Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I join my colleagues across the left in the Chamber in expressing to the fullest that trans rights are human rights. Section 15(2) of the Education Act 1998 states that the board shall “uphold, and be accountable to the patron for so upholding, the characteristic spirit of the school as determined by the cultural, educational, moral, religious, social, linguistic and spiritual values and traditions which inform and are characteristic of the objectives and conduct of the school”. That section enables Catholic bishops to determine the type of relationship and sex education given in our schools. The same people evoke a strange attachment to science by saying that another group of people do not exist and are not worthy of love. Does the Taoiseach think it is time we had a referendum on section 15(2) of the Education Act in order to remove that power?

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