all, I'd like to welcome you, Ciann Comhairle, from the heart of Ciann Comhairle, to welcome you all to this week's event, if I may call it that. The Building of an Equality and Inclusive House of the Oireachtas, and thank you. It does mean something, it is important, and can I thank all the members of the House for their participation in this debate. It's an important debate. It isn't just a debate, it's an opportunity to participate in a discussion, but also to look at where we've come from, where we're going to move to, and I was struck by the varied contributions of the debate, and I think those people who know me know that Harvey Milk has been a hero of mine, and I was struck by his words where he speaks of, it takes no compromise to give people their rights, it takes no money to respect the individual, it takes no political deal to give people freedom, and it takes no survey to remove repression. And as we celebrate Pride, and reflecting on some of the contributions from today, and not being nostalgic about some of the key moments we've jumped and we've made significant progress, this is Pride Month, but not for everybody in the world as we've heard today. And just 12 months ago, in the European Union, Budapest was fighting a battle to have the ability to write, to march, to have that celebration of that protest, and can I just in the opportunity here thank Deputy Radical Goldman and former Taoiseach Leo Vradker for their leadership in allowing, and the Mayor of Budapest for having the bravery to have that parade, and I was in Budapest recently where they were looking forward to Pride this year, and Deputy Byrne mentioned Kiev as an example again of where people want to not just celebrate, but to advocate and to protest, and that's what this month is about. It's about that opportunity to shine a light on the aspiration that you spoke about in our coffee morning of equality for all people, and the diverse, rich lives that our proclamation speaks about of cherishing all of us equally. And as we've heard today, not everybody feels that they can inhabit that space and be free to be who they are. And can I at the beginning of my contribution thank the activists in the gallery, those who are watching online, and those who are back in the offices working to ensure that we do have people who will campaign, people who will raise issues, who will hold us to account. And if I could, just ask all members of the Oireachtas to read this wonderful document by Tenny, and to thank Dara Dempsey for putting it together, and also our Library and Research Service who put together a very comprehensive document for today's debate as well. And I'll come back to both of them in a minute. I was reading an article during the week in the Irish Independent by a Dublin footballer, Kevin Penrose, and he spoke very passionately about his own life, and I'm quoting from him here. He said, for a long time I resented the sport, as I never thought I could truly be myself, whether it was my sexuality or the GA player. And just take that example of sport. Look at the transformative change we have in sport today in our country. Acceptance, progress, inclusivity, just as an example, by the GA, by soccer, by rugby, by athletics, as just an example of some sports. And that just shows you the progress we've made. Could I also just thank the members of the Oireachtas Equality Caucus led by Senator Laura Harmon, I know our ally and friend, Deputy Devine is here, and Deputy Burnham is here. And again, they are meetings of people where there is little rancour. We have a lot of debate, looking for change, working at a cross-party platform to deliver for people. And I think the backdrop to this debate has been some of the briefing we've got, some of the engagement we get, and the questions posed as part of our discussion today here about, you know, why do we still have pride? You know, Tenny speak of the outstanding gaps in the law, policy and services that prevent people from achieving full equality. And that's the tenet of what's come through some of the debate today here. I suppose, you know, naively many people who didn't understand and who don't necessarily read and look, think that marriage equality was putting the roof in the house, but of course it wasn't, as we all know. It was an important milestone, it was an extraordinary result, but we've still got work, and significant work to do. And for many of us in the community, and we've heard it in the debate today, it feels like the world is on fire. That there's regression. You listed a number of countries where there is no progress, where there is no recognition in any shape or form. And I've had the privilege of being cleric of the Seanad, of being leader of the Seanad, being a minister now, being a member of this house and travelling the world and raising matters, and being met with a frosty silence in many ways. It reminded me of Berkley Herons playing handball against a haystack image. But in the despair that we've heard from some of the contributions, we have to be optimistic. We have to continue that by our statements today, by the support of so many. And if we're all honest, in all of our political parties, there's been huge monumental progress and a sea change of opinion. Which allows us to have that person-centred approach, so that we can have, that we need to have, that gender-affirming healthcare service for our trans community and friends. And you are right, we should never, and we cannot, pull the ladder up. We must fight, and we must advocate, and we must stand with our family members, our colleagues, and our friends. Because if we don't, then we are failing them. But building on the Gender Recognition Act of 2015, it is clear that we need to really put that reform, that review, that inculcation into our healthcare system. Not just to provide a real pathway, but a delivery of gender-affirming healthcare. And we really do owe that to our trans friends and colleagues and family members. Thankfully, we're in a Parliament, Kean-Cora, where the majority of us are on the same page. Maybe on different lines, but we're on the same page. And that's a positive. Could I just make one final contribution in terms of the piece where we have been all meeting with and spoken to and met with, to edit the reform group looking for change in inheritance tax. And to pay tribute to James Sexton and his group and their campaign. It's an important point that they're raising. Where many of us who won't have children will be faced with that inheritance piece at the end of our lives, no matter what we have or what we don't have. That's not the point, but it's the equality of the treatment of people. And I do hope that the families that they represent will have a change in the policy around inheritance tax. On reflection for today, that theme of law of acceptance and inclusion has come across very much. Could I just single out two people before I conclude? Bishop Paul Colton has retired as the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork and Ross. At a time when it wasn't popular, he led. He brought people on his church and Deputy Cathy made reference to the church earlier in the leadership of the Catholic Church. I think he might have been reflecting upon. But Bishop Colton made a huge, positive contribution in the churches. And I would ask all the churches to reflect upon their attitudes and doctrines. As a former seminarian, as somebody with a degree in theology, I hope they do. Because language and words matter. Could I also pay tribute to Kate Moylan, who has retired as the Chief Executive of LINC in Cork. A caring woman living and walking in Cork. She did huge work in building an inclusive, empowering society for women, but for all of us in the community. And I want to thank her and wish her well in her retirement. As we head towards Pride for the weekend, the flying of the rainbow flag is about visibility. It shows where we've come from, from Stonewall, where oppression was what was the order of the day to liberation today. So to the members of the House and staff, thank you. To our friends watching and listening at home, have a good Pride. To our friends in the gallery who have worked so hard and who are working every day, without you we would be a poorer society. Pride is, as we've said, that celebration, that protest. It's a day to be enjoyed. It's a day to walk with pride. So to you all, thank you. And to you, Cian Chorl, again. Muile buíochas for your leadership.