This post was submitted by John "Jolly" Bavoso

It never was (and still isn’t) my intention to go into the gay rights struggle in each and every country around the world via this column, despite the fact that that would make my queer, international affairs-loving self geekily happy.  However, sometimes LGBT rights movements in specific countries garner a fair amount of international media attention and this presents me with the opportunity to explore the unique situation within that country a little deeper. Unlike the last country I focused on, Uganda, this week’s subject, the Republic of Ireland, is fairly advanced in terms of equality and non-discrimination provisions for queer individuals. The debate currently going on in Dublin, then, is where to go from here and how best to move forward.

LGBT peoples in Ireland are in pretty good place legally compared to many other parts of the world, especially when one considers the country’s strong Catholic identity.  Homosexuality has been legal in Ireland since 1993 and non-discrimination in terms of employment and the provision of goods and services has been enshrined in laws such as the Employment Equality Acts of 1998 and 2004 and the Equal Status Acts of 2000 and 2004. The Incitement to Hatred Act of 1989 is meant to protect LGBT peoples from hate speech; single gays can adopt; same-sex couples can be foster parents; and  queer individuals may openly serve in the military. Many of these provisions came about in part due to attempts to bring the country in line with the European Convention on Human Rights, as Ireland is a member of the European Union.

There are, however, several areas in which the country can, and must, advance, activists argue. Same-sex couples are not legally recognized by the state and gay marriage is illegal. Same-sex couples may not adopt children as a couple. In addition, Ireland is one of few countries in the EU that still refuses to legally recognize gender change, posing obvious challenges to Irish transgendered individuals.

The fight to change this is well underway, however. The results of a survey of 1,100 LGBT people in Ireland by the National Gay and Lesbian Foundation (NGLF) were released last month. In response to the question of what these individuals felt were their top priorities, hate crimes and workplace equality ranked at the top. According to PinkNews:

The research, titled Burning Issues, found that the most important thing for respondents was being able to work somewhere where they could be open about their sexuality or sexual identity without facing discrimination.

The second most important issue was homophobic violence. This ranked at 8.2 on a scale with one being least important and ten being the most important.

While these issues are certainly important, it’s other issues, namely civil unions and trans rights, which are currently making the most headway in the Irish Parliament, or Oireachtas. According to a 2008 survey, 84% of Irish people support civil marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples, with 58% saying they support granting same-sex couples full marriage rights. Now, as of last week, the issue is being debated in the legislature:

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said the bill would give gay couples the same rights as married heterosexual couples on questions of property ownership, inheritance, medical care and access to state benefits — and also the same right to go to court seeking financial support from higher-earning partners when relationships fail.

Kieran Rose, chairman of Ireland’s Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, said the bill would create “civil marriage in all but name” for homosexuals.

In addition, pieces of legislation granting greater trans rights are expected to come before the body early in 2010:

New laws to give greater legal recognition to trans people will come before the Irish parliament (Dail) next year.

They have been proposed by the Green Party, who say that people should be able to chose which gender they want to be legally recognized by.

Society itself seems to be opening up and moving away from the country’s strict Catholic roots as well. For instance, a new book by a famous Irish athlete has challenged the notoriously homophobic world of sports:

The autobiography of GAA star Donal Og Cusack has clinched a prestigious sports book award.

Come What May, which details Cusack’s experiences of the GAA and publicly reveals the hurler’s homosexuality, picked up the coveted Williamhill.com Irish Sports Book of the Year.

Also, a commercial created by the group MarriageEquality in Ireland (which I posted a few months back as a Morning Upper) called “Sinead’s Hand” has been watched and praised all over the world as an example of an effective and engaging message in support of same-sex marriage. I’ve re-posted the video below in case you missed it.

Many LGBT activists in Ireland are feeling hopeful these days, and it’s nice to see a country potentially moving forward rather than backward for a change, especially one that already has existing protections for its queer citizens. Global Gaze readers who are more familiar with the country and its gay rights struggle than I am are welcome to share more information in the comments section below!

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