We were spat at, gay TDs reveal Dail |

Contents:

• TWO GAY TDS OPEN UP TO THE DAIL ABOUT ABE THEY'VE SUFFERED
• FIRST EVER OPENLY GAY MEMBERS ELECTED TO IRISH PARLIAMENT
• SPAT ON FOR BEG GAY: TDS REVEAL HOMOPHOBIA PA
• FE GAEL'S FIRST GAY TD SEEKS END TO HOMOSEXUAL TEACHERS LAW
• WE WERE SPAT AT, GAY TDS REVEAL DAIL
• RTÉ BOSS TO BE GRILLED BY TDS OVER GAY PRI ROW
• PRSURE TDS ON GAY MARRIAGE - GROUP

TWO GAY TDS OPEN UP TO THE DAIL ABOUT ABE THEY'VE SUFFERED

John Lyons speaks the DáilFe Gael TD Jerry Buttimer speaks the Dáil this evengDurg a Dáil bate this eveng, two Government TDs have opened up about homophobic abe they have TD John Lyons and Fe Gael TD Jerry Buttimer, both openly gay, talked about the abe they have received bee of their sexual ments me durg Topil Issu the chamber, where a number of TDs were discsg RTÉ's cisn to pay €85, 000 towards a number of dividuals after ments ma on The Saturday Night Lyons said RTE were "bang out of orr" to have ma the payments.

FIRST EVER OPENLY GAY MEMBERS ELECTED TO IRISH PARLIAMENT

"There are two people here at the moment who knows what homophobia feels like. Who know what 's like to be lled 'a queer', to be lled 'a fag', to be lled 'a gay', " he said.

"Only recently, jt before Christmas, I walked om my own hoe around to the Centra, where a bunch of teenagers lled me gay, or some other name they ll .

SPAT ON FOR BEG GAY: TDS REVEAL HOMOPHOBIA PA

"There are still many people who are aaid to e out and engage the gay muny for how they’ll be judged and treated. Next week Domic Hannigan and John Lyons will enter the newly elected Irish ernment as the first openly gay policians elected as members of Parliament Ireland. Pl McConnell, -chair of the Labor LGBT (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenr) group said, "History was also ma the electn of not one but two openly gay (members)...

In the past Ireland had openly gay senators and later this year the untry uld have s first gay print, Senator David Norris, who is a leadg ndidate to replace outgog Print Mary McAlee. A ph for gay marriage rights is set to beg when the new ernment tak over Natnal Lbian & Gay Feratn (NLGF) has urged the two parti likely to be ernment to m to legislate for civil marriage for same-sex-upl.

FE GAEL'S FIRST GAY TD SEEKS END TO HOMOSEXUAL TEACHERS LAW

NLGF chair Ailbhe Smyth said, “Fe Gael and the Labor Party have a duty to legislate for equal civil marriage rights for lbian and gay people.

WE WERE SPAT AT, GAY TDS REVEAL DAIL

Discrimatg agast lbian and gay people this regard is not acceptable”. Irish public support for equal marriage rights for gays has grown over the last few years, om 51% October 2006 to 67% September 2010, acrdg to an “Irish Tim” poll.

Timele: A history of gay rights Ireland.

RTÉ BOSS TO BE GRILLED BY TDS OVER GAY PRI ROW

Leo Varadkar beg Ireland’s first openly gay mister 22 years after the crimalisatn of homosexualy Ireland.

YESTERDAY MINISTER FOR Health Leo Varadkar beme Ireland’s first openly gay bet member. The Mister’s cisn to go public wh his sexualy jt over twenty years after the crimilisatn of homosexualy the Irish state.

For most of Ireland’s history, s laws agast homosexualy dated om the Victorian era and were held over for more than 140 years. This movement was known as the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform and aimed at crimalisg homosexualy Ireland and Northern Ireland. In the urse of the movement, Dubl Universy Gay Society was set up – a group that is still nng today, albe unr a different moniker.

PRSURE TDS ON GAY MARRIAGE - GROUP

1983 – First Gay Pri ftival. Ireland’s first Gay Pri ftival was held March 1983.

The first event was a one-day affair and aimed at highlightg the levels of vlence agast gay men and women.