Teachers' Conference: O’Sullivan urges members to vote yes in same sex marriage referendum

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan has urged people to join her in voting yes in the upcoming same sex marriage referendum.

“I think it’s absolutely the right thing to do. It’s an equality measure. We should treat all our citizens equally,” she said.

“I can’t see any reason why one would not want to do it. I think we need to have an equal society and this is very much part of it.”

The minister also expressed frustration that Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act, which allows schools to fire, or not hire, gay teachers, has not yet been amended.

Speaking at the Irish National Teachers Organisation annual congress, Ms O’Sullivan said her colleague Aodhán Ó Ríordáin is drafting legislation to deal with the issue but she was unhappy with how long the process has taken.

“I am disappointed and frustrated that we have not yet enacted an amendment to this legislation. In the Programme for Government, we made a clear commitment to the removal of such discrimination,” she said. “We will get this dealt with, for once and for all, over the next couple of months.”

The minister called it a major issue, not only for INTO members but for her personally, and praised the efforts of the union’s LGBT group in documenting the negative impact of Section 37.1 and actively campaigning against it.

“Late last year the INTO LGBT teachers group was invited to Áras an Uachtaráin, in recognition of their work over the last 10 years

“To our collective shame, on a day that should have been such a proud one for all involved, some of your members still felt unable to be filmed for television or to have their photo taken with the President on this happy occasion.”

Under Section 37.1, religious-run schools are not considered to be guilty of discrimination if they take action against an employee or prospective employee for ‘undermining the religious ethos of the institution’.

While the Government is looking to amend this provision, the INTO said it should be repealed entirely.

Union president Sean McMahon described the legislation as “unnecessary” and called for it to be abolished. “Employers in religious run schools are adequately protected by other parts of the legislation in ensuring that teachers are willing and competent to carry out their jobs in religious run schools. Section 37.1 causes real anxiety to teachers whose family status, sexual orientation or gender identity may be perceived as being in conflict with the ethos of a school.”

General secretary of the INTO Sheila Nunan also urged the Government to rescind the legislation.

“Fairness and equality is one of the key objectives of this union. That’s why Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act is the completely unacceptable to us.”

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