There are more Irish LGBT candidates running for election in 2016 than ever before. As the election approaches we speak to nine of them about how they hope to make their mark if they take a seat in the next government.

Words by Niamh Griffin.

Cian O’Callaghan, Social Democrats

Cian O’Callaghan is running in the Dublin Bay North Constituency.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

We need to ensure that all schools, regardless of their ethos, proactively support their LGBT students as part of a broader diversity strategy. Ireland is one of the few countries in Europe where anti-LGBT bias is not considered an aggravating factor by the authorities when it comes to the verbal or physical targeting of an individual.
There is a two-year review clause built into the gender recognition legislation and we must use that opportunity to strengthen the legislation, specifically in terms of addressing the needs and rights of transgender youth and intersex people.
An unacceptable discrimination still exists in the pension entitlements of same-sex and opposite-sex couples. This needs to be resolved.
Programmes and tools designed to encourage integration of migrants and refugees into our society must include LGBT issues.
The Irish government must use all instruments at its disposal to stand up for LGBT rights and freedoms on a global scale.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

Children who haven’t been baptised are actively discriminated against in Ireland when it comes to accessing state-funded education. People with disabilities, children with special needs, Travellers, those suffering from severe mental health and addiction problems, and homeless people are amongst those that are currently on the margins of our society.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

I’m strongly in favour of an urgent referendum to repeal the eighth amendment.

Dominic Hannigan TD Labour

Dominic Hannigan is a current Labour Party TD. He is running for re-election in the Meath East constituency.

After a momentous year for LGBT rights, what issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

Younger LGBT people still face pressures of acceptance by their peers. Since the referendum there has been an increase in demand for services by young LGBT people. That’s why it’s important to support organisations that deal with young people, such as BeLonG To. We need to ensure that proper support is given by Government to organisations that deal with young people. If elected, I’ll be making the case for Government departments to provide the necessary funding to meet the growing demand.

The marriage referendum was a huge step towards LGBT equality. What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

I think we need to see better treatment of our young trans community, for instance. I think we’ve come a long way in relation to equality legislation, now its’ more about embedding equality in people’s hearts and minds.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

The fact that not all of our kids get the same opportunities. Child poverty exists, and that impacts on their ability to succeed in life. We need to do more to address this.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

Repeal it.

Jerry Buttimer TD, Fine Gael

Jerry Buttimer is running for re-election in the Cork South–Central constituency.

After a momentous year for LGBT rights, what issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

We still have work to do to ensure that the LGBT community receives full equality and respect. We must continue to work to remove an undercurrent of bias and hostility towards LGBT people where it exists. Fine Gael is committed to making schools more supportive places for young LGBT people. We will continue to support employment equality so that religious ethos is not used as a ground for discrimination, and to prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or family status.

The marriage referendum was a huge step towards LGBT equality. What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

In different areas and among different groups in our society inequality still exists. Just as LGBT equality issues have progressed over time, as we tackle one inequality we move on to another.

I agree with those calling for Government to develop a ‘Roadmap to LGBT Equality’. This must be resourced and implemented across all Government departments, LGBT organisations and other sectors of Irish society, including business and professional bodies, trade unions and civil society organisations.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

Unemployment and access to a job remains the most pressing social issue. When a person can’t get a job it affects all other aspects of their life. Getting a job, taking part in society on an equal basis, reaffirms a person’s innate dignity. Having an income empowers them to overcome other inequalities and it gives them a voice. The next Government must continue to relentlessly focus on job creation.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

Having chaired two sets of Oireachtas Committee hearings on issues related to the Eighth Amendment, I am very aware of the divided opinions that exist. But I think both sets of hearings showed that when handled with care, Irish society can discuss this in a mature way. I suggested that this should be discussed by a representative group of citizens in a setting similar to the Constitutional Convention. The Taoiseach has now said that he supports this approach and I hope that it will allow a proposal to emerge that reflects the wishes of the Irish people.

John Lyons TD, Labour

John Lyons is running for re-election in the Dublin North–West constituency.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

Now that the necessary legislative changes have taken place, we believe it is time to address the cultural problems that cause discrimination against LGBT people.

Working with the voluntary sector and across Government departments, we will enact a national LGBT strategy that will focus on tackling hate crimes, discrimination in schools and workplaces, and improving the mental and sexual health of LGBT people. We will also introduce a new bill to expunge the criminal records of gay men who were convicted under historical indecency laws. In 2017, we will review the operation of the Gender Recognition Act.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

We need to continue to stand up for women and close the gender pay gap. We need to support people with disabilities by removing barriers that are often created by society itself, so they can live as full citizens. We should continue to champion a living wage in Ireland so that all workers have a wage they live on and not just survive ON. We need to continue to develop a more diverse education system which offers a wider range of choice to parents, so that every child has access to their local school, regardless of their identity, family background, faith or non-faith.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

Housing. The collapse of the economy and the absence of a proper social housing policy by the previous administration created a new wave of homelessness. Families in the private rented sector found themselves,
through no fault of their own, with notices to quit from their landlords
and housing lists grew.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

The Labour Party’s position is very clear. We will repeal the Eighth Amendment. I will be fighting for a referendum on this, just as I did for Marriage Equality.

Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil

Malcolm Byrne is running in the Wexford constituency.  

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

The issue of positive mental health among LGBT citizens is a priority for me. We need to ensure that there are support services in place, particularly outside major urban centres.

The HSE (in partnership with relevant NGOs) also needs to promote safe sex practices with a particular focus on gay and bisexual men. Growing rates of sexually transmitted infections should be a cause for concern.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

Those with disabilities and special needs continue to face enormous challenges to fully participate in Irish life. It should be pointed out that some LGBT venues are not fully accessible for those with mobility difficulties.

Members of the travelling community also face discrimination and a programme of education and information for both the travelling and settled communities is needed to ensure mutual understanding.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

Housing. This government has not offered us a clear housing strategy. Their policies have made it more difficult for first time buyers and others to obtain finance to buy a home. The rental market has contracted and this has led to rising rents. Very few social houses have been built by this government, which has led to the longest social housing lists in modern times.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

I’m reluctant to support a blanket proposition such as ‘repeal the eighth’, when there is no clarity as to what regulation will be put in place if it is removed. The idea of referring the issue to a constitutional review group in the first instance, and for legislative proposals to emerge, is a more considered approach.

Roderic O’Gorman, Green Party

Roderic O’Gorman is a member of Fingal County Council in Dublin. He is a candidate for Dublin West.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

I think we have to finally eradicate homophobic bullying – in schools, workplaces and in sport. Ireland also has to take a stronger stance in the international sphere against governments or states that implement homophobic policies.

What groups in our society still lack equal rights?

The Traveller community still faces deeply discriminatory attitudes in many parts of society. I also think we need to do more to fight racism and promote inter-culturalism between Irish and immigrant communities.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

The housing crisis is a huge social issue, which is being felt across wide sections of society. The Green Party has proposed that NAMA could be turned in a national housing trust and some of the land it controls could be given to councils and housing associations to allow them provide social and affordable housing.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

The Green Party supports a referendum to remove the Eighth Amendment. We would argue that it should be replaced with legislation which would provide for safe and legal abortion in cases of rape, incest, fatal foetal abnormality, and a threat to the life or health of the mother.

Senator Katherine Zappone

Senator Katherine Zappone is an Independent Candidate for Dublin South West.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

Many young LGBT people continue to experience serious levels of homophobic and transphobic bullying and exclusion in their schools, youth clubs and local areas. Among my priorities for the new term will be to push for higher level of support and resources in tackling and preventing homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools. I will also encourage greater separation of church and state in all educational matters.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

Young trans people are still in a very vulnerable position and I will continue to fight for their right to be recognised in the new term. I am also concerned about the rights of our Traveller community. The cuts to the funding of Traveller accommodation have been disproportionate and have resulted in Traveller people living in unsafe conditions.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

I am deeply concerned about the unprecedented and accelerating housing crisis, which has resulted in more and more families falling into homelessness. This is a highly critical situation and has not been addressed adequately by the Government.

I have published a bill that aims to achieve better conditions and affordability for those renting in the private sector. My bill proposes greater protection for tenants than is currently available and more favorable tax treatment for landlords who opt-in, to provide greater protections for their tenants. My bill also proposes an innovative community-based model to house those who are homeless or seeking refuge in Ireland.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

I support the campaign to repeal the Eighth Amendment.

Fiona Ryan, Anti-Austerity Alliance

Fiona Ryan is a candidate in the Cork South Central constituency. She is also a member of the Socialist Party.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

We need to end the church’s iron grasp on our educational system. Until we do, both students and teachers will continue to be subjected to prejudice. Teachers face uncertainty in the security of their profession and students deserve the right to a safe and open environment to grow and learn in, free from homophobia and repression. I think it is particularly outrageous that the ban on blood donations for men who have sex with other men remains in place, despite the Minister of Health position being in the hands of a man who identifies as a part of the LGBT community himself.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

When asylum is sought in Ireland, it is not refuge that is found. Instead asylum seekers are placed in a system known as Direct Provision. In place for over 15 years, it is a system that denies the most basic rights. Due to the remote location of these centres, it provides a means to viciously tear families apart through deportation. It provides a toxic environment where mental health suffers to extremes and where child protection laws are irrelevant to the children that reside there. It also provides contracts to about 17 private fi rms which receive about €50 million a year. The provision of profit to private business seems to be enough to justify an inhumane system with little regard for those hoping to be provided with asylum.

What is the most pressing social issue that needs to be tackled by the next government?

In my opinion, the Eighth Amendment remains the next issue of oppression that must be tackled. Women’s lives and health are continually put at risk on a daily basis as a result of this draconian, backwards part of the Constitution. We need to stop exporting women and pretending that Ireland is abortion free. Ireland is very much not abortion free. Those who can afford it have the costly option of travelling abroad to access a termination, but those who cannot afford this cost in an age of austerity, and who purchase abortion pills online, can face up to 14 years in prison under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.

Leo Varadkar TD

Fine Gael Leo Varadkar is the current Minister for Health. He is running for re-election in the Dublin West constituency.

What issues do you think LGBT people still face in this country?

I think for the small number of LGBT citizens who chose to create a family through surrogacy, the Assisted Human Reproduction Bill which my Department is drafting will be important as it will allow for the transfer of parentage between a surrogate mother and the genetic parent and their partner, and will regulate altruistic surrogacy and gamete donation in Ireland. I think another key thing will be making sure that LGBT citizens are visible in public life and that public sector employers and state agencies learn from some of the really good private sector employers by wanting and welcoming diversity among their staff. On a lighter note, I’d like to see us embrace rainbow tourism and turn Pride or E-day into a big festival or carnival.

What groups in our society do you believe still lack equal rights?

I think a major inequality exists in health where those who experience ill health are disadvantaged in so many ways, often financially. I want to extend GP care without fees to all children, managing more chronic disease in the community and continuing to improve maternity care.

What’s your stance on the Eighth Amendment?

I think our abortion laws are too restrictive, as they do not address issues such as the long-term health of the mother or fatal foetal abnormalities. However, I also believe that the baby in the womb is a human life or at least a potential human life, and therefore has rights. That’s why I would not like to delete the right to life from our Constitution altogether. We need a new amendment and laws to better reflect what people our law to be. I think the Taoiseach’s proposal of a Commission with expert legal and medical advice to examine the issues is a good one. The recommendations will be subject to a free vote in the Dáil.

Renua’s LGBT candidate, Patrick McGee was unavailable for interview

This article originally appeared in issue 314 of GCN magazine.