[The Sexuality Blog]: Ireland might be getting a gay prime minister, but that’s only half the story

Europe is finally embracing sexual minorities and not just in a superficial way that stops short of them acknowledging that sexual minorities are first and foremost people and deserve to be treated the same way as anyone else. They are voting for them when they contest for social and political positions and putting them in places of authority. For example, Luxembourg broke barriers when they chose an openly gay man as their prime minister and saw him and his husband attend G-8 events. Ireland is about to join Luxembourg in appointing a gay prime minister, theirs even more unprecedented, considering Leo Varadkar, the openly gay ministerial candidate is also half Indian. But is Varardkar becoming prime minister really a win for women and sexual minorities?

Varadkar is contesting under Ireland’s very conservative ruling party and has made his name by advocating for abortion rights. Or at least that’s the way it seems. In reality, Varadkar is a prime example of how being oppressed in one way does not mean that an oppressed person cannot be an even bigger oppressor of other people. As a gay, multi-racial person Varadkar is well acquainted with homophobia and racism. However that in no way means he still isn’t incredibly misogynistic and bigoted against women and racist himself.

Varadkar in 2008 asked that illegal immigrants be ‘paid’ to return to their home countries, as though that in anyway solves the problems that spurred many of these immigrants to emigrate to Ireland in the first place, a prime example of racism spurred by ignorance. He also supported legislation that supposedly advances women’s reproductive right in Ireland, by expanding the definition of women eligible for government sanctioned abortions. For context, abortions are illegal in Ireland unless the mother is at the point of death. He has fought legislation lowering the criminal charges against anyone who assists a woman perform an abortion and tried to shame women who do have abortions by suggesting they equate the lives of their fetuses to a “€1”. He is content with the status quo, with women seeking illegal abortions and putting their lives at risk, provided he gets to keep his conservative status. LGBT women are usually the worst hit by restrictive sexual health laws, so he really isn’t one of ‘us’.

So no, Leo Varadkar becoming prime minister of Ireland really isn’t a triumph for LGBT people or LGBT women.

One comment

  1. The examples given in this article show the author has a lack of knollege of Ireland, rather than of Mr Varadkar being racist and misogynistic

    In relation to abortion, Mr Varadkar’s call to lower the penelty for abortion to a nominal amount, this is not anti-women but a pragmatic solution to allow limited abortion be brought in quickly. Under Irish law refendum would be required to leagalise abortion. There have already been a few refendum related to this issue and it has been a factor in others. There will most likely be a refenudm on abortion in the next few years, although there isn’t much agrement as to the exact consititunal change should be. Politions are scared of this issue, as it is seen as a vote looser.

    If I was asked to leave or about to be deported from an African country for illegally living there, I don’t think I would get very far, by saying “I’m white, and you are being racist……”.

    The point you raise about fixing the underlying causes of poverty in other countries, is addressed as a seprate issue in Ireland, with its overseas aid.

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