Irish PM Enda Kenny: I have gay people in my family
Ireland’s Taoiseach has revealed that he has had contact with gay people in his own family, ahead of his country’s equal marriage vote.
The Republic of Ireland is set to vote on May 22 on a proposal to introduce civil same-sex marriage.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, the leader of Fine Gael and Ireland’s Head of Government, has campaigned strongly in favour of equality.
Speaking on Newstalk, he was asked whether he knew about any gay people in his own family.
He said: “The answer to that is yes. I don’t know the person because they contacted me from the United States and they’re in the extended family, probably very extended.
“But they wrote to me on the basis that hearing a referendum was taking place, congratulating the people on having the opportunity on having the right to answer the question.”
He also reminded listeners that the referendum has “nothing to do” with surrogacy or adoption, saying: “Everybody is entitled to their full point of view here.
“It’s nothing to do with this question here. We don’t have any regulation or any limitation at the moment… When that debate starts there will be a full scale national debate about it.
“This is not an argument about surrogacy. This question has nothing to do with fostering, nothing to do with adoption, nothing to do with surrogacy, it’s a very direct question.
“Are you prepared as Irish people to say to other Irish people, we are prepared to extend the civic law to accommodate two men or two women getting married.
“That will actually strengthen the institution of marriage because it extends it to more people.”
