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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR has said that he would never consider introducing a ban on transgender people serving in the Irish Defence Forces.
Varadkar made the comment after this week’s announcement by US President Donald Trump that transgender people will no longer be allowed to serve in the US military.
In a series of tweets, Trump said he had made the decision after consultation with his generals and military experts.
He said the military cannot be “burdened with tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail”.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/890196164313833472
When asked about his views on the ban at a press briefing, Varadkar said:
On the transgender ban, it is not something I agree with. It is a domestic policy issue for the United States.
They run their defence forces, we run ours.
“It is not something I would ever consider introducing to Ireland,” he told reporters.
It is unclear how many transgender people currently serve in the Defence Forces in Ireland.
A statement from the Defence Forces said that it is “committed to the principle of equal opportunity in all its employment policies”.
The Defence Forces welcome applications from all members of Irish society, irrespective of sexual orientation or gender.
The Defence Forces launched its own LGBT network, Defend With Pride, in October 2016. It aims to provide “support, information and guidance for LGBT personnel and allies who wish to support colleagues, friends and family”.
According to a report published in 2014 on transgender military service in the US, researchers from the Williams Institute said that transgender people have a larger representation in the military than they do among the general population. Around 15,000 transgender people currently serve in the US military.
‘Resist’
Trump’s announcement was met with immediate condemnation by human rights groups and hundreds of people gathered in New York’s Times Square on Wednesday to protest at an army recruiting station. They held up signs that read ‘Resist’ and heard from speakers who denounced the ban.
[image alt="Trump-Military Transgender" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/07/trump-military-transgender-3-296x218.jpg" width="296" height="218" title="" class="alignnone" /end]
US visit
Varadkar confirmed that he intends to visit the White House in March and said he would bring up issues that he and Trump may not agree on.
“I am massively sure we will touch on issues such as climate change, such as migration, where we would hold very different views on that world and how it should work,” Varadkar said.
I think the whole point of our relationship, of any relationship between two countries is that we can actually tell the truth to each other and I’ll be doing that.
He also outlined that he would “remind” Trump that 100,000 Americans are employed by Irish companies across 50 States and that “we can grow trade between the two countries without putting up additional barriers”.
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I love these historical nuggets! Never realised Merrion Sq. was 1700s.
Catholic Cathedral was not built probably in the expectation that Anglicans would have the civility/ manners to give back one or both of the former Catholic cathedrals in Dublin
Brilliant. Really enjoy reading these.
The Duke of Wellington point above is slightly inaccurate- he didn’t claim literally to have been born in a stable. As a British aristocrat he was embarrassed about being born in Ireland, and said “Just because one was born in a stable, doesn’t make one a horse”.
Actually, Wellington didn’t say it at all. It was said about him by Daniel O’Connell. He said “The Poor old Duke! What shall I say of him? To be sure he was born in Ireland, but being born in a stable does not make a man a horse.” Quite a different meaning, in context.
I stand corrected. It’s a common misattribution it seems- I’ve heard it ascribed to Wellington more than once, but it seems you’re correct. Great article in general though!
I work in one of these buildings. It’s magnificent, to imagine it as a residential property I utterly fantastic. It’s so large & ornate.
You could only imagine what it would be like to live in it.
The other workers in my building are well used to me occassionally shouting “bye ma, see ya later” as I leave. :D
Prize bulls on the lawn of Leinster House….not much has changed!
Brilliant :)
Bullocks more like!
They could all do with a good kick up the Aras.
Excellent article. Refreshing to read these things of a sunday. :)
I think it was Daniel O’Connell who made the “stable” remark about Wellington, not Wellington himself (as a means of denying him Irishness – being born in a stable does not make one a horse…)
Thanks Spud – that point about the stable was made by the keeper of the Natural History Museum, rather than myself, so perhaps there was a bit of mix up when he was recalling it.
Thanks for the comment!
Aoife
Thanks for the article, must keep an eye out for those coal chutes next time I’m in the area!
Glad you enjoyed it! As I’m not a Dubliner myself, it was a great one to research and write.
Happy people are enjoying reading it and all feedback appreciated.
Aoife
BTW thank you for the article. It inspired me to do the small bit of research above.
It’s interesting to see the reaction of American tourists when they realise that the houses on Merrion Square are older than the foundation of the United States.
Despite their democracy being older than ours.
You’re very welcome – there are loads more things of interest from that area no doubt, so happy to have encouraged more research.
Thanks
Aoife
I’d love a thumbs up button for articles like this! ;)
The paragraph beginning GEORGIAN HOMES has a reference to “The gentile people of Merrion Square”. I presume this should read “The genteel people of Merrion Square” and does not refer to persons who are non Jewish.
Hi John – you are quite correct, that was an obvious typo on my part! Thanks for pointing it out, it has now been amended.
Aoife
It’s you’re not your. *shakes head in a judging fashion*
Very interesting article, never mind the nitpickers and those that will inevitably and tediously find a way of referring everything back to corrupt politicians. That last part was especially interesting, wouldn’t it be cool to be able to see inside that shelter and its associated tunnels?!
Enjoyed that .
excellent article…keep them coming. Just a small note..horses neigh not bray…:-)
If only the City Council mandarins opened up the WWII bomb shelter and tunnels! What a great place to visit and investigate. The school tours and tourists would keep the square bustling forever.
One of the most beautiful Squares in the world.
Marc, LOL! Prize bulls*t more like!
Thank you always wondered what the ‘hump’ was in the park – have often enjoyed lunch there
Me too… Used to sit there every sunny day at lunchtime with a book… Fascinating indeed…..
Ggoogle Leinster House and click on the Wikipedia article. It’s very interesting.
According to Wiki, LH was the home of the RDS from early 1800′s to 1922. Befor that it was home to the Dukes of Kildare.
Also (according to Wiki) LH was never the home of the Viceroy as I always thought. Of course maybe Wiki is wrong?
Didn’t the Viceroy not live in the Aras?
Either the Aras or Dublin Castle.
Good read on a Sunday! But why the merrion hotel? That’s not on merrion square, and just reminds me of corrupt politicians (which I do not want to be reminded of in a nice piece like this)
Maybe that’s just one of the things you (probably) didn’t know about Merrion Square: that it extends to the top of Merrion Street and takes in the Merrion Hotel. Every day’s a school day!
Was there a few weeks ago , does anyone know who the woman is lying down on what looks like a coffin (tomb stone ) ?? It’s on the side nearest Merton hotel …. I couldn’t see reference on it .. Thanks
And for people generally interested in the Georgian squares of Dublin, here’s a really good Wikipedia article on Mountjoy Square, which has got links to O’Casey, Yeats, Joyce, Behan, Patrick Pearse, Arthur Guiness, and others:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountjoy_Square
Enjoy : )
i lived in that area for years and when the park was opened to the public i use to bring my children there after school as we lived in flats one day my daughter who was about 4 rolled down that hill where the bomb shelter is and cut her knee on glass i had to bring her to patrick dunnes hospital and she got nine stitches she has a scar on her knee x
xoxox
Darragh, You’re quite right. Why did I think it was Leinster House?!
Interesting but reads like a first year history essay with a number of errors. If you want people to take you seriously, do your research and get your facts right.
Ahh now.
Holemaster, crawl back into your hole until you have something nice to say!
Wellington was born in a small thatched cottage near Trim. The family tried tom cover this up by claiming that he was born in their house in Merrion Square. The house where he was born is bewteen Dangan Castle (their country estate) and Trim.
There is zero evidence that Wellington was ashamed to be Irish – on the contrary in fact. The longevity of the ‘born in a stable’ is down to the humour of it and perhaps more importantly a funny alliance between narrow-minded Irish nationalists (I consider myself a broad-minded version) and English people who find it hard to accept that the UK’s greatest general was Irish.
Wellington was actually born in a thatched cottage between Dangan and Trim. Meath.
have your say