Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated 11.19 am
HEALTH MINSTER LEO Varadkar has spoken publicly about being gay.
Speaking to Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ Radio One this morning, Varadkar said that “it’s not something that defines me”.
The minister said that he “wanted to be honest with people” ahead of the forthcoming same-sex marriage referendum.
“I am a gay man, it’s not a secret but it’s not something that everyone would necessarily know, but it isn’t something that I’ve spoken publicly about before,” he said.
“It’s not something that defines me, I’m not a half-Indian politician or a doctor politician, I’m not a gay politician for that matter, it’s just part of who I am,” he told O’Callaghan.
Varadkar said that has chosen to speak publicly about his sexual orientation now because he is now comfortable talking about it, but also because of political issues.
Jerry Buttimer TD / Twitter
Jerry Buttimer TD / Twitter / Twitter
“We’ve legislation coming forward this year about surrogacy, for example, and also a decision has to be made on whether we lift or relax the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood,” he explained.
“What I want people to know, I’ve already tried to be honest with people. I’ve always been a straight talker, I trust people to the extent that I can be honest with them and I want people to know that any decisions that I make, on any issue, I make them according to what I believe is in the public interest and my own conscience.”
“There is also a referendum coming up on marriage equality,” he added. ” I just wanted to be honest with people and I didn’t want people thinking that I had a hidden agenda.”
He says has always know that he was gay but hadn’t given much thought to his social life or personal relationships until the last few years.
He said that he only told Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he was gay this weekend but that the Taoiseach already knew. Other colleagues like former minister Lucinda Creighton were also aware, he said.
Varadkar, who becomes the first openly gay minister, said that he hasn’t given much time to his personal life until that last few years.
“I have a good social life but I hadn’t given much time to my personal life, at least until the last couple of years. Now that all my friends are getting married and having kids.”
“I always kind of thought that I’d be alone, and I was happy with that and its only in the last year or two that I’ve rethought that and made time for relationships and other people.”
Asked if he now felt relieved that is sexuality is known publicly, “The short answer is yes,” he said. “But I just hope that next week everyone will treat me the same. ”
Interview in full on RTÉ Player. Originally published 10.30am
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Well done lads. People homeless and good educated kids leaving the Country in the thousands and all they worry about is a prayer. Well Trump will have the last laugh on these politicians and I hope he recinds the invite for Paddys Day to them
@linda o keeffe: The opposition,that’s why they lost the election.
@Gerard Mahady: top comment 100% the invasion and erosion of our culture and land by Islam enabled by our liberal left government and opposition and sure we the people are all far right better watch what we say especially after the Garda bugging of journalists in our so called democracy freedom of speech will be a distant memory
@Gerard Mahady: They’d introduce it, if they could!
@I’m a robot Robot: we have established right wing parties only very recently. They are very inexperienced and it will take a few years for people to trust them handling our problems. It will inevitably happen where we will get an actual right wing party. Next election will definitely see a growth in right wing parties popularity. 8 years time there will be a right wing party in charge no doubt. Just look across Europe. Reform UK were established recently, and didn’t get voted in because people didn’t trust them handling the money because of their inexperience. Now Nigel Farge is favourite to be the next prime minister of the UK. (Check Paddy Power). Right wing parties are winning in Sweden, Austria, Denmark, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, Germany, Italy, Poland etc. It’s inevitable thankfully
@Joe Willis: reply meant for David
Nope!!!!
@Dman: why not?
@Darius Guppy: Why change it? The country didn’t vote for the opposition.
@Daniel Roche: Ridiculous comment and how did the opposition get elected, osmosis?
It would be much better if the state took the church to court for the hundreds of millions, still owed, to the people of Ireland for what happened to our citizens.
@Jimmy Donovan: That will get silence guaranteed Mr Donovan ,many moments me thinks.
@Jimmy Donovan:
Hundreds of Millions from where? What do you thinks the market values of cathedrals, monasteries and churches are? Mostly negative equity considering the maintenance costs.
We are facing dangerous times and this . Please don’t waste our time with nonsense. The best can can be managed are compensation schemes, which mean the we the taxpayers pay, for state negligence 50 + years ago. BTW these compensation /redress schemes should be out, they are totally abused with false and exaggerated claims
@Antony Stack: The Vatican Bank ,I believe they are quite liquid ,maybe there ,what you think before we start selling Cathedrals?
Excellent. No place for religion in politics
@FoxyBoiiYT: The opposition lost the election.
@FoxyBoiiYT: NO Place for any religion in these times. It’s easy to start a Cult!
@Daniel Roche: You must be a detective?
A prayer gets first headline over TD’s declaring any additional income & liabilities !!
.
Let us pray.
@Tom: Praying? While Homeless people haven’t a prayer of getting a roof over their head’s! Beautiful Hypocrisy Isn’t!???
Half their time is spent governing themselves, and the other half is spent solving the problems of other countries.
What a shower of wasters.
Good to see they’re focusing on the important things ffs.
At last. They are really getting something done up there…….
@Oh Mammy: yes, they have loads to do and prayer is a waste of time. They don’t need a moment of reflection either, it’s codswallop.
None of the above ideas will ever come to fruition. All I can see is the moment of reflection being brought in. As your asking a Minister to be held accountable, your making me laugh writing this. As it’s the Civil Servants who are wasting money like the OPW – Office of Professional Wasters
If that part of our culture and heritage can go so can the Irish language.
@Vincent Alexander: Religion is forced on people…NO getting away with that. Look at the Apologies the RCC had to say about Native Canadian People. And THAT is not that far back in History.
@Mick Hanna: So is the Irish language being forced on people currently.
Honestly can’t believe they pray in the Dáil. Such anachronistic nonsense
Tackling the big issues
Since they came back, they’ve elected a not so new taoiseach, had a week off, then decided to have a big hullabaloo over the. Irish language and proposed a moment of reflection to t replace a prayer. Have they done anything worthwhile since the Dail recovered?
SInn Fein in progressive vestments again. it used to be said the the quality of a government was due to the quality of the opposition. The Middle East and Ukraine are existential threats to everybody including us and this is SF’s big issue. A party which has dome it’s best to overthrow the state for 100 years so that they can start a Hamas inspired war with UK. WIle failing to notice the mayhem in the streets casued by their own failure to defend Ireland
Praise the Lord.
This is still a Christian Country..Found by..fought for by christians so hzve some respect and Say your prayers Before Dail sittings…
A BUNCH OF PAGANS THEY CANT PRAY OR GOVERN
@Thomas Brophy: Really not fair on Pagans
It easy understand why people reelected the last government because the state of this opposition is unbelievable. They continue with stupid irrelevant clap trap about the most stupid rules and regulations.
@Tim Brennan: Tim, not nice, but dim the gift that keeps on giving. Stay off the sauce, Brennan.
About time.
Form a committee to discuss the remit of the committee and which snouts are in the trough. Do anything and everything to suit the new waves of the death cult fawning hamas loving brigade.
have your say