I am very grateful to be able to speak about Pride in the Chamber because it means so much to so many people. It is a celebration of love, identity, courage and hope. However, it is also a reminder of the journey that has brought us here and the responsibility we all share to continue to build a kinder, fairer and more inclusive society. I am proud to speak about Pride because it represents something much bigger that a parade or celebration. It represents the freedom to live openly, honestly and authentically, as well as the belief that every person deserves dignity, respect and the opportunity to be themselves without fear. Ireland has come a remarkable distance. In 2015, the people of Ireland made history by becoming the first country in the world to approve marriage equality by popular vote. That referendum was about far more than changing our Constitution. It was about recognising that love is equal. It was about neighbours, families, friends and communities standing together and saying that everyone deserves the same rights, respect and opportunity to build a life with the person they love. It was one of Ireland’s proudest moments, and showed the world what compassion, equality and hope can achieve. School remains one of the toughest places in Irish life to be an LGBTQ+ young person, with three quarters of these students reporting that they feel unsafe, and half experiencing bullying. No young person should have to feel he or she has to hide who he or she is simply to feel safe. Pride gives hope to those young people and reminds them they are not alone. It tells them there is a community that accepts and values them, and believes they deserve every opportunity to live full and happy lives. Pride is equally important for parents and families because every parent wants his or her child to grow up safe, confident and accepted. Many parents of young children carry worries, not because they are anything other than immensely proud of their children, but because they know society can still be unkind at times and worry about bullying, discrimination, mental health and whether their child will be judged for simply being themselves. No parent should have to carry those fears. One of the greatest challenges facing all young people today is social media. This has given many LGBTQ+ people the opportunity to find support, build friendships, and realise they are not alone. For many it has been life-changing but it does have another side. Too often social media rewards outrage instead of understanding. It can amplify division instead of dialogue, spread misinformation instead of truth and give a platform to abuse that would never be tolerated face to face. We are seeing, not just in Ireland but across the world, how online hostility can create a more divided society. If we want a more inclusive Ireland, we must ensure that the values we show offline are reflected online too. We must not forget the excellent services that our youth services provide in our local communities, especially those in my own constituency, where we have the Carlow Regional Youth Services in County Carlow, and Ossory Youth in County Kilkenny. Their staff and volunteers do unbelievable work for our young people. Continued financial support for them is essential to continue to provide these irreplaceable services. The Pride festivals of counties Carlow and Kilkenny are taking place in July. They have fantastic committees of volunteers who do outstanding work to make the city of Kilkenny and county of Carlow vibrant, colourful and safe places to be. When people march in Pride, they are not simply marching for themselves. The march for the teenager who is still afraid to tell his or her parents who he or she is, for the young person sitting in a classroom wondering if he or she will ever truly belong, and for those who still fear rejection because of who they love or how they identify. Their courage lights the way for someone else. We must continue to work harder than ever to build a society that is truly inclusive and respectful of all those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Those who identify as heterosexual have an equally important role to play. Being an ally is not complicated, it means standing up against bullying, challenging prejudice, speaking with kindness and creating workplaces, schools, sports clubs and communities where everyone feels welcome. Equality is strengthened when everyone stands together. The Ireland we should strive for is one where no one feels they have to hide who they are; a country where every child grows up believing he or she belongs. It is a society where difference is celebrated rather than feared. The marriage equality referendum showed us what Ireland can be when compassion triumphs over division. Let us honour that legacy, not only during Pride month but every day of the year, because love is love and no-one should ever have to live that love in fear.

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