Debate contribution: International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

Debate contribution by Ms Emma Sheerin on 12 May 2025.

MLA

Ms Emma Sheerin

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

12 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4937900

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I rise to support the motion. It is an important motion to support as we mark International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia later this week. We should celebrate the annual progress towards a more progressive, accepting and compassionate society. Sadly, we do not find ourselves in that position. It is important to reflect on the fact that the wider LGBTQIA+ community represents an entire cross-section of our community, people whom we all know and love. They are our family and friends, our co-workers, our constituents, health workers, teachers, civil servants and so much more. They are young people, who hear these debates and have to carry that language with them. They come from all faiths and all backgrounds, all countries and all political persuasions, and there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that the Assembly would rally in opposition to any sort of discrimination, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia or any other type of marginalising behaviour in our society.

Yes.

As a woman, I accept that women are worried about lots of things. I am a woman. It is a sad reality that, for too many people, experiences of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, in particular, appear to be growing. Some voices have been heightened following the Supreme Court decision last month. That should not be seen as an opportunity, because it has caused great concern amongst the trans community in Britain. That concern is growing here in the North and is felt by our trans community, so we should wait for Equality Commission guidance on the impact of the ruling locally. There is an onus on all of us in the interim, particularly on the people on these Benches, who are leaders in our communities, to remember that we are talking about human beings and that compassion and empathy should underscore any and all comments. As elected representatives, we all must lead on showing compassion and embracing all sections of our communities as we look to build a new and united society. We should not dehumanise anyone. We should listen carefully to the voices of those who are impacted on by these decisions. As the Rainbow Project reminds us today, at the start of LGBTQIA+ Awareness Week, it is a case of "Nothing About Us Without Us". Over the past few months, Sinn Féin has met a range of stakeholder groups, such as the Rainbow Project, Pride, Cara-Friend and HERe NI, to name but a few, as well as our party members who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I ask all political parties here this: do you meet people? Do you speak with them? Do you listen to their concerns? Do you hear people's real fears on seeing hard-won gains and progress challenged by regressive and increasingly aggressive sectors? We should all agree that all forms of hate should be extinguished and stamped out. We have to call it out in order to do so, and that requires leadership. There can be no going back on acceptance and no going back on issues of equality and respect.

509 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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