South Dublin Councillor Alan Edge has launched a fundraiser for TENI and LGBT Ireland in response to the ongoing disruption caused by dismissed teacher Enoch Burke at Wilson’s Hospital School.
Titled “Enough Enoch”, the fundraiser aims to raise €700 to donate to these Irish LGBTQ+ charities for each day that Enoch Burke decides to show up at Wilson’s Hospital School, where he used to work before being dismissed. This amount matches the fines that Burke will have to pay for each day that he fails to comply with a court order mandating him to stay away from the Westmeath school.
As explained by Councillor Alan Edge, the campaign aims to respond constructively to the ongoing disruption that Burke is causing and turn all the attention he is receiving into funds for Irish LGBTQ+ charities.
“What I fear is being lost between the funny memes and the Father Ted jokes is the fact that there is a student at the centre of all this who has taken the decision to come out to their peers, something which takes real courage, even in 2023, only to find themselves embroiled in a huge media debate about one man’s prejudices,” Cllr Edge said.
He added, “By creating a fundraiser to support the amazing work of TENI and LGBT Ireland, I hope we can use this coverage to counter bigotry with solidarity and compassion and send a message to LGBT+ young people that they are valued and loved in our society.”
The goal of the fundraiser is to raise a total of €3,500, which will be equally distributed among the two LGBTQ+ charities. If you wish to be part of this response and donate, you can find the campaign here.
Last week, the High Court ruled that Enoch Burke will be fined the aforementioned sum daily if he does not comply with the injunction against him, forbidding his presence at the instution. He appears to have no intention of purging his contempt of court and abide by the order, since he has continued to show up at the school every day possible after the ruling.
Burke was dismissed from his teaching position after Wilson’s Hospital initiated a disciplinary process against him due to his alleged conduct at a school event in June, where he harassed the former principal and publicly disputed a transgender student’s ‘they/them’ pronouns.
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