Youtube: Section 37 amendment debate and call for a ";revolution"; of our education system

Employment Equality (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2013: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage

"A revolution is required... we need to break the hold, the stranglehold that the Churches, plural but in particular the Catholic Church have on our primary education system and indeed our secondary education system too." 

I am delighted that my original Private Members Bill of 2013, Employment (Equality) (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2013 was both accepted by the Government and then carefully re-drafted for a series of thorough debates in the Seanad over the past 2 years. Last week we successfully passed the amendments to section 37 of the Employment Equality Act which will prohibit discrimination against LGBT teachers or hospital workers. The Bill has been welcomed by teachers’ unions and LGBT groups and its final passage through the Dail will add to the great equality successes we have been celebrating this year. 

I'd like to pay tribute to all of the LGBT groups for their advice and support, along with my colleagues Sen. Mary Moran, Sen. Averil Power, Sen. David Norris, Sen. Katherine Zappone and others and especially to Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality and Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht with special responsibility for Equality, New Communities and Culture and Drugs Strategy, his Department and advisers. 

This is a great achievement for equality but also paves the way for further discussions on the shape of our education system and seeing an end to our current segratative schools. Listen in as I support Minister Ó Ríordáin's call for a 'revolution' on this. 

For the full transcript and context in which the bill was being debated follow the oireachtas website link. 

http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/takes/seanad2015070900002?opendocument#VV00800