Minister for Health Leo Varadkar’s decision to disclose that he is gay is an important personal choice for him but it is also a political moment, as notable for the quality of the reaction to it as for the announcement itself. Mr Varadkar’s interview with RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan was courageous and it can only enhance the reputation for candour and straight talking which has helped to make him such a refreshing and popular politician.
Mr Varadkar follows openly gay TDs John Lyons and Dominic Hannigan and Fine Gael's Jerry Buttimer, as well as Independent senators David Norris and Katherine Zappone. Each of these were trailblazers in their own way and Mr Norris's pioneering role over decades has won him a place in the global history of gay rights as well as in the story of modern Ireland.
Mr Varadkar's case is unique, however, not only because he is the first cabinet minister to come out as gay, but because he is a major political figure on the rise and a serious contender to be the next leader of Fine Gael and a future Taoiseach. The consensus among political colleagues and the broader public appears to be that the news that he is gay will not have any impact on his political future, which will be determined by his performance as Minister for Health.
Indeed, popular acceptance of public figures being gay has reached the point where disclosure is less perilous than the perception that a politician is concealing a fact about his or her personal life that could influence policy decisions. Mr Varadkar acknowledged as much when he said that the timing of his coming out was influenced by imminent decisions on surrogacy and blood donations that affect gay people, adding that he did not want anyone to think he had a hidden agenda.
Another part of the political context is the forthcoming referendum on marriage equality and the Minister said he would be campaigning for a Yes vote. “What I really want to say is that I’d like the referendum to pass because I’d like to be an equal citizen in my own country, the country in which I happen to be a member of Government, and at the moment I’m not,” he said.
Campaigners against marriage equality have argued that the referendum is not really about homosexuality but about maintaining a heterosexual model of marriage. In truth, it is about both, and for many lesbians and gay men it is the removal of formal inequality under the law that is most important. Despite the transformation in Irish attitudes towards sexual diversity in recent years, young gay people are disproportionately the victims of bullying, violence and discrimination.
Ending inequality is essential but the courage and openness displayed by Mr Varadkar and other public figures is also important. The Minister should be congratulated – and left to get on with his job.