DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has voted to make Dublin City an LGBTIQ+ Freedom Zone, meaning it has committed to policies promoting and protecting LGBTQI+ rights, as well as explicitly sanctioning structural discrimination mechanisms.

It follows the European Parliament’s declaration last year that the EU was to be an LGBTQI+ Freedom Zone.

The DCC motion also condemned the action of the Polish and Hungarian governments against LGBTQI+ rights.

The motion also committed the council to continue to fly the Rainbow flag on the City Hall for one week during Pride Month.

Lord Mayor Alison Gilliland said: “Dublin City is a beautifully diverse city and declaring it a LGBTIQ+ Freedom Zone this evening sends out a strong motion of support, inclusion and respect for our LGBTIQ+ community.

“As a city we must ensure we promote and protect LGBTIQ+ rights and protections to create a safe and equal environment, we must celebrate diversity and we most show ourselves to be a strong ally of that diversity.

The motion was proposed by Cllr Dermot Lacey at the Dublin City Protocol Committee last autumn and was fully supported. Cllr Lacey said this evening: “Dublin has become a more inclusive city in recent years but sadly also in recent months we have seen appalling examples of homophobia and violence.

“This motion is but a step in trying to build on the best values of Irish people and hopefully will enable the continued building of a more inclusive Dublin for all.”