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02 May 2012 - New Bill Aims to Remove 'Chill Factor' for Lesbian and Gay Teachers

Update: 2nd May 2012: Defeat of Employment Equality Bill a Missed Opportunity to Protect LGBT Employees

The Second Stage of the Senator Averil Power's Employment Equality (Amendment) Bill 2012 was heard today in the Seanad. It was defeated by the Government in a vote. See below for the GLEN Press Release Bill on the defeat.

February 19th 2012: Senator Averil Power of Fianna Fail today (19th February) publishes a Bill which aims to amend Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act which has acted as a 'chill factor' for lesbian and gay teachers and others who work in religious run institutions. 

GLEN strongly welcomes the publication of the Bill.

Sandra Irwin-Gowran, GLEN's Director of Education Policy said that "the Bill aims to ensure that employees or prospective employees in religious run institutions, such as schools, cannot be discriminated against just because they are married, single, divorced or in a civil partnership, or because they are lesbian or gay."

Cathal O'Riada, primary school principal and Chairperson of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) LGB teachers group said that "removing the threat of section 37.1 will give lesbian and gay teachers a freedom that they haven't enjoyed up to now. In simple terms it would mean that they could just go about their daily business of teaching to the best of their ability, without the constant threat of their sexual orientation being used against them; at a very human level they could just be themselves."

Documents

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  GLEN Press Release: New Bill Aims to Remove 'Chill Factor' for Lesbian and Gay Teachers

  GLEN Press Release
  | 546 kb | Download
• 

  Cathal O'Riada on the John Murray Show

  Cathal O'Riada School Principal in Cork & chairperson of the INTO, Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Teachers (LGBT) GroupMedia files talks on the John Murray show about the proposed Bill to amend section 37 (1). Courtesy of RTÉ Libraries and Archives.
  | 782 kb | Download
• 

  GLEN Press Release: Defeat of Employment Equality Bill a missed opportunity to protect LGBT Employees

  GLEN Press Release
  | 534 kb | Download

Links

Seanad Debates on 2nd Stage of the Employment Equality Act (Amendment) Bill 2012

| http://debates.oireachtas.ie/seanad/2012/05/02/00007.asp

See Details on Senator Averil Power's Website

External Website
| http://www.averilpower.ie/

Senator Averil Power's speech in Seanad Debate 2nd May 2012

| http://www.fiannafail.ie/news/entry/8328/

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