Speech by Tánaiste Simon Harris - Marriage Referendum +10 Conference

Dublin Castle, Tuesday 13 May 2025

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Thank you Anna and good morning everyone.

It is a great pleasure to join you all here today, to conclude these excellent panel discussions, and to celebrate ten years since the passing of Marriage Equality in Ireland.

I remember the 22nd of May 2015 vividly.

Queues outside polling stations, crowds of young voters casting their ballots.

Citizens returning home to Ireland – many travelling tens of thousands of miles to do so – so as to ensure their voices were heard.

At the time, I was Minister with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, whose portfolio of course includes Dublin Castle.

As the polls were closing, it was clear that whatever the result, Ireland was experiencing a moment of deep national significance.

As a country, we were reckoning with our history, with the fundamental values of our Republic, and the principles enshrined in our Constitution.

Campaigners wanted a place to gather and honour the magnitude of the moment.

And so, I decided to open up the courtyard of Dublin Castle.

Over 2,000 people turned up to watch… to witness history…to experience our country turn the page on an unprecedented new chapter.

A chairde, I will never forget the joy and celebration at the announcement of the ‘yes’ result.

That moment is etched in my memory forever. And I know that is the case for you too.

We will never forget those images; Images that have become so iconic, a representation of the spirit of the Irish people.

I know that so many in this room here today were instrumental to the referendum campaign and its successes.

Many of you generously shared your expertise and your personal stories.

Stories that could so easily have remained private – had courage and conviction not prevailed.

The Yes Equality campaign organised human rights actors, faith-based groups, academics, legal professionals, teachers, political groups, and people of all ages and backgrounds.

All uniting around the common goal of greater fairness, inclusion and equality.

Campaigners made sure that discussions about marriage equality were grounded in the reality of peoples’ lives and families, rather than in rhetoric.

You engaged with a diverse cross-section of Irish society, so that the referendum could be a genuine exercise in inclusive democracy.

This was a commendable and impactful public service and it is a privilege to mark this anniversary with you today,

I fervently believe in equality for all.

I am proud of the country that Ireland has become since the marriage equality referendum.

It is a more open, welcoming place, with greater freedom to be who you really are. That is liberating for everyone.

I am also conscious that as we stand here today the challenges remain at here and abroad but I will come back to that later.

Today, I would like to spend some time to consider how marriage equality unlocked new possibilities in our diplomacy, and the role that Ireland can play internationally to strengthen these rights further.

The marriage equality referendum reinforced Ireland’s commitment to human rights – a central pillar of our foreign policy.

Human rights are universal.

They apply to everyone without distinction. We are all equally entitled to our rights, regardless of personal characteristics or circumstances.

The strength of the ‘yes’ vote indicated that the Irish people understand this and therefore wanted the universal nature of human rights to be more fully realised.

It was explicit recognition that everyone should enjoy the same entitlements, whatever their sexual orientation.

This gave the entire of Government a mandate to stand up proudly for universal human rights across international fora.

International messaging is always more compelling and persuasive when it is grounded in experience and reflects the reality of the country you represent.

The referendum result meant that we, as your elected representatives, could clearly advocate for the full equality of LGBTQI+ persons at the UN, at the Council of Europe, within the EU, and with partner countries.

This has made our human rights messaging more robust.

Now, a key message from Ireland to the rest of the world is this:

You cannot fulfil the universal nature of human rights without respecting the rights of LGBTQI+ persons.

***

A chairde, diplomacy is also about partnership.

When Ireland voted yes to marriage equality, we had the opportunity to deepen our connections with other countries that prioritised LGBTQI+ rights, and shared the values of equality and inclusivity.

In the ten years since the referendum, our diplomatic networks and partnerships have become richer and more multifaceted.

Our opportunities to build coalitions continue to grow, as more and more countries provide for marriage equality – for example, Liechtenstein and Thailand this year.

We have been able to tell Ireland’s story of moving towards equality in powerful and meaningful ways, not to preach or impose our experiences on others, but to share the path that we have walked.

Ireland’s journey, from decriminalisation of homosexuality, to marriage equality has been rapid in some respects, and overdue in others.

The story of social transformation in Ireland is complex, and that means that we can find points of commonality with so many different countries and contexts.

Perhaps Ireland’s experience shows that significant social change can be achieved, even when it seems unlikely, if issues are approached with openness, compassion and inclusivity.

I feel strongly that we need to make time to celebrate achievements and progress at the present moment.

This gives us energy and direction at a time when LGBTQI+ rights are clearly under threat internationally.

We are seeing push back against efforts to advance gender equality, non-discrimination, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

It is outrageous that in some parts of the world LGBTQI+ people continue to face persecution, and even death, for being who they are.

LGBTQI+ communities are disproportionality impacted by violence, discrimination, and online harassment.

Access to essential services, including health care, is often restricted. This is unacceptable.

LGBTQI+ rights organisations face barriers in their operations and, in some cases, are designated as extremist.

LGBTQI+ rights are falsely presented as a separate or new category of rights, obscuring the fact that all States are obliged under international human rights law to protect the human rights of all persons without discrimination.

Homophobia is being instrumentalised for political purposes.

This all comes at a time when inclusive democracy around the world is under pressure. Positive gains cannot be taken for granted.

It is clear that the pushback on LGBTQI+ rights cannot be treated as an isolated phenomenon.

Human rights are interrelated: you cannot undermine the rights of one person or group without impacting others.

As others have noted, pushback on LGBTQI+ rights can be a bellwether for democratic backsliding and erosion of rights, particularly when it comes to freedom of opinion and expression, and peaceful assembly.

***

A chairde, Ireland will continue to stand against efforts to undermine human rights.

We will challenge false narratives and misinformation.

We will continue to support the vital work of civil society organisations and human rights defenders, who are at the frontlines of promoting human rights and accountability.

To those who argue that marriage equality undermines cultural or social fabric, we can be clear that Ireland’s experience has been quite the opposite.

We can show, through our experience, that inclusion has benefits for all.

***

A chairde, in the coming years, Ireland has two key opportunities to drive progress.

First, Ireland is seeking a seat on the Human Rights Council for the term 2027 to 2029.

If elected, Ireland will advocate strongly for the universal application of human rights, as well as the core principles of gender equality and non-discrimination.

We will seek to defend civil society space and promote the essential work of human rights defenders.

We will push back on attempts to undermine the international human rights system, including attempts to distort human rights principles or selectively apply rights.

Secondly, Ireland’s EU Presidency is now less than 14 months away, and we are stepping up preparations across all strands of our planning work.

This will be a major undertaking for Ireland and is a key focus for the work of our government as set out in the Programme for Government earlier this year.

Preparatory work for our Presidency will include engagement with a wide range of stakeholders to inform the development of our Presidency priorities.

It will help us to focus our Presidency objectives on areas in which Ireland can best advance a positive agenda for the Union and all its citizens.

This year will see the completion of the Union’s landmark LGBTQI+ Equality Strategy, which set a new pace for integrating equality and non-discrimination across the Union’s agenda, from AI to healthcare.

During our Presidency, Ireland will work closely with EU institutions and member states to build upon that success in continuing to combat inequalities experienced by LGBTQI+ people, and promote respect for equality as one of the Union’s fundamental values.

Ireland will assume the EU presidency – and hopefully a seat on the Human Rights Council – at a time of global polarisation, and weakening consensus on issues related to equality.

It seems to me that there is much that we can learn from the marriage equality referendum, to prepare us for our work.

These are also opportunities too, though, to highlight all that remains to be done.

Despite all that has been achieved, we face daily battles online, on our streets and in the world to withstand the negativity, the criticism and the falsehoods that continue to persist.

The work is not done. The work continues. A decade on, we all know the problems remain and we must stand collectively as we did ten years ago.

We all know of a friend, or a family member who can marry the one they love but still questions whether it is ok to hold their hand in public.

Or the loved one who is called names by young men and women ignorant or immune to the hurt they cause.

So I ask us here today to not rest on our laurels. To continue to fight. To unite. To campaign.

We know the good we can achieve when we work together.

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Conclusion

A chairde, the marriage equality campaign was driven by people like you, motivated by achieving societal change that would define a generation.

The campaign focused on bringing people along, rather than lecturing or domineering.

It showed that with respect, reliable information, and connection to real experiences, you can bridge divides and create positive change.

It shifted the culture in Ireland and brought people towards consensus.

In that respect, it was an excellent representation of the true spirit of diplomacy.

Ireland will aim to bring that same spirit to our international engagements, by seeking to connect genuinely with our partner countries, speaking from experience rather than authority, and trying to build connection rather than entrenching positions.

At a time when divisions seem to be rising, we will keep these lessons with us.

When others try to roll back progress, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to equality, like the activists and campaigners who advocated for marriage equality for many years before a referendum came to fruition.

When Ireland uses its voice to speak out for LGBTQI+ rights, we will do so in the knowledge that we are speaking for the Ireland of today, and the democratic will expressed through our historic marriage equality referendum.

It has been an honour to celebrate this anniversary with you, to remember a key moment in Irish history when our country fundamentally changed for the better.

Go raibh mile maith agaibh go léir.