Sinn Féin has launched a document this week called ‘On Your Side’ which outlines the party’s policy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and intersex equality.

The policy covers 6 key areas where the party outlines their position on a number topics including all-Ireland marriage equality, gender recognition, healthcare, education and training, hate crime legislation and tackling exclusion.

In an introduction to the document, Sinn Féin Senator Fintan Warfield states:

“Despite the progress of recent years, inequalities continue to face the LGBTQI community and their families.

“Sinn Féin has the energy and the political will to address such issues head on, and to implement lasting change.

“Central to that work is tackling rising HIV rates, achieving island-wide marriage equality, listening to the voices of our trans community, introducing hate crime legislation, and ensuring that our education system and sex ed curriculum is fully inclusive.

“When we achieve such change, our society will be safer for all.

“We welcome positive and critical engagement, and encourage you to start a dialogue with our party around the issues facing our LGBTQI community.”

At a launch event last night in Outhouse on Capel Street, an LGBTQI community discussion was hosted by Mary Lou McDonald TD, Megan Fearon MLA and Senator Fintan Warfield.

During this, Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald was adamant that marriage equality will become a reality in Northern Ireland saying:

“Be in no doubt that we will get marriage equality in the north. We may have to use the scenic route, but we can’t be having people left behind.”

In the introduction to ‘On Our Side’, she also spoke about the work still left to do:

“While discrimination is diminishing, there remains much work to do to eradicate institutional discrimination and to build a true Ireland of Equals.

Our focus in on enhancing the lives of our LGBT community to ensure that future generations of LGBT+ citizens can grow up on an island without fear of prejudice, stigma and isolation because of their identity.”