In a joint statement this afternoon (14 April 2013), advocacy groups Marriage Equality, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) have welcomed the strong endorsement today by the Constitutional Convention of equal marriage as “an historic step”.

If the modern world is youth-obsessed, the modern gay world takes that to the extreme. You could go around thinking that there isn’t a gay, lesbian, bi or trans person over the age of 50, such is the lack of visibility. These are the people who created the very idea of the gay community that we now we enjoy, yet they are nowhere to be seen, eclipsed by those youngsters reaping the benefits of their fight.

In a huge leap forward, Minister Seán Haughey has launched a publication called Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Students in Post Primary Schools – Guidance for Principals and School Leaders. Up until now, there was very little guidance (if any) for teachers and education officials when it came to how to treat and protect gay and lesbian school-goers. According to the Gay and Lesbian EqualityNetwork (GLEN), who worked in concert with the department in drafting it.