Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to remind people that this is Pride month and we should never forget that the first Pride was not a parade but a protest. While Pride is for many rightly a month to celebrate, and businesses have increasingly joined in the celebration of LGBTQI rights, the fight for full equality and justice continues. In some federal states in the US and in EU countries we have seen a rise in anti-LGBTQI legislation. Closer to home, we have witnessed online attacks on gay politicians, the repeated burning of the Pride flag in Waterford and homophobic graffiti appearing on Capel Street. Last weekend when a church in Ballyfermot flew the Pride flag to show it was a welcome house for the queer community, it was subjected to a backlash.

Last week, a report from BeLonG To outlined the impact lockdown has had on young LGBTQI people. Young people have been trapped in homes with families who do not fully accept them, which increased their feelings of depression and loneliness. Today I would like to remind all of us who are allies that we must remain vigilant to any rise in homophobia or transphobia in Ireland. We have to call it out when we see it.

I would also like to raise a second report, which was also mentioned by others. The Women's Aid report shows the level of fear, desperation and isolation experienced by thousands of women across the country last year. A lot more could be done to help those women. Two years ago, the then Government ratified the Istanbul Convention on Violence Against Women. Of course that move was welcomed by everyone.

However, two years have passed and there are still nine counties in this country that do not have a single refuge space. More must be done to reform the family courts so that women can access justice and get support. The successful passage of my HAP Bill shows that action can be taken quickly when the Minister is pushed. We do not know to date how many women and children have been made homeless after fleeing their homes to escape abuse. In the first six months of the last year, 506 women and 706 children were discharged from refuges.Sinn Féin has called for these figures to be published monthly, in conjunction with the figures on homelessness, so we can know the scale of the problem we face and what needs to be done to fix it.