Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)

I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh and the campaigners on this issue. It is outrageous that there are still people today walking around with historical convictions for the so-called crime of being gay. The Government, of course, will say no one should be criminalised for consensual sexual activity, but a working group was set up to examine disregarding those convictions back in 2021 and still nothing has been done. The Minister has promised there will be heads of a Bill in due course, but due course in this case is decades overdue. Here we have an answer. This is not just a matter of righting an historical wrong; it is about sending a message at a time when LGBTQ rights are under attack in this country and globally that love is love and homosexuality is never a crime.

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