| Formation | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Type | LGBT rights lobby group |
| Location |
The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) was an Irish LGBT rights group based in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1988 by Don Donnelly, Charles Kerrigan, Suzy Byrne, Kieran Rose and Christopher Robson. [1] It focused on achieving change in legislation and social policy to achieve full equality and inclusion for lesbian, gay and bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Ireland, and protection from all forms of discrimination. Its board of directors were Margot Slattery (chair), Simon Nugent, Muriel Walls, Séamus Dooley and Dr. Fergus Ryan. [2] In May 2017 it was announced that it would close. [3]
On 3 April 2006, then Taoiseach Bertie Ahern performed the official opening of GLEN's new offices in Fumbally Court in Dublin 8. This was a moment of some historical significance as he was the first head of an Irish Government to visit an LGBT organisation. The Taoiseach also launched GLEN's five-year strategic plan entitled "Building Sustainable Change" which set out the priorities of the organisation going forward, the main one being the enactment of legislation providing for the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. In a speech to assembled guests, Mr Ahern declared that "Sexual orientation cannot, and must not, be the basis of a second-class citizenship. Our laws have changed, and will continue to change, to reflect this principle." [4]
The current[ when? ] GLEN staff members are:
GLEN Director of Policy Change, Eoin Collins, was appointed to a Working Group on Domestic Partnership established by the Government in early 2006. [4] The purpose of the group was to present options regarding the legal recognition of same-sex unions for the Minister for Justice to consider. It was chaired by lawyer and former Progressive Democrats Teachta Dála Anne Colley. The Colley Report was published in November 2006 and outlined just two options to be considered – the opening up of marriage to lesbian and gay couples, which was stated as the full equality option, or full civil partnership which would provide all the rights and responsibilities of marriage. [5]
In the May 2007 Irish general election, all of the main political parties committed themselves to legislating in this area if they formed part of the new government. Following negotiations between Fianna Fáil and The Green Party, the two parties produced a Programme for Government in June 2007. The document contained the following commitment on the legal recognition of same-sex unions: "This Government is committed to full equality for all in our society. Taking account of the options paper prepared by the Colley Group and the pending Supreme Court case, we will legislate for civil partnerships at the earliest possible date in the lifetime of the Government." GLEN strongly welcomed the commitment to introduce change based on the findings of the Colley Report and looks forward to working with the government to bring about equality for the LGB population in Ireland.
The Heads of Bill for civil partnership were published by the Irish government on 24 June 2008 and GLEN strongly welcomed this. Speaking in response to the proposed legislation, GLEN chairman Kieran Rose said, "Comprehensive civil partnership, as proposed in the Heads of Bill, is a major milestone towards equality. The goal of GLEN is access to full equality through civil marriage and this Bill is a fundamental step forward towards this goal. The provisions outlined today will resolve many immediate and pressing issues faced by lesbian and gay couples and will also provide a platform for further progress." [6] On 26 June 2009, the Civil Partnership Bill was published by Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern. GLEN again strongly supported this development but also expressed concern about the absence of any provision in the Bill to provide legal support and recognition of the many children being parented by same-sex couples. [6] At this time GLEN published three documents to inform both policy makers and the LGBT community about the Civil Partnership Bill. These were:
Following the passage of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 through the lower and upper houses of the Oireachtas, GLEN published the Seanad speeches to celebrate and mark the passage of this historic piece of legislation. At the launch of Seanad Debates on Civil Partnership July 2010, Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern stated, "I want to compliment GLEN for the way in which they lobbied to bring us to where we are today. I know it's their view that there is more to be done and that's definitely their view and their wish and I wish them well in that respect. I do want to compliment them on the realistic and reasonable way in which they lobbied all of the political parties and all of the political parties would have had some issues in relation to this particular piece of legislation. But GLEN did it in such a way that I think everyone fully understood that they were being reasonable and they understood the parameters within which we were required to work… Today is a celebration for all of the people in GLEN and the other organisations who have been lobbying for this. GLEN have done a marvellous job and I want to thank all the people associated with GLEN for the way in which they did their business and particularly thank them for the excellent productions that they have brought forward very quickly as a result of the passing of this legislation." [10]
GLEN's support for the Civil Partnership legislation received criticism from some elements of the LGBT community who believed that the Civil Partnership Bill was discriminatory and inadequate. [11]
"All employees should have the opportunity to perform at their best – meaning that they must feel comfortable in their environment. This is done through creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We can take best advantage of our differences – for innovation. Our diversity is a competitive advantage and consciously building diverse teams helps us drive the best results for our clients"
— Peter O’Neill, Country general manager, IBM Ireland 2013.
GLEN launched the Diversity Champions Programme which is Ireland's first and only not-for-profit workplace programme designed specifically to assist Irish employers with the inclusion of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees. [12] Members include major employers such as Accenture, IBM and University College Dublin, who as members receive a range of benefits and services including a dedicated client account manager, seminars on LGBT issues, networking events for LGBT employees, high quality training, benchmarking and other opportunities for companies to build their brand and reputation on diversity.
The Diversity Champions Programme builds on a body of work and engagement between GLEN and major employers, employer organisations and trade unions. This has included:
GLEN has also responded to major employers in Ireland – Microsoft, Citigroup, Google, PwC and Dublin City University – seeking information on civil partnership, which has major implications for employment law and practice. The new law provides for equal treatment between married couples and civil partners in pension provision, workplace benefits and the new equality ground of civil status.
"Dublin is now a multi-cultural city, and this diversity is now part of the identity of the city. Equality and social justice can contribute to Dublin’s international competitiveness"
— Andrew Montague, Lord Mayor of Dublin 2011.
GLEN and Dublin City Council worked successfully on a project to build a consensus on the economic case for equality. This culminated in a seminar event, "Globalisation, Diversity and Economic Renewal", launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin and featuring Professor Sean Kay, author of Celtic Revival? The Rise, Fall and Renewal of Global Ireland as the keynote speaker. The event also involved prominent speakers from the areas of economic and business policy development.
GLEN also published a report Equality, Diversity and Economic Competitiveness. The project was funded by the European Union's PROGRESS Programme (2007–2013) and the Equality Authority. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191603/http://www.glen.ie/news-post.aspx?contentid=998&title=glendublin_city_council_seminar_on_globalisation_diversity_and_economic_renewal
GLEN has been a registered charity since 2005. It receives funding from the Health Service Executive (HSE), but also has received funding from Atlantic Philanthropies - GLEN received $4,727,860 between 2005 and 2011. [13]
This led to criticism by Breda O'Brien, patron of the largely Roman Catholic Iona Institute pressure group, that it is used funding from abroad to influence legislation and for political campaigning in elections such as during the Marriage Referendum. [14] The Iona Institute had itself been criticised for political campaigning while failing to register with the Standards in Public Office Commission, which monitors political donations. [15] It did not do so until the middle of the 2015 same-sex marriage referendum campaign, explaining its change of policy was because it wanted to "play a fuller part" in the campaign. [16]
In April 2017, GLEN was directed by the Charities Regulator to provide it with financial records, following an internal review of its corporate governance procedures and a voluntary disclosure to the Regulator. [17] Áine Duggan stated that irregularities were noticed shortly after she was appointed executive director in October 2016. [18]
The issues relate unaccounted for expenses of up to €60,000, [19] the use of Government funding for political campaigns and the use of GLEN credit cards for personal purchases (later reimbursed). [20] GLEN founder and co-chairman Kieran Rose resigned as co-chair in 2016 after it emerged campaign literature for his Seanad election campaign was printed at the charity. While the cost of the printing had been reimbursed, the organisation sought clarification from the regulator in case it had breached rules limiting the involvement of charities in political campaigning. Rose resigned from the board of GLEN in April 2017 as "an aspect of Glen's support to him in 2016 is causing a distraction to the work of Glen and to other issues that are under review by the Charities Regulator." [21]
The then Minister for Social Protection, Leo Varadkar, highlighted the "really important work" done by GLEN but said it was very important any issues were fully investigated and that "anything that needs to be put right is put right". GLEN's board stated that it "is satisfied that all grants received have been used for the intended purpose and has no reason to suspect there has been any misappropriation of funds. [20]
Following comments by Duggan, Mary Lou McDonald TD, said she intended to raise the issues around financial irregularites at GLEN at the Dáil Public Accounts Committee. [22] GLEN intends appointing an interim executive director following the resignation of Áine Duggan. [23]
Allegations of bullying in GLEN surfaced in 2017. One of two complainants has since resigned. An external examiner has been appointed to look into the allegations. [20]
Dermot Christopher Ahern is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Justice and Law Reform from 2008 to 2011, Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2004 to 2008, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources from 2002 to 2004, Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs from 1997 to 2002 and Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence from 1991 to 1992. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency from 1987 to 2011.
Stonewall Equality Limited, trading as Stonewall, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or, depending on the version of the bill, gender identity, by employers with at least 15 employees.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 16 November 2015. A referendum on 22 May 2015 amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that marriage is recognised irrespective of the sex of the partners. The measure was signed into law by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, as the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland on 29 August 2015. The Marriage Act 2015, passed by the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015 and signed into law by the Presidential Commission on 29 October 2015, gave legislative effect to the amendment. Same-sex marriages in Ireland began being recognised from 16 November 2015, and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland occurred the following day. Ireland was the eighteenth country in the world and the eleventh in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
The Christian Institute (CI) is a charity operating in the United Kingdom, promoting a Christian viewpoint, founded on a belief in Biblical inerrancy. The CI is a registered charity. The group does not report numbers of staff, volunteers or members with only the Director, Colin Hart, listed as a representative. However, according to the accounts and trustees annual report for the financial year ending 2017, the average head count of employees during the year was 48 (2016:46).
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates is a United States lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) workplace equality non-profit organization headquartered in Oakland, California.
Global LGBTQIA+ Employee & Allies at Microsoft (GLEAM) refers to the Microsoft employee resource group comprising LGBTQIA+ employees along with straight allies. GLEAM originated as a private mailing list during the 1980s. Members of the list successfully campaigned for sexual orientation to be added to Microsoft's anti-discrimination policy in 1989. In 1997, group leaders pointed out that anti-gay actions had occurred, but "overt bias is extremely rare."
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Republic of Ireland improved greatly in recent decades, and are now among the most advanced in Europe. Ireland is notable for its transformation from a country holding overwhelmingly conservative attitudes toward LGBT issues, in part due to the opposition by the Roman Catholic Church, to one holding overwhelmingly liberal views in the space of a generation. In May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage on a national level by popular vote. The New York Times declared that the result put Ireland at the "vanguard of social change". Since July 2015, transgender people in Ireland can self-declare their gender for the purpose of updating passports, driving licences, obtaining new birth certificates, and getting married. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality were decriminalised in 1993, and most forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation are now outlawed. Ireland also forbids incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have developed significantly over time. Today, lesbian, gay, and bisexual rights are considered to be advanced by international standards.
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2006.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights have evolved significantly in the past decades in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1993 and the age of consent was equalised to 16 in 2012. The Supreme Court of Gibraltar ruled in April 2013 that same-sex couples have the right to adopt. Civil partnerships have been available to both same-sex and opposite-sex couples since March 2014, and in October 2016, Gibraltar voted to legalise same-sex marriage with the Civil Marriage Amendment Act 2016 passing unanimously in Parliament. The law received royal assent on 1 November and took effect on 15 December 2016.
LGBTQ+ life on the island of Ireland is made up of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Scotland are generally in line with the rest of the United Kingdom, which have evolved extensively over time and are now regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe. In both 2015 and 2016, Scotland was recognised as the "best country in Europe for LGBTI legal equality".
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.
The Colley Report is a 2006 paper on same-sex marriage and civil partnership produced for the Irish Government. Formally known as the Options Paper on Cohabiting Couples (2006), the report was named after its chair, Anne Colley.
Equality Florida is a political advocacy group that advocates for civil rights and protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) residents of the U.S. state of Florida. Equality Florida consists of two organizations - Equality Florida Institute, Inc., the 501(c)(3) educational charity and Equality Florida Action, Inc., the 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. Together with over 300,000 supporters, these organizations form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to Florida's LGBTQ community.
The Stonewall Workplace Equality Index is a ranking list of British employers compiled annually by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality charity and training provider Stonewall. It is advertised as a "definitive list showcasing the best employers for lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff".
Tiernan Brady is an Irish-Australian political and LGBT rights campaigner who was involved in the campaigns to allow same-sex marriage in Ireland and Australia. He was the executive director of the Equality Campaign in Australia, the successful national campaign for Australian Marriage Equality. He was the political director of Ireland's successful "Yes Equality" campaign which saw Ireland become the first country in the world to introduce marriage equality by a public vote. He was the Director of Gay HIV Strategies in GLEN – The Irish Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, and is Campaign Director of Equal Future 2018.
