I’m glad a gay man of lour will be Irish prime mister, even if I abhor his polics | Emer O’Toole | The Guardian

Contents:

• INDIAN-ORIG GAY MISTER LEO VARADKAR SET TO BE IRELAND'S PRIME MISTER
• GAY INDIAN-ORIG LEADS RACE TO BEE NEW IRISH PRIME MISTER
• IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER LEO VARADKAR FORMALLY ELECTED
• WHO IS LEO VARADKAR? THE INDIAN-ORIG, OPENLY GAY LEAR BACK AS IRELAND PM
• LEO VARADKAR, GAY SON OF INDIAN IMMIGRANT, TO BE NEXT IRISH PM
• IRISH PM LEO VARADKAR IS GAY, NSERVATIVE — AND OF INDIAN ORIG
• LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE
• IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER FORMALLY TAK OFFICE
• GAY SON OF INDIAN IMMIGRANT LIKELY TO BE IRELAND’S NEXT LEAR
• LEO VARADKAR: GAY, HALF-INDIAN, NSERVATIVE – AND FAVOURE TO BE IRELAND’S NEXT LEAR
• I’M GLAD A GAY MAN OF LOUR WILL BE IRISH PRIME MISTER, EVEN IF I ABHOR HIS POLICS
• LEO VARADKAR, IRELAND’S FIRST GAY LEAR AND AN EMIGRANT'S SON, SPARKS INDIA CELEBRATN
• LEO VARADKAR IS IRELAND’S NEW PRIME MISTER. HE’S ALSO OPENLY GAY AND AN IMMIGRANT’S SON.
• LEO VARADKAR, SON OF AN INDIAN IMMIGRANT, TO BE IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER
• LEO VARADKAR ELECTED AS IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER
• IRELAND: GAY MAN OF INDIAN-ORIG LEO VARADKAR RACE TO BEE PRIME MISTER

INDIAN-ORIG GAY MISTER LEO VARADKAR SET TO BE IRELAND'S PRIME MISTER

gay.

homosexual. Varadkar, the Dubl-born son of an Indian immigrant father and Irish mother, beme the first openly gay bet mister Ireland after g out mpaigned on same-sex marriage and liberalisg abortn laws, although like the majory of his party lleagu, he is an advote of tight fisl 38-year-old won early support for his learship bid om several senr bet members and a majory of his parliamentary lleagu publicly backed said Friday: "I'm not untg my chickens. The son of an Indian immigrant has ma Irish history by beg the untry’s youngt and first openly gay prime Varadkar, 38, was formally elected taoiseach at a nfirmatn ceremony the Dáil Dubl after he won the Fe Gael party learship earlier this month.

Leo Varadkar, an openly gay Indian-orig polician, beme the Prime Mister of Ireland on Saturday. Leo Varadkar, who was born 1979, beme the first openly gay Taoiseach June 2017. In 2017, when he beme the Irish Prime Mister for the first time, Varadkar created history by beg the first openly gay man to hold the office of Taoiseach.

GAY INDIAN-ORIG LEADS RACE TO BEE NEW IRISH PRIME MISTER

"I am not a half-Indian polician or a doctor polician or a gay polician for that matter. What mak Varadkar's elevatn remarkable is that an openly gay polician has now occupied the top post of Ireland, a untry domated by stnch Catholic valu, not once, but twice.

Leo Varadkar, (born January 18, 1979, Dubl, Ireland), Irish polician who beme lear of the Fe Gael party and Ireland’s first openly gay taoiseach (prime mister) June 2017.

IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER LEO VARADKAR FORMALLY ELECTED

The tensely private Varadkar ma headl January 2015 when durg an appearance on Irish natnal rad (RTÉ) he announced that he was gay:. I’m not a half-Indian polician, or a doctor polician or a gay polician for that matter.

Varadkar explaed to listeners, the procs beg the untry’s first openly gay ernment mister. The announcement me some four months before Irish voters approved legalizatn of same-sex marriage a natnal referendum, but had been only jt over two s sce homosexualy had been crimalized Ireland. When his nomatn was approved the Dáil by a vote of 57 to 50 (wh 45 abstentns) on June 14, Varadkar, at age 38, beme the youngt taoiseach Ireland’s history as well as s first openly gay taoiseach and the first to be a member of an ethnic mory.

The son of an Indian immigrant who me out as gay 2015 will be the next Irish prime mister, after he was voted lear of the untry’s ma erng Varadkar’s victory the Fe Gael learship ntt on Friday, which took place after outgog PM Enda Kenny announced his rignatn last month, marks another signifint step forward for equaly the untry, after 2015’s gay marriage well as beg Ireland’s first gay prime mister, Varadkar, 38, will also bee the untry’s youngt lear, and the first om an ethnic mory background. Although Varadkar’s centre-right polics are clearly nservative, he portrays the image of a new, progrsive Ireland, symbolised bt May 2015 when the Republic voted overwhelmgly favour of gay marriage. “I thk ’s really signifint that both his party and the media Ireland foced on his polici, rather than him simply beg a gay man who wants to lead the untry, ” said Brian Fnegan, the edor of Gay Communy News Dubl.

WHO IS LEO VARADKAR? THE INDIAN-ORIG, OPENLY GAY LEAR BACK AS IRELAND PM

“It is a sign of how much Ireland has changed and moved on that no one really r if he is gay here. Irish policians were among the last sectors of our society to e out of the closet but now at least we’ve got one gay man and a lbian, Cathere Zappone, both the bet. I’m not a half-Indian polician, or a doctor polician, or a gay polician, for that matter.

Leo Varadkar, one of the hight-rankg openly gay elected officials the world, has offered his rignatn as Ireland's prime mister, although he will ntue as a "retaker" until a new ernment is party, Fe Gael, had failed to w a majory parliamentary electns Febary 8, and no other party did eher, leadg to "polil adlock" Ireland, CNN reports. When he beme prime mister 2017, he was not only the natn's first gay prime mister but s youngt one -- he was then 38 -- and the first one om an ethnic mory group; his father is Indian and his mother is Irish. He and his partner, Matthew Barrett, met wh notor homophobe Mike Pence 2019, and on the same vis he gave a speech at the Naval Observatory praisg diversy.

We are a natn of hypocril homophob. Leo Varadkar uld not have been an openly gay polician India, leave alone prime Irish have elected a new Taoiseach, or Prime Mister, whose name is Leo Varadkar and whose father was an Indian immigrant.

LEO VARADKAR, GAY SON OF INDIAN IMMIGRANT, TO BE NEXT IRISH PM

A parliamentary vote on June 14 nfirmed the 38-year-old, Ireland’s youngt PM and first openly gay lear. His homosexualy did not dampen the enthiasm to claim him as one of our own.

This is why are a natn of hypocril homophob. Leo Varadkar uld not have been an openly gay polician India, leave alone prime mister. In fact, he uldn’t have been openly gay.

Remember Article 377, which even 2017 ntu to crimalise homosexualy? If we, as a natn, slap ourselv on our backs on the achievements of our gay immigrants, while crimalizg those back home, that hypocrisy needs to be talked about. And the ease wh which the Indian media the phrase, “openly gay, ” needs to be talked about as well.

IRISH PM LEO VARADKAR IS GAY, NSERVATIVE — AND OF INDIAN ORIG

We don’t feel proud about our openly gay people. How many of will be fortable wh our sons and dghters beg openly gay? Tth is, we nnot celebrate Varadkar’s polil succs whout also notg, the evable same breath, that he is Ireland’s first gay mister.

The symbolic importance of this nnot be over-emphasised a untry where homosexuals and lbians have been ridiculed, bullied and killed for their sexual preferenc. A search for “openly gay Indian policians’ leads to – y, you gused , to Leo Varadkar.

LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE

For India’s gay muny, this isn’t merely about symbolism. Priyam, a 28 year old gay person I spoke to, poted out that “majorarianism is creasgly fg standards for moraly India.

Varadkar, himself, had this to say about his sexual orientatn, when he first me out as gay 2015: “It’s not somethg that f me.

IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER FORMALLY TAK OFFICE

Robbie Lawlor, a Dubl based activist and former Mr Gay Ireland, workg on HIV awarens, put his fger on the button when he said, “All that symbolism is great, but wh great shame as his polil views are very nservative. Varadkar’s stat as the son of an Indian immigrant should be far ls important – to India and the world – than the fact that he is agast women’s reproductive rights, has monstrated a track rerd of beg anti-workg class and even has rervatns agast gay people adoptg children.

GAY SON OF INDIAN IMMIGRANT LIKELY TO BE IRELAND’S NEXT LEAR

Still, Varadkar’s ascensn to the top job polics is as much a vote favour of Ireland’s liberal crentials, which crimalized homosexualy 1993 and legalised same sex marriage 2015.

LEO VARADKAR: GAY, HALF-INDIAN, NSERVATIVE – AND FAVOURE TO BE IRELAND’S NEXT LEAR

In the same year Varadkar beme Ireland’s first openly gay Mister. Even if all hell fally breaks loose and Kaliyug shows s te lours, the possibily of an openly gay or lbian polician India is remote.

I’M GLAD A GAY MAN OF LOUR WILL BE IRISH PRIME MISTER, EVEN IF I ABHOR HIS POLICS

Across the polil spectm, allegatns about sexism and homophobia rema unaddrsed.

Latvia swore the first openly gay print of a Baltic natn Rkēvičs, who sce 2011 was the untry’s foreign mister, was elected by Parliament May after Print Egils Levs did not seek re-electn. ”Rkēvičs “proudly” announced he is gay on Twter November 2014, though the untry, a former Soviet republic, is not pecially LGBTQ-clive. ” He said he knew there would be “mega hysteria, ” but he end wh the hashtag “#Proudtobegay.

”He is one of jt a few openly gay heads of state the world. She is thought to be the first openly gay prime mister the was an active unnist her nearly 10 years workg as a flight attendant, acrdg to the Council of Women World Lears, a work of female heads of state. After the accatn, he said, he was chased down the street by reporters, one of whom yelled, “Yet they say you’re a homosexual!

LEO VARADKAR, IRELAND’S FIRST GAY LEAR AND AN EMIGRANT'S SON, SPARKS INDIA CELEBRATN

”Xavier Bettel Prime Mister of Luxembourg (2013-prent)Luxembourg Prime Mister Xavier Bettel at a news nference Belgra, Serbia, on July Vojovic / APBettel was first elected prime mister of Luxembourg 2013, and 2018 he beme the first openly gay prime mister the world to be re-elected for a send marriage beme legal Luxembourg 2015, and the same year Bettel beme the first servg European Unn lear to marry a same-sex partner, the BBC recently cricized a Hungarian law that bans school tnal materials and TV shows for people unr 18 that are emed to promote LGBTQ ntent, Rters reported. “To be natnally blamed, to be nsired as not normal, to be nsired as a danger for young people — ’s not realizg that beg gay is not a choice, ” Bettel said, acrdg to Rters.

Gay, lbian and bisexual people n serve the ary, but transgenr people nnot. “Hopefully this will blow over three or four days, and then I won’t be known as the gay mister, ” she told The Associated Prs at the Varadkar Prime Mister of Ireland (2017-20, 2022-prent)Irish Prime Mister Leo Varadkar Bssels on June 30.

LEO VARADKAR IS IRELAND’S NEW PRIME MISTER. HE’S ALSO OPENLY GAY AND AN IMMIGRANT’S SON.

Ludovic Mar / AFP - Getty Imag fileVaradkar beme Ireland’s first openly gay Taoiseach, or prime mister, 2017 and served until 2020. He also beme the first openly gay man elected to lead the Republic of Ireland, where homosexualy was illegal until jt 24 years ago. At 36, he publicly me out as gay.

Homosexualy was only crimalized Ireland 1993.

LEO VARADKAR, SON OF AN INDIAN IMMIGRANT, TO BE IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER

Senator David Norris, 73, the first Irish polician to publicly e out as gay told CNN that he unrstands why Varadkar wants to foc on polici and not his personal life. Now to be able to have a young, able, good-lookg gay man as prime mister of the untry, says to young people, ‘you n be anythg you want, your sexualy don’t matter, ’” he said. If elected, Varadkar would be one of two openly gay heads of state currently office – Luxembourg’s prime mister Xavier Bettel beg the other.

Leo Varadkar, Ireland’s mister for social protectn, is the strong favoure to replace Enda Kenny as Taoiseach of 38-year-old, who me out as gay durg the same-sex marriage referendum mpaign Ireland 2015, has dropped to 2/5 wh Paddy Power to bee the next lear of Fe Gael, which leads a mory he were to w, would mark a tone for the historilly very nservative untry.

25 ln mory ethnic to lead IrelandMr Varadkar, whose father is Indian, would be the first mory ethnic Taoiseach of Ireland as well as the first gay man to hold the would be the fourth openly gay prime mister the world after Belgium’s El Di Rupo, Iceland’s Johanna Sigurdardottir and Luxembourg’s Xavier Mister Leo Varadkar livers heartfelt speech llg for same-sex marriageThe polician me out a rad terview 2015 before the untry voted to make same-sex marriage said: “It’s not somethg that f me.

LEO VARADKAR ELECTED AS IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER

Leo Varadkar, who is gay and half-Indian, has won the learship ntt of Ireland’s Fe Gael party, and, aged jt 38, is set to bee the republic’s youngt taoiseach. Left-leang folk Ireland are hoarse tryg to expla to the faraways that, y, we unrstand the optics – but this is Ireland, land of the topsy-turvy, where the electn of a gay person of lour at the same time signals the entrenchment of anti-woman, anti-workg-class stery-as-ual.

But I feel the followg simple observatn is necsary: we n celebrate the fact that Ireland’s next lear will be a gay man of lour, even while we prott his polics.

Ireland only crimalised homosexualy 1993.

IRELAND: GAY MAN OF INDIAN-ORIG LEO VARADKAR RACE TO BEE PRIME MISTER

The public atmosphere was such that the Fe Gael member of parliament Pl McGrath uld stand up the Dáil and crloly proclaim: “Are we now to see exhibns public by homosexuals? Ireland now has gay marriage (voted for, I am proud to say, by 62% of the populatn), some of the world’s most progrsive trans regnn legislatn, and an openly gay prumptive taoiseach. In arad terview he gave after g out, he said: “I’m not a half-Indian polician, or a doctor polician or a gay polician, for that matter.

His work perdilly vered homosexual referenc and his personal life dit his attractn for men.