Schools will no longer be able to discriminate again gay teachers

krudler · 09-09-2014 10:56PM #1

So there's legislation change coming that will make it illegal for schools to discriminate against teachers because of their sexual preferences, which they currently (crazily) are legally allowed to do.

http://www.thejournal.ie/laws-discrimination-changed-1662535-Sep2014/

A change in legislation will ensure that public service workers cannot be discriminated against for their sexual orientation, marital status or gender identity.
That’s according to Minister of State at the Department of Justice & Equality, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, who plans to advance legislation to amend Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act.
The Teachers Union of Ireland says it welcomes Ó Ríordáin’s commitment to end the current discrimination which exists for many teachers in schools.

Good change imo, the less that religious beliefs can dictate civil and worker rights in Ireland the better.

dr.bollocko · 09-09-2014 11:02PM

Finally ireland arrives into the middle nineteen sixties.

Gatling · 09-09-2014 11:06PM

What's the bet at the last minute they will allow certain exclusions to the legislation

Hammar · 09-09-2014 11:06PM

Jaysus,its pretty unbelieveable that they were able to do so up to now...

AnonoBoy · 09-09-2014 11:10PM

"But.... but..... but we were only having the craic? No, eh.... undermining the fabric of society? No? eh......... perverting our children? No? Seriously? Eh...... honestly held beliefs or something? Jeez, who thought this bigoted discrimination would be so hard to rationalise."

El Weirdo · 09-09-2014 11:11PM

*awaits Iona shills*

krudler · 09-09-2014 11:11PM

Hammar wrote: »

Jaysus,its pretty unbelieveable that they were able to do so up to now...

Isn't it, just another reason why religion needs to be taken out of the school system, or diminished massively in scale. I'd genuinely love to hear from someone who thinks it's ok to discriminate against people because they happen to like people of the same sex.

Kiwi in IE · 09-09-2014 11:11PM

Wow! How progressive!

Don't misinterpret my sarcasm, this is fantastic news, but WTF is with the fact it has been legal up to now?

Links234 · 09-09-2014 11:15PM

Wonderful!

Kiwi in IE · 09-09-2014 11:15PM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Finally ireland arrives into the middle nineteen sixties.

Not quite. Abortion is still illegal unless the pregnancy is going to result in certain death.

eviltwin · 09-09-2014 11:16PM

About bloody time

dxhound2005 · 09-09-2014 11:16PM

hognef wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, but in what ways are they currently allowed to discriminate?

This:

37.—(1) A religious, educational or medical institution which is under the direction or control of a body established for religious purposes or whose objectives include the provision of services in an environment which promotes certain religious values shall not be taken to discriminate against a person for the purposes of this Part or Part II if—

(a) it gives more favourable treatment, on the religion ground, to an employee or a prospective employee over that person where it is reasonable to do so in order to maintain the religious ethos of the institution, or

(b) it takes action which is reasonably necessary to prevent an employee or a prospective employee from undermining the religious ethos of the institution.

whupdedo · 09-09-2014 11:18PM

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Wow! How progressive!

Don't misinterpret my sarcasm, this is fantastic news, but WTF is with the fact it has been legal up to now?

Probably just getting around to it now, theirs probably plenty stupid laws that exist that need to be changed but aren't because they don't interfere with day to day life, I had an openly gay teacher in school about 15 years ago and I never saw him discriminated against, just because it's law in some outdated piece of legislation ,doesn't mean that it's to be taken as gospel in daily life

krudler · 09-09-2014 11:19PM

hognef wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance, but in what ways are they currently allowed to discriminate?

If you're a teacher and gay you can be sacked if you're working in a Catholic ethos school, which is something like 85% of schools in Ireland. It also covers marriage status, so divorced or remarried teachers can also be sacked, as can transgender teachers (I don't even know if there are many, if any at all in Ireland? be curious to know though)

Karl Stein · 09-09-2014 11:19PM

That's fabulous.

No seriously.

krudler · 09-09-2014 11:20PM

whupdedo wrote: »

Probably just getting around to it now, theirs probably plenty stupid laws that exist that need to be changed but aren't because they don't interfere with day to day life, I had an openly gay teacher in school about 15 years ago and I never saw him discriminated against, just because it's law in some outdated piece of legislation ,doesn't mean that it's to be taken as gospel in daily life

Still good that it's being changed though regardless of whether schools are less likely to actually discriminate against gay teachers, even if cases of it actually happening are rare now they legally can't at all.

dr.bollocko · 09-09-2014 11:20PM

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Not quite. Abortion is still illegal unless the pregnancy is going to result in certain death.

It's another small step on a long road toward Ireland being where it should be. And at least this time it's a step forward. There have been so many backwards steps in the abortion debate that it just gets you down.

P_1 · 09-09-2014 11:21PM

About bloody time!

What somebody does in their private life should have no bearing on their professional one.

Tar.Aldarion · 09-09-2014 11:21PM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Finally ireland arrives into the middle nineteen sixties.

Yay we get to give the free love movement a go. And wait til we hear about the Beatles.

dxhound2005 · 09-09-2014 11:22PM

whupdedo wrote: »

Probably just getting around to it now, theirs probably plenty stupid laws that exist that need to be changed but aren't because they don't interfere with day to day life, I had an openly gay teacher in school about 15 years ago and I never saw him discriminated against, just because it's law in some outdated piece of legislation ,doesn't mean that it's to be taken as gospel in daily life

It was enacted in 1998.

Kiwi in IE · 09-09-2014 11:23PM

whupdedo wrote: »

Probably just getting around to it now, theirs probably plenty stupid laws that exist that need to be changed but aren't because they don't interfere with day to day life, I had an openly gay teacher in school about 15 years ago and I never saw him discriminated against, just because it's law in some outdated piece of legislation ,doesn't mean that it's to be taken as gospel in daily life

Far from being merely a stupid, archaic law, it is a human rights infringement that Irish law allows.

krudler · 09-09-2014 11:26PM

They were talking about it on the radio earlier and the usual "won't someone think of the children" brigade were out, banging on about kids innocence and the like. I'm pretty sure your average kid wont give a fiddler's to find out that their female teacher likes women or male teacher likes men. Kids usually take to different ideas much better than adults do.

Shakespeare's Sister · 09-09-2014 11:28PM

Haven't heard of such a case in recent years (not that I'm saying that means it hasn't happened).
The closest I can think of in recent years was when that teenage girl was refused admission to a school because of being pregnant. Holy **** that was ugly. The amount of support for the school's decision - and from young people, not just auld ones/fellas - was depressing in the extreme.

Shakespeare's Sister · 09-09-2014 11:29PM

krudler wrote: »

They were talking about it on the radio earlier and the usual "won't someone think of the children" brigade were out, banging on about kids innocence and the like.

Seriously? Oh ffs. Not that there will be many cases anyway of people knowing who their teacher is in a relationship with. We certainly weren't privy to that information with regards most of our teachers. Why would we be?

catallus · 09-09-2014 11:30PM

I had a dance instructor in school and he was clearly gay. A very patient man.

krudler · 09-09-2014 11:30PM

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

Haven't heard of such a case in recent years (not that I'm saying that means it hasn't happened).
The closest I can think of in recent years was when that teenage girl was refused admission to a school because of being pregnant. Holy **** that was ugly. The amount of support for the school's decision - and from young people, not just auld ones/fellas - was depressing in the extreme.

Jaysus, was she shipped off to the laundry for bringing shame on her family?

thelad95 · 09-09-2014 11:32PM

I remember seeing a documentary a couple of years ago about a soccer team in Dublin made up of gay people. Some of the team were also teachers and refused to be shown on camera. I was shocked when they stated the reason was because they would probably be sacked if their school found out. I thought it was some ass-hole board of management head but when I looked it up and saw this was all above board I felt sick to the pit of my stomach.

It's great to see this archaic sh*te being removed.

Guy:Incognito · 09-09-2014 11:32PM

P_1 wrote: »

About bloody time!

What somebody does in their private life should have no bearing on their professional one.

I think you need to stick legally in to that sentence somewhere. There's plenty of stuff that can and should get you in trouble in your professional life.

whupdedo · 09-09-2014 11:33PM

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

Far from being merely a stupid, archaic law, it is a human rights infringement that Irish law allows.

Which they are changing and about time

Kiwi in IE · 09-09-2014 11:34PM

krudler wrote: »

They were talking about it on the radio earlier and the usual "won't someone think of the children" brigade were out, banging on about kids innocence and the like. I'm pretty sure your average kid wont give a fiddler's to find out that their female teacher likes women or male teacher likes men. Kids usually take to different ideas much better than adults do.

The fact that schools indoctrinate with religion and there is a risk of children being exposed to Iona like attitudes outside the home, makes it important to discuss these things with children at an earlier age than would probably be necessary if this bulk**** didn't exist. I have made a point of ensuring my six year old knows that marriage/relationships are not gender specific and that some children have two mummies or two daddies instead of one of each, so that he is aware of reality in the face of bigoted bollocks.

whupdedo · 09-09-2014 11:35PM

dxhound2005 wrote: »

It was enacted in 1998.

Which shows how far we've come in 16 years

Schools will no longer be able to discriminate again gay teachers

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