David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Samuel Beckett might say, this is another happy day. I am very grateful to the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, for his generous comments. Not all of them were accurate. I look at the Gallery and I see a dozen old comrades who played such a significant role in this period. I salute every single individual one of them for this. They are often forgotten - I was the headliner - but the work they did was absolutely crucial. It is extremely gracious of the Government to issue an apology for a Bill that did not originate in this country. These were British imperial statutes and we should not accept any responsibility for them. The Irish people were always generous, decent and compassionate. In 1967 or thereabouts, Mícheál Mac Gréil wrote a book calledPrejudice and Tolerance in Irelandand he showed that even at that stage, before the gay movement got going, a plurality of people in Ireland believed the laws were wrong. I also wish to pay tribute to the Minister, Deputy Zappone, who, with Ann Louise Gilligan, played such a remarkable role in the campaign for marriage equality.

There is a friend of mine in the Gallery who told me a story just yesterday. He met somebody, they agreed to have sex and, when they finished, he discovered that a watch and a large sum of money were gone. He went to the police and the fellow was caught, but he then said that it had been payment for sex and the whole thing was dropped because my friend was then faced with a criminal charge. He never got the watch or the money back. This is what people felt with regard to the police. They were ashamed and terrified. It was not all grim, however. There was an awful lot of fun involved. I ask for the indulgence of the House for some broad language.