Jimmy Denihan, and one LGBT person's experience.

han090

A very close friend of mine, Laura Duggan, who is a lesbian, had the misfortune of meeting Jimmy Deenihan recently, and wrote this rant as a result. Having read it, I was similarly very unhappy, and wanted to (with her permission) share her experience with others:

"I had the...pleasure....to be canvassed by Jimmy Deenihan yesterday evening. I'm still raging over it any time that I think how I (and my partner) were treated by him. I hope that by posting this I can take a few votes off him, he's convinced that he'll be a minister in the next cabinet, and after last night this makes me physically ill.
I'm new to North Kerry-West Limerick, so I wasn't familiar with him. His canvassers offered to bring him over as he was in the estate.
He came over, all handshakes and smiles, I asked what was his position on college fees – he said about graduate tax, I said what if I was to emigrate (who’d pay it then?) and he said that that was a problem that we were all facing. Then he said something about increased PRSI and began to get antsy and said (poiting to the flyer) to email him for a copy of the Fine Gael Policy document, trying to get away from the door.
I said is that it so? I’ve other questions. I asked him his position on gay marriage – to which he responded that there is gay marriage, both me and my partner flared up that there’s not gay marriage – there’s only civil partnership. He said that he thought it was a great bill and a huge step forward and ‘all that they want’, all the time trying to move back and not making eye contact with us anymore.
He then stated that he had many gay friends, best friends. We asked him why children weren’t included in the bill, he pretended not to hear the question. He then started saying that ‘marriage was another matter’ and that he’d never met a gay person who’d been/felt discriminated against. Both she and I responded that we were gay and that we’d been discriminated against. He then started saying that he hoped we were happy that we’d wasted his time and walked off.
I really just can't get over his IGNORANCE. I thought Ireland had moved past this. How can a politician treat people he's trying to get votes off like this!?
If you're in the constituency, or know anyone in it, please make them aware of how much of a bigot and quite frankly, a homophobe, this guy is."

Monty Burnz

The original thread about it is here.

He's an auld fellah campaigning in a back end of nowhere rural constituency [sorry Tralee] where the catholic church sways supreme.
I'd have been surprised if you'd have got more.

His ending was ignorant curtness though, albeit party candidates like that only ever come over when canvassing door to door for a handshake and a smile usually...anything else is delaying their door count.

Brussels Sprout

I'm sure your friend has experienced much worse than this. After reading the title I expected at least a bit of name calling or something. It sounds like he was trying to be diplomatic but obviously wasn't personally comfortable with it. I think calling him a biggot is a bit over the top given the above evidence.

elbee

I cannot believe he would say a voter asking questions of a potential TD is 'wasting' his 'time.' It certainly doesn't bode well for how he'll deal with issues if he gets elected.

han090

Monty Burnz wrote: »

The original thread about it is here.

Haha, my apologies!! I didn't realise she had already joined and posted it here.

If the moderators come by, I'm fine with this being merged, or deleted.

Manach

Then again to traditionists like myself, he'd come across as a liberal for supporting the civil partnership bill in the first place.