The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, today celebrates the second formal participation of the civil and public service in the Dublin Pride parade. Over 1,500 public servants will collectively participate under the theme ‘Proud to Work for Ireland’, more than doubling the 600 public servants who took part in the 2019 Pride parade.
The public sector organisations participating under the theme include all Government Departments, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Defence Forces, the Courts Service, the Irish Prison Service the National Museum of Ireland, the Property Registration Authority and the National Ambulance Service.
Speaking ahead of the parade, Minister McEntee said:
“In 2019, the civil and public service formally participated in the Dublin Pride parade for the first time. While there was also a strong public service participation in virtual Pride events during the pandemic, it is brilliant to see the number of public servants who will take part in the parade has more than doubled since 2019, and I am delighted I will be walking alongside my Department of Justice colleagues, the broader public service, and the Gardaí. All of those marching are Proud to Work for Ireland every day and I am proud to walk with them.
“Earlier this week, I met with representatives from the LGBTI+ community, alongside Ministers Roderic O’Gorman and James Browne. We discussed forthcoming legislation on hate speech and hate crime, deepening relationships between An Garda Síochána and the LGBTI+ community, our work to disregard historic convictions of gay and bisexual men, and the need to value and cherish transgender identity, amongst other topics.
“The Pride parade is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the discrimination faced by LGBTI+ people, to promote diversity and inclusion in society and to champion equality for all people. I am really proud of the public service commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the significant increase in the numbers taking part in the parade is a visible demonstration of that commitment. I want to particularly thank the voluntary LGBT+ Staff Network in my Department, who have taken the lead on coordinating this participation.”
The Minister wishes everyone participating in the parade an enjoyable day celebrating equality and diversity with pride.
ENDS