Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher banned teaching about gay relationships in schools. Thatcher's section 28 laws are infamous today, a symbol of darker times. However, is Rishi Sunak about to turn back the clock? According to The Observer, Sunak is now considering instructing teachers not to use a new name or pronoun at a pupil's request until parental consent has been obtained; instructing schools to inform parents if a young person seeks to change their name or starts wearing a different uniform; and instructing schools to inform parents if a student is questioning their gender. There is much more besides but I do not have time to go into it. As one campaigner put it, section 28 did not mandate that if a 17-year old told the teacher they had been thinking about their sexuality, that that teacher would be required by law to report that to their parents, even if they objected or begged the teacher not to. Will the Taoiseach convey opposition to these measures to the Prime Minister? Obviously, if this happens in the UK people will beat the drum for it to happen here. It is not in our interest for these laws to be implemented.

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