Fine Gael’s Coghlan tells of personal struggle to accept gay son

Fine Gael Senator Eamonn Coghlan has said he cried for weeks after his son told him he was gay.

He was speaking at a Fine Gael LGBT public meeting calling for a Yes vote in the upcoming Marriage Equality referendum.

“When I discovered my son Michael was gay, I was devastated. I cried for weeks. The hopes and dreams I had for my son were shattered,” Coghlan told the Irish Examiner.

“I felt guilty, almost as if I was to blame for him being gay.

“I tried to cover up my disappointment. While I hugged him, told him I loved him, I had to come to terms that it was not about me but about him and his life ahead.

Mr Coghlan said his son experienced homophobic bullying in school and was subjected to two violent attacks in Dublin.

He told the meeting he was devastated when his son came out, but has come to terms with it when he saw how happy he was with his friends on a family holiday.

“The big breakthrough for me was when some of Michael’s gay friends joined us on a family holiday in Spain. I got to know them and see how happy he was with his mates,” said Coghlan.

“I was lucky enough to marry the woman of my dreams. Who are we as a nation to deny our sons and daughters the basic right of marrying the person they love?”

Hat Tip: Irish Examiner.