‘When you are a person of lour Ireland people don’t see you as gay’ – The Irish Tim

Contents:

• LEO VARADKAR: GAY, HALF-INDIAN, NSERVATIVE – AND FAVOURE TO BE IRELAND’S NEXT LEAR
• 7 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT LEO VARADKAR, IRELAND’S NEXT PM, WHO IS HALF INDIAN & OPENLY GAY
• LEO VARADKAR, GAY SON OF INDIAN IMMIGRANT, TO BE NEXT IRISH PM
• IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER LEO VARADKAR FORMALLY ELECTED
• WHO IS LEO VARADKAR? THE INDIAN-ORIG, OPENLY GAY LEAR BACK AS IRELAND PM
• WHO IS LEO VARADKAR — THE GAY SON OF AN INDIAN IMMIGRANT WHO WILL BE IRELAND’S NEXT PM
• IRISH PM LEO VARADKAR IS GAY, NSERVATIVE — AND OF INDIAN ORIG
• LEO VARADKAR TO BEE IRELAND’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER AND YOUNGT EVER LEAR AFTER LG FE GAEL PARTY SELECTS HIM TO BE TAOISEACH
• I’M GLAD A GAY MAN OF LOUR WILL BE IRISH PRIME MISTER, EVEN IF I ABHOR HIS POLICS
• LEO VARADKAR, THE INDIAN-ORIG GAY MAN POISED TO BE IRELAND’S PMIF ELECTED, LEO VARADKAR WOULD ALSO BEE THE YOUNGT IRISH PRIME MISTER SO FAR. RTERSUPDATED: 04 JUN 2017, 8:31 PM ISTWORLD4 M READSHARE THE QUT DAILY
• LIFE OF A GAY MIGRANT: RACISM EXISTS THE LGBT MUNY TOO
• ‘WHEN YOU ARE A PERSON OF LOUR IRELAND PEOPLE DON’T SEE YOU AS GAY’
• HOW MANY PEOPLE IRELAND ARE GAY?
• GAY DICTNARY IRISH

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

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. Varadkar will be the first openly gay man to hold the post, and his appotment will be nfirmed at the end of the month, when the Irish parliament returns om a break.

Bis beg an openly gay lear of a major polil party, and a soon-to-be Prime Mister, Varadkar stands out some other ways as well. Here are seven thgs about Leo Varadkar that you should know before he tak office: He is openly gay and me out on January 18, 2015, on his 36th birthday. Ireland legalized gay marriage 2015, and Varadkar me out a few months after that on a rad show.

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.

7 THGS TO KNOW ABOUT LEO VARADKAR, IRELAND’S NEXT PM, WHO IS HALF INDIAN & OPENLY GAY

“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. “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.

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. 9, Jamion for The New York TimDUBLIN — It was a te Irish honeymoon — short and Irish did not waste any time baskg the wonr of the world, that this small untry had leapt to morny wh s first openly gay and half-Indian prime mister, at 38 the youngt taoiseach history. That he attend the Montreal gay pri para wh his partner, Matthew Barrett, a handsome Irish rdlogist, and the termally cute Jt T sportg tight whe jeans.

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

But as Ireland looks toward Europe, s young lear is also wary of cultural homogenizatn, makg a pot of gog back to school to perfect his Irish language how his Indian si affected his outlook, Varadkar replied, “I was always aware that there was a whole bigger world out there bee as some kid growg up Dubl the early ’80s, I’d have been the only person of lor my class and my dad would’ve been the only person of lor on the street. ”Did the pedophile sndal the Catholic Church, once so all-powerful Ireland, allow a more liberal attu to velop about gay marriage? “He is liberal enough to mpaign for gay marriage but nservative enough to tackle alleged welfare cheaters, a mpaign that posned him as hard right the ey of many crics, ” said Niall O’Dowd, the founr of, the largt Irish diaspora webse.

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. 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.

IRELAND'S FIRST GAY PRIME MISTER LEO VARADKAR FORMALLY ELECTED

Ireland’s Mister for Social Protectn Leo Varadkar lnch his mpaign bid for Fe Gael party lear Dubl (Source: Rters/File Photo)In what is beg touted as a huge “generatnal change Ireland’s polil life”, Indian-orig Leo Varadkar won the learship race for the lg party and is all set to bee the untry’s next prime mister makg him Ireland’s first openly gay lear.

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

In 2015, the once-stnchly Catholic untry had been preparg for a referendum on legalisg gay marriage. “I hontly don’t thk 1981 when I first got elected that I uld foree a time when an openly gay man might bee Taoiseach, ” former Fe Gael puty lear Nora Owen told Rters.

“We have e a long way and the fact that someone like Leo Varadkar, who is an openly gay man, livg wh his partner, n actually put himself forward for Taoiseach and nobody is battg an eyelid is wonrful and I thk ’s a great day for Ireland that we n do that, ” he add. For most of Ireland’s history, s laws agast homosexualy dated back to the Victorian era and were felt for more than 140 years. One of the first notable actns agast the crimaly of homoxualy was led by David Norris, who at the time was a lecturer English at Try College Dubl.

Norris began legal proceedgs to crimalise homosexualy 1977 – statg that such laws ntravened the Constutn’s stand on privacy. His se agast the Irish State over the nstutnal stat of the crimalisatn of certa homosexual acts was subsequently won. Varadkar first spoke publicly about beg gay durg an terview wh Miriam O’Callaghan on RTÉ Rad One, while he was still Mister for Health.

WHO IS LEO VARADKAR — THE GAY SON OF AN INDIAN IMMIGRANT WHO WILL BE IRELAND’S NEXT PM

“It’s not somethg that f me, I’m not a half-Indian polician or a doctor polician, I’m not a gay polician for that matter, ’s jt part of who I am, ” he told O”Callaghan. On Tuday, the ernment issued an apology to men who were nvicted of engagg nsensual same-sex activy prr to the crimalisatn of homosexualy 1993. Between 1940 and 1978 an average of 13 men a year were jailed for homosexual offenc, while between 1962 and 1972, there were 455 nvictns.

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.

A parliamentary vote on June 14 nfirmed the 38-year-old, Ireland’s youngt PM and first openly gay lear. 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.

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

And the ease wh which the Indian media the phrase, “openly gay, ” needs to be talked about as well. 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. 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.

LEO VARADKAR TO BEE IRELAND’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRIME MISTER AND YOUNGT EVER LEAR AFTER LG FE GAEL PARTY SELECTS HIM TO BE TAOISEACH

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.

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

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. 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, THE INDIAN-ORIG GAY MAN POISED TO BE IRELAND’S PMIF ELECTED, LEO VARADKAR WOULD ALSO BEE THE YOUNGT IRISH PRIME MISTER SO FAR. RTERSUPDATED: 04 JUN 2017, 8:31 PM ISTWORLD4 M READSHARE THE QUT DAILY

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. VARAD TO SERVE Leo Varadkar to bee Ireland’s first openly gay Prime Mister and youngt ever lear after lg Fe Gael party selects him to be TaoiseachDubl polician born to an Indian father will take up office on June 13Published: 18:43, 2 Jun 2017Updated: 2:22, 3 Jun 2017IRELAND will have s first openly gay Prime Mister after half-Indian Fe Gael polician Leo Varadkar was elected as the lg party's new lear today.

His victory — which me spe losg the popular vote by 30 per cent — is beg viewed as a sign of huge social chang a untry where homosexualy was a crimal offence until 1993.

LIFE OF A GAY MIGRANT: RACISM EXISTS THE LGBT MUNY TOO

In a rad terview January 2015, on his 36th birthday, he revealed he was gay and was a proment supporter of the Y mpaign the same-sex marriage referendum the followg May. "It's not somethg that f me: I'm not a half-Indian polician, or a doctor polician or a gay polician for that matter, " he said, addg that he jt wanted to be "hont wh people". He is openly gay and is still one of Ireland's youngt-ever lears -- even his send stt the will be appoted prime mister on rotatn between 43-year-old Varadkar's Fe Gael and current premier Micheal Mart's Fianna Fail parti is unprecented Irish history.

‘WHEN YOU ARE A PERSON OF LOUR IRELAND PEOPLE DON’T SEE YOU AS GAY’

The centre-right parti agreed to the rotatg premiership as part of a aln wh Ireland's Greens followg the 2020 you need to know about Varadkar:At 38, he beme the untry's youngt Taoiseach as well as s first openly gay head of ernment and first of Indian herage. Varadkar was born Dubl to an Irish mother who worked as a nurse and an Indian immigrant father, who was a qualified gettg a medil gree om Try College Dubl, he went to general practice but stayed volved polics, and 2007 secured electn for Fe Gael Dubl 2015, before Ireland's referendum legalisg same-sex marriage, Varadkar me out publicly as gay.

This rang alarm bells for LGBT+ people, who have for a long time been subjected to a sle of homophobia related to their parentg pabili – om suatns and dog-whistlg, to fabritg lks between gay men and paedophilia, an credibly hurtful and false mpaigng anisatn that spng up at that time was Mothers and Fathers Matter, which was ially formed to oppose the Children and Fay Relatnships Bill, before went on to mpaign agast marriage equaly. 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. 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?

HOW MANY PEOPLE IRELAND ARE GAY?

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. Ireland is on the verge of a huge generatnal change s polil life wh the likely electn of Leo Varadkar as s next premier – a move that would give the once-stnchly Catholic untry s first openly gay lear, and also s first lear of an Asian immigrant scent.

GAY DICTNARY IRISH

I hontly don’t thk 1981, when I first got elected, that I uld foree a time when an openly gay man might bee Taoiseach (prime mister)Nora Owen, former Fe Gael puty lear and former jtice mister“We have e a long way and the fact that someone like Leo Varadkar, who is an openly gay man, livg wh his partner, n actually put himself forward for Taoiseach and nobody is battg an eyelid is wonrful and I thk 's a great day for Ireland that we n do that. Havg only crimalized homosexualy 1993 and troduced divorce two years later, Ireland beme the first untry to adopt gay marriage via a popular vote 2015, drawg overwhelmg support om every rner of the vote marked a further ebbg of the church's domance Irish society, which has been nsistently shattered over the past two s by the unverg of sndals of sex abe by prits and celty at Catholic-n electn would also show another face of morn-day Ireland. Varadkar himself has played down the signifince of his background and personal a 2015 terview wh state broadster RTE, Varadkar publicly said for the first time that he was gay.