Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am also glad to be here today to speak on the issue of equality for everyone in our society. I wish the Minister and everyone else in our communities a happy and joyous Pride week.

The Minister touched on many issues in his opening remarks, with which I concur. As someone who grew up in a very rural part of Ireland, the advancement we have seen in the past ten years, and in particular the last seven years since the referendum on marriage equality, has been immense. It has been immense in the mindset of older people, in particular, and people who grew up in an Ireland which was very closed and dominated by a particular orthodox kind of Christian view that dominated their thinking and outlook on life.

We have come a huge distance. In the main, the reason for that is that young people spoke to the older generation and told them that it is not like that, they have experienced life and it is different and they have to give them their space, equality and sense of worth in our society. That has happened.

We have, of course, had regressive incidents, such as the incident in Sligo the Minister mentioned, where two men lost their lives earlier this year. As a Deputy for the constituency, I got calls from various constituents about the deaths. A man who called me was extremely aggressive towards the person who had been arrested in connection to the incident because the person was from outside of the country. While he ranted and raved about that, I remembered that I had met the man a few years previously. On that occasion, he had a similar rant and rave about people who are homosexual. I recognised that it was, and was not, a contradiction. It was true to where that man had been and the kind of Ireland he felt he wanted to go back to.

One of the sentiments he expressed was that we are losing our values. We have gained much better values than we ever had. I certainly hope that people will recognise and come to understand that, and recognise the day in the sun for any sector of our society does not, and should not, put any other sector into the shadows. Holding up one particular group of people in society and telling them they have an equal space does not mean we are taking anything away from anyone else. It is not a zero-sum game. Unfortunately, some people think it is. In fact, it is a multiplier. It enhances everyone's lives when we give everybody a better space. We have to recognise and understand that.

Last Thursday, I was leaving the canteen, having had a bite to eat, and there was an event going on in the corridor attended by Senator David Norris, who has been ill in the recent past. His portrait was being unveiled, which is very unusual given that he is still a Member of the Houses. The event was a recognition of his valued contribution to not just the Oireachtas, but to Irish society in general. He was, more than anyone else, the flag bearer for these particular issues. He has done so much for so many people, and was such a positive example for all of us. We all wish him well in the future. It will be a stark reminder to us as we pass through these corridors that equality hangs on the wall and we have to make sure we stand with and for it.

It is important that we have legislation around all of these issues. The hate crime legislation is advancing, and we need to make sure that it is passed. At the same time, it is not just about legislation; it is about changing mindsets and people's understanding of what it is to be human. What separates us, as humans, from every other living species, including animals and everything else in the world, is that we have the ability to communicate, speak to and understand each other, have emotions and work those things out, and we need to use them.

Unfortunately, some people do not want to do that. They want to almost set civilisation aside. The Minister and other colleagues mentioned regression in other parts of the world where there is a very fascist agenda coming into play. That is very negative. That negative fascist agenda has to be held to account for the harm it has done to so many people around the globe. We have to ensure that it does not take hold anywhere in our society. I again wish the Minister and everyone else in our community, whatever they identify as, a very happy Pride week.

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