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Irish Foreign Minister criticises ban on gays in St.Patrick’s Parade

Holds historic meeting with Irish gay groups in New York

CAHIR O'DOHERTY,

Irish Voice Reporter

Published Thursday, March 31, 2011, 1:15 PM

Updated Thursday, March 31, 2011, 1:15 PM

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New York's St. Patrick's Day parade celebrates its 250th anniversary this year

New Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore has criticized New York St.Patrick’s parade organizers for excluding Gays

"What these parades are about is a celebration of Ireland and Irishness. I think they need to celebrate Ireland as it is, not as people imagine it. Equality is very much the center of who we are in our identity in Ireland."

"This issue of exclusion is not Irish, let's be clear about it. Exclusion is not an Irish thing..... I think that's the message that needs to be driven home."

He made his remarks in a first-of-its-kind meeting on Wednesday with prominent New York Irish gay community leaders and groups at the Irish Consulate on Park Avenue to hear their concerns and suggestions.

Although the coalition government in Ireland is just over a week old, Gilmore's tone and public schedule seems crafted to underline that Ireland has entered a new era.

Issues raised at the groundbreaking meeting included the urgent need for LGBT inclusive immigration reform, the need for full marriage equality, and a request for government help in mediating the longstanding exclusion of Irish gay groups from marching with their own banners in the Saint Patrick's Day parade in Manhattan.

In discussion Gilmore indicated that the government was committed to what he called a constitutional convention to discuss the drawing up of a new constitution for Ireland, which should be in place for the 100th anniversary of 1916. One of the mandates the government will introduce at the convention will be a discussion to provide a constitutional basis for same sex marriage, Gilmore said.

The Foreign Minister added that a thorough drafting of a modern constitution for Ireland would be preferable to a series of piecemeal amendments. "Our present constitution is very robust but it was written in the 1930's. We feel there a need for a fresh look," he said.

"Ireland has changed. It was not that long ago that homosexuality was decriminalized in Ireland. I don't think it’s courageous at all to have this meeting. It's a normal part of the work we should be doing.

"For the majority of Irish people being gay is no longer an issue. That's not to say that there isn't resistance - I expect that if we come to the point of same sex marriage at the convention of course the extreme right will push back against it," Gilmore said. "But issues of equality are issues that have to be taken on," he added.

Political and public service reform will be the most pressing parts of the new governments agenda Gilmore said, but he added that he also anticipates major reforms in the social sphere too.

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IRELAND1970 | Feb 27, 2012, 09:32 AM EST

AMERICAN SHOULD BE HAPPY TO BE AMERICAN ... AS MOST OF YOU ARE AS FAR REMOVED FROM IRELAND AND THE IRISH WAY OF LIFE OVER HERE.... IM IRISH LIVE IN IRELAND AND THE MAJORITY OF US CRINGE AT YOU TRYING TO BE IRISH ... TO BE GAY IN IRELAND WE HAVE NO PROBS WITH GAY PEOPLE ... YET IN BOGOTED BACKWARD AMERICA ITS A DIFFERENT STOTY ,,, NO PROBS THERE... BUT DONT 'HIJACK OUR CULTURE AND PATRICKS PARADE AND 'TRY STAMP YOUR NARROW MINDED VIEWS ON US.... WE DONT NEED IT THANKS !!!... WE HAVE OUR OWN PARADES OVER HERE ' WE DONT NEED YOUR TACKY BIGOTED ONES ALSO'... CHEERS

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jacersagain | Mar 20, 2011, 06:29 PM EDT

(...From below) In the case of Pádraig Pearse, there is not one historical account showing that he was homosexual in any way. Pearce was brought up a Catholic after his Unitarian father married, after his first wife’s death, a Catholic woman from Dublin. Her parents were from a Gaelic-speaking area of County Meath and it was they who taught Pearse Irish language, Irish culture and the beauty of old Irish poems. Pearse went on to university, fees paid for by his wealthy stonemason Protestant father and qualified with a BA degree in Languages. He went on to become a school teacher, a writer and an editor, publishing newspapers, books and poems (something that IrishCentral’s Niall O’Dowd and his team could not ever achieve today, despite resources available to them from all over the world, the kind that Pearse never knew). Pádraig Pearse never married. He was once deeply in love with a young woman who tragically drowned off the coast of Kerry. He never recovered from that loss, even wrote a poem expressing his grief and was known for his devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Holy Rosary. The man was only 36 or 37 yrs old at the time he was hung for being patriotic (think of your sons and daughters of that age, or even yourself at that age)... had he lived to get over his love loss, he might have found another woman. However, the fact that he never married after that tragedy, coupled with a poem that he wrote describing the beauty of childhood (as he saw it through his school teaching years), led to (much later on in years, after he was dead and unable to defend) allegations that he may have been homosexual. But there is not one iota of proof of this... all these allegations are theatrical assumptions by ... what? ... present-day theatrical writers.(...to above).

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jacersagain | Mar 20, 2011, 06:17 PM EDT

(..From below) Sir Roger Casement was knighted in 1911 by the British Establishment of the time for his exposé of inhuman practices in Africa and Peru, through his so-called ‘White Diaries’ but always held a belief that Irishmen should govern themselves, which led him, despite being a Knight of the British Crown, to support the efforts of Irish Republicans and to import guns from Germany for their cause. He was caught attempting to land guns for the Republican cause off the coast of Kerry, tried for treason (because Germany was Britain’s enemy in the WWI) and sentenced to death by hanging. Appeals for clemency by international bodies who recognised Sir Roger’s past humanitarian and diplomatic efforts were shot down by the British Establishment of the time, mainly through publishing the so-called ‘Black Diaries’ of Casement, produced by what might be called today a ‘Black-ops’ team within the British Establishment, which portrayed him to be homosexual. Homosexuality was greatly frowned on back then, as it is rightfully still today, but his execution by hanging was carried out, under the black clouding of honest minds by the then-false evidence of the ‘Black Diaries’. No evidence has ever come to light that Casement was homosexual other than that produced by the ‘Black-ops’ team of the British Establishment of the time. The whole travesty was a successful theatrical coup by the British Establishment back then (...to above)

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jacersagain | Mar 20, 2011, 06:10 PM EDT

@jfmulligan again – Re the Irish Republican patriots that you allege to be homosexuals – Sir Roger Casement and Pádraig Pearse, both Irishmen, both Dublin-born and both sons of Protestant fathers (Casement’s father was an Ulster Protestant and Pearse’s father was an Englishman from Birmingham, a Unitarian Churchman) - there is no proof whatsoever that either or both were homosexuals. Let me show why with (yawn ah huh.. maybe boring...) facts.

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jacersagain | Mar 20, 2011, 06:09 PM EDT

@jfmulligan yesterday @ 05.47PM: - If you were not so blinded by ignorance and selfishness, you might notice that there is no hatred against people who portray themselves as 'gay'. There is hatred against the self-abuse, the false love propagating abuse towards innocent young people through which gay people surreptitiously operate and the sins committed by gay people against God’s natural design. There is hatred for the un-citizenry, criminal and sacrilegious activities of some of the LGBT people in pursuit of their selfish aims. But, like all sinners, LGBT people can always find forgiveness and true joy once repentance is made and a firm commitment made not to engage in sinful acts again. The words “Forgive the sinners, only God can forgive the sin” still ring true for everybody. >>> There are many websites offering online support from ex-LGBT people to those who can and wish to get out of their mire, in fact there may be some real ex-LGBT support groups in your own locality that you could look to for help to change from sickening (that word is not used lightly or dismissively here... think STDs and AIDS) bedroom ways and theatrical public displays.

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aloistmartin | Mar 20, 2011, 05:34 PM EDT

As an American I am against eny Bipartisan Discrimination. But as a Catholic and a Sympathizer of The Irish National Cause I Beleive What is Best for Ireland and The Church is Best with mee...

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ellenfromcork | Mar 20, 2011, 12:09 PM EDT

"Oh, hadn't we the gay-ity at Phil the Fluters' ball"!!

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DanOLoingsigh | Mar 20, 2011, 11:10 AM EDT

The sun is shining brightly The trees are clothed with green The beauteous bloom of flowers On ev'ry side is seen And all the world is GAY For 'tis the month of Mary The lovely month of May

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jfmulligan | Mar 19, 2011, 05:47 PM EDT

As a first generation Irish American gay man that has protested the hate and bigotry against gay people for the last 19 years at the parade: there is change/movement. Spectators and yes, even some of the participants, show support for an inclusive parade that includes LGBT people. The parade committee, church "leaders" and police are the ones that should behave or be gone. Irish Queers are as Irish as Peig Sayers' brown bread: from the naked Celtic warriors, to Padraig Pearse, to Roger Casement-to name but a few.

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maloney | Mar 19, 2011, 03:39 PM EDT

dennisq...you need to listen to what's being said, not hearing what you want to here. Jacers has said it well. Pay attention dennisq. I'm not for banning anyone from the parade. The gays have brought it upon themselves by their past actions of misconduct and unexceptable behavior. If they could be trusted not to bare to much or grind on each other as they have done in the past, there would not be a problem now. They just don't know how to behave.

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DennisQ | Mar 19, 2011, 03:28 PM EDT

That's a very spiteful God you believe in, jacersagain, to create gays the way they are only to frustrate them. Why would God do a thing like that except out of cruelty?

Official teaching of the Church is different today from what it used to be. It used to be that every homosexual was going to Hell, and that was it. But today it's taught that gay people can redeem themselves in God's sight by denying themselves the very desires that God put there. That can't be right because it makes God wicked.

Sounds to me that there's a group of misguided Catholics who would like to impose sharia law on the Catholic Church itself. Everything not specifically permitted is haram, that is to say, it is forbidden. I'd call that a heresy. It's time the Church actively promoted the idea that gays are not going to Hell just for that fact alone.

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DanOLoingsigh | Mar 19, 2011, 03:25 PM EDT

A once grand and glorious Eire? Not in my lifetime…clerical abuse, Magdalene girls, gombeenism and the rest. Gilmore's been in office a week!!

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kilgara | Mar 19, 2011, 03:16 PM EDT

Mindless politicians like Gilmore are rapidly turning a once grand and glorious Eire into a Godless multi-cultural hodgepodge of a hellhole.

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mamaginnty | Mar 19, 2011, 01:49 PM EDT

Why are we mentioning the word catholic so often in these comments. There is every denomination all over the world who love St Patricks Day, not because of a saint called Patrick, but because of the name Ireland. Here in Ireland we do have our gay people in marches and they do not flaunt their name.

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DanOLoingsigh | Mar 19, 2011, 01:21 PM EDT

Jacers...As I’m not an L, or a G, or a B, or a T, am not fully up to speed with their carnal habits, but I understand some heterosexual bedroom practices are not encouraged, either? I’m not a Bible scholar either, but isn’t there something about loving ones enemy, and ‘many rooms in the mansion’? Also on the T bit, one definition is ‘a person whose sexual identification is entirely with the opposite sex’. Not sure if there is a biblical opinion on this, so maybe we can let the T guys in?

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