Madam, – I wish to commend you on your excellent Editorial on equality for gay and lesbian people (October 24th). Donal Óg Cusack’s courageous decision to discuss his orientation powerfully exposes the stereotypes created by prejudice and intolerance. It illustrates the diversity of our society, a diversity which for too long has been smothered by religious and cultural repression.
The Editorial also referred to the position of gay and lesbian teachers, an issue on which I have written in this newspaper and elsewhere. The fear engendered in their lives by section 37 of the Employment Equality Act is real and inhumane. The section – enabling religious institutions to discriminate in employment based on the nebulous and undefined concept of “ethos” – also applies to those working outside the educational context, most notably in religiously-managed healthcare. Separated, divorced and cohabiting straight employees are equally vulnerable under the section, as are non-practising Catholics, women who have had abortions and other people deemed to contravene religious mores.
Religiously-managed institutions cling to their right to discriminate in employment, despite their discredited reputation in the child protection field and their reliance on State funding. Cardinal Seán Brady, in his address to the Humbert Summer School in August 2008, referred to interference by the European Union with “the right to employ people who support the ethos of a Christian institution”. He has also been critical of the long-awaited civil partnership legislation. The Cardinal is entitled to his views, but one must question whether the Irish State should continue to enshrine his views in law, giving effect to homophobia and judgmentalism dressed up as religious freedom.
The lack of political movement on repeal of section 37 demonstrates how far we have yet to progress. If the autonomy given to religious denominations by the Constitution requires this exemption from equality legislation, a constitutional amendment should be put to the people. The Ferns report, the Ryan report and other investigations have demonstrated that a religious ethos often included the shielding of paedophiles from justice. It is therefore ironic that the private lives of teachers, doctors and others employed by the churches are open to the scrutiny of their religious employers.
Donal Óg has shown real leadership. It is now incumbent on our legislators to do the same. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I hope that the Church of Ireland hierarchy read your excellent Editorial (October 24th) and that they may be as vociferous on the subject of ordaining gay people to the ministry as they are on the funding for Protestant schools. – Yours, etc,