SUNDAY WAS A big day for Health Minister Leo Varadkar. He turned 36, edging that bit closer to 40 (while still being incredibly young for such a high-ranking Government member), and announced on Irish radio that he is gay.
The news was big here, not because it was controversial, but because it was another step that showed how Ireland is moving forward when it comes to sexuality.
Because of Varadkar’s prominent role in the Irish cabinet, the story became news abroad, too.
One publication even praised Irish people for their response to the news:
The writer on Jezebel’s ROYGBIV section noted:
I congratulated Varadkar over twitter in both English and Irish, and I called him courageous. But I don’t call him courageous for coming out; I call him courageous for holding himself up as the public figure he is and giving up his privacy. I call him courageous for all that will come after. Although a majority of Ireland, including nearly all political parties, is finally ready for change, that doesn’t mean that the minister won’t be targeted. He knowingly stepped into the firing line. And that is courage.
Over in Australia, News.com rounded up some of the high profile Irish responses to the Minister’s news:
It’s worth noting that despite the flurries of congratulatory tweets and comments, the multiple articles and morning-after-the-announcement columns, when you Google ‘Leo Varadkar gay’, this is what you get…
The lack of Google-nudging is, perhaps, proof that Leo’s just Leo, after all:
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