Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)

I start by welcoming two very good friends of mine, Jacinta and Geraldine, who are visiting the House today in the week they celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary. I also welcome friends from our own Labour Party LGBTQI group, who are with us in the Public Gallery this evening as well.

In many regards, Ireland has led the way to social progress for members of the LGBTQI+ community. I am pleased to say that the Labour Party has been behind much of this progress. It was the Labour Party that gave the first ever legal protections to gay and lesbian people by amending the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act. In 1993, we delivered on our promise to abolish the criminal offences relating to homosexual acts. I also want to use this opportunity to commend former Senator David Norris, who was a leading campaigner around the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

In 2018, on the 25th anniversary of that decriminalising of homosexuality, the Labour Party secured an official State apology for gay and bisexual men. We have yet to see any real, meaningful steps by the Government to disregard these convictions, however. All through our history, the Labour Party has been and continues to be a party committed to achieving equality for our LGBT+ comrades. We were the first political party to propose legislation to recognise same-sex couples in the law through the former Deputy Brendan Howlin's Civil Unions Bill. In 2015, we delivered on our promise to hold a referendum on marriage equality, which passed by a landslide. We also introduced the Gender Recognition Act, marking for the first time in Ireland transgender men and women being allowed to self-declare their own gender identity.

It has been said here many times today that Pride is not just a celebration. It is also founded on a base of activism and protest. We can never forget that. We can never forget the pivotal points in history that bring communities together to fight for equal rights, like the death of Declan Flynn in 1982, a 31-year-old gay man who was brutally attacked in Fairview Park in Dublin and later died from his injuries; John Roche and Charles Self, who were killed that same year; or the recent murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee, who were killed just because they were gay. We must continue to put these deaths to the forefront of our minds when we speak about Pride.

These changes do not just happen. They are a result of years of hard work and campaigning. They are about being bold, brave and proud. However, we have seen in recent years that far right governments across the world are trying to row back on any rights for the LGBTQ+ community. We saw this recently in Hungary. I want to stand with the Minister of State, who acknowledged Deputy O'Gorman's presence there, and also members of our own Labour Party who made a trip to Hungary in the last number of weeks as well.

There continue to be attacks by far right groups on LGBTQ+ people, and I am particularly concerned about the impact this is having on young people. According to BeLonG To, there has been a significant decline in the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ people in Ireland since 2016, with even more significant challenges for younger age groups. We need to continue to fight hate in all its forms and ensure we can be a more equal Ireland so that young people know that things can and will get better.

While Ireland has had strong rights in place for many LGB people, the same cannot be said for our trans community. It is now a decade since the passage of the Gender Recognition Act. Despite this, transgender health in Ireland is consistently ranked as the worst in Europe. My Labour Party colleagues and I have met a number of trans rights groups regarding issues impacting them, access to basic health, issues with the National Gender Service and the major challenges highlighted. I know my colleagues will talk more on this in the coming minutes.

I will hand over to the rest of my colleagues, if that is okay with the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach.

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