‘Green Party Leader John Gormley, Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) Chairperson Kieran Rose, Deputy Chair of the Green Party’s National Council Roderic O’Gorman, and Green Party Justice and equality spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe discuss the Government’s new Civil Partnership Bill.’
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This is obviusly the site of the photo is today’s Irish Times. Breathtaking, really: a government bill introduced to the world in front of the display stands of a (rump) non0givernmental organisation. It looks like the joke about GLEN being the Roger Casement Cumman of Fianna Fáil was wrong all along: Fianna Fáil and the Greens are a part of GLEN.
And another point.
When the decriminalisation of homosexuality was on the agenda a decade and a half ago, GLEN made a strong case for equality:
The government was never going to be thanked by the conservatives for bringing in anything less than equality — any move away from full oppression was going to draw their opposition. Once it took the decision to allow any form of same-sex sexual activity, it needed to go for equality because otherwise nobody would be happy.
Looks like that argument has been ditched by G.”L”.”E”.N.
Don’t you think GLEN would have had the cop on to at least stick in a token lesbian at the launch (Hello GLEN we do exist). Says it all really.
Has GLEN qualified their whole-hearted (and quite frankly embarrassing) support of this Bill to highlight the Bill’s shortcomings when it comes to LGB families? Have they qualified their support of the Bill by recognising that the queer community will still be the only law abiding, tax paying minority denied access to the legal contract of civil marriage? If not then why not? If they are not even able to do that then they really have become toothless. They will have become the Irish equivalent of the British Stonewall group – so closely in the pocket of government that they ignore the prevailing mood of the community they claim to represent.
If you had watched the video for more than 3 minutes you would have heard the GLEN speaker criticise the lack of protection for children with same-sex parents in the Bill.
It’s actually possible (and quite reasonable) to welcome a law while still recognising its limitations and the fact it’s not perfect. I’m a gay man and GLEN represent MY views of this Bill as a major step forward delivering real benefits to real couples who need these changes. It’s not perfect, sure, but many couples need rights now and not just rhetoric.
We all want full equality – this is a right we all demand. But let’s not villify people and groups in our community who have different views on how to achieve it.