Irish journalist Ursula Halligan urges Yes vote – and comes out
The political editor of one of Ireland biggest television networks, TV3, has revealed she is gay.
In a moving article for the Irish Times, Ursula Halligan wrote that the upcoming marriage referendum in the Republic of Ireland has prompted her to finally come out.
The 55 year old journalist said grew up thinking “homosexuality was an evil perversion. It was never openly talked about but I knew it was the worst thing on the face of the earth.”
She said she was amazed by the speed of progress of gay rights and same-sex marriage across the world, but particularly in Ireland.
She wrote: ” I never thought I’d see the day that a Government Minister would come out as gay and encounter almost nothing but praise for his bravery.
“I told a friend and the world didn’t end. I told my mother, and the world didn’t end.
“The game-changer was the marriage equality referendum. It pointed me toward the first option: telling the truth to anyone who cares.
“And I knew if I was going to tell the truth, I had to tell the whole truth and reveal my backing for a Yes vote. For me, the two are intrinsically linked.”
As she is backing a Yes vote, TV3 have removed her from working on coverage of the marriage referendum – because she is no longer publicly neutral – but not because she is gay.
She went on to say: “As a person of faith and a Catholic, I believe a Yes vote is the most Christian thing to do. I believe the glory of God is the human being fully alive and that this includes people who are gay.
“If Ireland votes Yes, it will be about much more than marriage.
“It will end institutional homophobia.
“It will say to gay people that they belong, that it’s safe to surface and live fully human, loving lives.”
