Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am happy to make a few brief remarks on this motion. I support the idea of a State apology for past wrongs committed in its name. The State has many things to apologise for. Perhaps the Taoiseach is trying to emulate the late Pope, St. John Paul the Great, who in 2000 made an international plea for forgiveness for the wrongs committed in the name of the church. It seems the State is almost 20 years behind the church on this issue. However, we must acknowledge that the State is now taking actions or allowing actions to be taken for which it will also have to apologise at some point in the future. I think of direct provision, the dozens of children who have died in State care in the past decade, the national housing scandal and the many other issues where human dignity is being trampled upon every day.

I acknowledge that this particular apology is being offered on the 25th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality, which was a momentous and great event for many people. I have in mind people like Senator David Norris who, although we may not share similar political or cultural views, is a man of integrity in his own right who has done much to remove the stigma that once attached to this issue. It takes guts to stand against the prevailing cultural viewpoint. We must face the past in all its complexity and not be afraid to admit where we may have been wrong. Zeal for the common good may have inspired some to act with a less than generous spirit and that is to be regretted.

All human beings, regardless of their sexuality, deserve respect simply because they are human beings. The dignity of the human person is something we must treasure. I fear, however, that for all our so-called enlightenment, it is something we are rapidly losing sight of. The idea that a generation of adults lived their lives in fear simply because they were gay is a deeply sad human tragedy. Nobody in this House can or should tolerate homophobic opinions. I was accused of those abhorrent views simply because I took a different but sincerely held view on the issue of gay marriage. It was a lazy and ridiculous insult that bore no relation to reality. I said at the time of the referendum campaign that the loving relationships that exist between people of the same sex deserve to be protected. I believe that from the point of view of the couple, such relationships do not differ from those of heterosexual couples either in emotional intensity or the depth of their value. They can and do bear witness to the plurality of human relationships that exist in our society. Thankfully, not only has society destigmatised this love, but it is something that can be celebrated and sealed in the public space since the introduction of civil partnerships several years ago. That was my view then and it is my view now.

While I do not agree with everything in the motion, in the sense that I would like to see more detail about some of the claims it is making, I am happy to support the view that the State should apologise to all those generations of gay men and women it has wounded through its laws.

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