Former minister Katherine Zappone has made her first public appearance in Dublin since the controversy over her nomination as a United Nations special envoy last year.
Ms Zappone was the keynote speaker at the launch of a guide to LGTBQIA+ for parents and guardians at Outhouse in Dublin on Wednesday night.
The guide, edited by Domhnaill Harkin and published by ShoutOut, explains what it means to be LGTBQIA+ to young people in schools and other settings.
In her remarks, she said her first thought was the guidebook was a brilliant idea.
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“My second thought was my parents could have done with it. They were so supportive of me, especially subsequent to my coming out to them in a letter when I was 39. I posted it from Dublin to Seattle.
“They did not know a lot and their lack of knowledge made it really hard. We had to find our way together. If there thad been a guide book. as parents they would know they were not alone and other parents were also coming to terms with that their beautiful children being different and all that that entails.”
Ms Zappone, who now lives in New York, said the she loved the guide’s focus on the power of language.
She said the glossary was fantastic and the “language we use to describe who we are.”
She said language could be a powerful tool. “Language does not reflect how things are. It has the power to change how things are.
“Non-binary and gender expression. Pansexuality. That was a new one for me. We are accepting of the change and promoting the change. The key piece is the language issue.
“The guide is an encouragement for parents to learn new things ... to learn about their children and their world,” she said.
Aifric Ní Chríodáin, executive director of ShoutOut, said people were sometimes concerned and frightened about telling their parents, and were worried about their parents’ response. She said LGTBQIA+ people “wanted to be accepted and loved and keep their parents’ love.
She said parents did not “always say the right thing at the moment when their children come out” and that this guide would help them find the right language.
Domhaill Harkin cited data that showed fear among young people about coming out, and their treatment from others, at school and elsewhere.
“We know that young people learn the most from their care givers. If parents feel confident to speak about these issues with their young people, if it starts at home from an early age ... it will make people more accepting,” he said.
The former minister has yet to speak publicly about the events of last year. The Government went through almost two months of controversy over its bid to appoint Ms Zappone - a former Independent minister in the last Fine Gael-led Government - as a special envoy on freedom of expression.
The role would have involved New York-based Ms Zappone liaising with the UN.
The controversy first arose when it emerged that Taoiseach Micheál Martin was not aware of the plan to appoint Ms Zappone ahead of the Cabinet meeting where the decision was made on July 27th.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has denied that he effectively offered her the role before his officials carried out the work to create it and that Ms Zappone’s contacts with him amounted to lobbying for the job.
