Closing Address by
Ms Frances Fitzgerald TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality,
at the
Social Intelligence Summer School 2016
on
20 July 2016
Thank you to Denise Charlton and Dr Gráinne Healy (Social Intelligence
Associate) as well as Martin O’Brien and Padraic Quirk of the Social Change
Initiative and to everyone here for the invitation to close the Social
Intelligence Summer School 2016. I was delighted to be asked to address
this gathering.
Having seen the agenda for the three days of this Summer School, I am
reminded of the high calibre of contributors and advocates that we have
here in Ireland in the field of LGBTI rights. Similarly, I am also
impressed that so many NGOs in various fields have attended to learn from
Ireland’s experience of achieving marriage equality.
On 22 May 2015, I had one of my proudest days in Government. Ireland made
history when we became the first country in the world to bring in marriage
equality for same sex couples through a popular vote. I remember standing
on the stage and Dublin Castle looking out at the crowd and seeing pure
colour and joy. It was a hot May afternoon but hope banished humidity from
the air, leading to a perfect mid-summer day, one where we were at our very
best as a country.
It was one of those historic days when real change happened. It reminded me
of being in Beijing in 1995 for the UN World Women’s Conference listening
to Hillary Clinton make that landmark speech which created such an
explosion of hope and optimism for the future of women – which may
culminate for Hillary next November!
It was also reminded that campaigning and advocating for something you
believe in is an unglamorous slog that requires absolute commitment and
herculean determination.
As I look around this room, I see many of the people who worked
relentlessly, with great courage and vision, over the course of many years.
That work was often done with few resources and, at times, at great
personal risk. In those difficult and challenging times, you remained
dedicated to driving change in order to bring about equality for the
members of the LGBTI community in Ireland.
When I think about change that required courage and vision, I think of
David Norris going each step of the way to the European Court of Human
Rights to fight for what he knew was right.
I think of Mary Robinson who fought alongside David for the sake of human
and civil rights.
I think of Máire Geoghegan Quinn who stepped forward and made the decision
to push for decriminalisation of homosexuality at a time when such thoughts
were deemed radical.
I think of former Senator Sheila Terry who first proposed a Civil
Partnership Bill on behalf of Fine Gael I think of TDs
And the public figures who came out in the weeks and months leading up to
the referendum on marriage equality.
Panti made her Noble Call. People from outside of the LGBTI community
openly pledged their support for marriage equality. None of that was easy.
All of it counted.
But most of all I think of the ordinary people who came out to their
families and friends over many years and slowing changed attitudes in every
part of this country.
All of us owe gratitude to such leaders.
All of it went towards changing the hearts and minds of the majority of the
Irish people. What an amazing power for change we harnessed by working
together for a common cause.
I am also so proud of the Irish people who came together and voted with
their hearts last summer and changed Ireland forever.
Together, we took an extraordinary step forward for justice and equality
for all citizens of our country.
When I think of the word heroes, I think of people like you and your
counterparts in other LGBTI organisations both in Ireland and abroad.
Heroism is not necessarily made of sweeping gestures or one off actions.
Heroism can be quiet, ongoing struggles for the sake of a higher cause. It
can mean taking a leap of faith, despite personal risk or fear of
criticism, because you know what you are doing is right. The LGBTI
community in Ireland has stood together for decades and what you have
achieved to date is remarkable.
Since last year’s referendum, my Department has overseen the enactment of
the Marriage Act 2015, gender recognition legislation and the Children and
Family Relationships Act 2015 which provides for the most comprehensive
reform of family law since the foundation of the State. These are huge
steps forward for all concerned. And it has been an honour to have been the
Minister for Justice and Equality during this great period of change.
I would like to be able to stand here and say that all of those problems
and concerns are gone.
Despite the huge progress that we have made as a society, we cannot assume
that full equality has been achieved for LGBTI people or that our job is
done.
The present can still be a frightening and dangerous place for LGBTI
people. Last year, we as a country said YES to marriage equality. Now, we
need to keep saying YES to supporting you in every aspect of life. No
society is perfect and, while we will never have a utopia, we can
definitely aim to get closer to equality and inclusion.
Equality, like love, does not come in finite amounts. Full equality is
something we can - and should - all share.
While formal and legislative equality for LGBTI people has been achieved,
much remains to be done across our society and our shared cultures.
We need LGBTI people to feel safe - and to be safe - to come out and to be
comfortable in expressing themselves honestly and openly about their
feelings.
We need to assist young LGBTI people in their formative years, in schools
and colleges.
We need to support LGBTI people in sporting activities, in work
environments and in social settings. We need to support parents and
families of LGBTI young people. We need to help older LGBTI people as well
as LGBTI people who live in isolated areas. We need to support LGBTI people
who live in residential care settings. Regardless of whom we are, where we
live or whom we love, we are all human. We all want to love and to be
loved. Together, we need to build a society where being LGBTI and loving
someone should be unremarkable.
I want LGBTI people to be able to walk down the streets of the towns and
cities of this country proudly holding hands with the person they love
while knowing that they are safe and accepted in doing so.
Unfortunately, we all know that there are people in this world who are
blinded by prejudice and hatred. I was appalled by the callous murder of 49
people in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on 12 June 2016. It was
a hate crime against LGBTI people and an act of terror. As I said at that
time, my thoughts are with all of those affected by that brutal attack,
particularly the families and friends who have lost loved ones and those
who are recovering from injuries inflicted on them. We stand in solidarity
with all members of the LGBTI community across the globe. That atrocity was
an attack on the values and freedoms which we will continue to protect in
the face of such intolerance. On a day to day basis, members of the LGBTI
community are still stigmatised and victimised by taunts and insults.
As you may know, I have asked my officials to conduct a review of the
Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 to determine if amendments to
the legislation or further measures are necessary to ensure the purposes of
that Act are fully achieved. Where criminal offences such as assault,
criminal damage or public order offences are committed, they are prosecuted
through the wider criminal law. The trial judge can take any aggravating
factors, such as a hate, racist, bias motivation, into account at
sentencing. I will continue to monitor progress in this area.
Work will commence on this development of the LGBTI Inclusion Strategy
later this year. We will also launch a public consultation process and I
urge you to participate as fully as possible.
If you have any suggestions about how best to develop the LGBTI Inclusion
Strategy, I know the officials in the Equality Division of my Department
would be delighted to hear from you. The practical and creative skills you
possess in the fields of communications, campaigning and social change will
be invaluable in helping to ensure that the LGBTI Inclusion Strategy and
the LGBTI Youth Strategy are appropriately focused and in ensuring that
they can be implemented fully for the benefit both of members of the LGBTI
community and of wider society. Your communication skills will be integral
to keeping society up to date with developments, to explaining why further
changes are necessary and to giving a human face to the pragmatic
Strategies.
I am aware that there are delegates here from abroad. There are many
countries where it is still illegal and dangerous to be a member of the
LGBTI community. By bringing about positive change in Ireland, we can
demonstrate solidarity with other communities and show the way forward to
bring about full equality for LGBTI people across the globe.
One of the key lessons from Ireland’s experience of the marriage equality
referendum was that related legislative change, such as the Children and
Family Relationships Act 2015, which was achieved prior to the referendum
helped to clarify matters and to remove unnecessary arguments surrounding
marriage equality from the public arena. This helped to improve clarity and
to focus on the important issue of marriage equality. Such legislative
change needed commitment, vision and drive at political and Governmental
level. It also needed dedicated civil servants and cooperation from
relevant NGOs to steer it to completion. I would urge you to plan and
prepare properly for a desired change as that it makes it easier for change
to occur.
Another element of achieving successful social change that I always
encourage is political engagement with civil society. It is vital to get
the representative bodies, interested parties and NGOs to talk to each
other and to their political leaders. Other countries looking to Ireland
for advice or example as to how to achieve marriage equality or other
social change need to realise that the key is working together in
partnership.
During the campaign for marriage equality, the LGBTI community in Ireland
had a lot of visibility in the media. Individuals and groups stepped
forward to recount their experience and to put the case for marriage
equality in tangible, human terms which were easy for others to understand.
When issues are put in dry theoretical or hypothetical terms, it can be
difficult to comprehend the human elements of being a member of the LGBTI
community. However when, during the marriage equality campaign, the key
message was translated into life as someone’s son or daughter, or one’s
colleague or neighbour, it became far easier to appreciate. Understanding
leads to greater empathy which brings about inclusion. Now more than ever,
we need champions of change to step forward to keep the momentum going. I
would ask those of you here today to continue to strive for LGBTI rights.
For those of you striving for other social change, bear in mind that making
issues more accessible – more human – will help you to succeed.
In this year of commemorations, we can all draw from the inspiration of the
1916 leaders of the Irish Republic who proudly proclaimed equal rights and
equal opportunities for all citizens and promised to cherish all the
children of the nation equally.
Ireland became a world leader on 22 May 2015 in accepting marriage
equality. I know that Ireland can also become a world leader in providing a
safe and inclusive society for LGBTI people of all ages. I look forward to
continuing to work with you to achieve that and to achieving other
important social change.
Finally, I now have the privilege of closing this event. I wish all of you
an enjoyable evening.
Thank you.