Why Leo Varadkar's sexuality doesn't matter

So Leo Varadkar is gay. Who knew? Well, quite a few people, it seems. There were audible whispers about his sexuality within political circles. I had heard it from a journalist colleague just two days before the Minister for Health came out on Miriam O’Callaghan’s radio show. I didn’t care then and I couldn’t care any less now.

Because, quite rightly, Varadkar’s sexuality should be his own private business. But given the upcoming referendum on marriage equality, he felt he needed to share this deeply personal information with the nation.

The RTÉ interview was met with a mixture of positivity and apathy, which shows how we have become a more tolerant, inclusive society. In fact, much of the discussion on social media centred on Varadkar’s revelation that he was only 36. Not that he looks older; it’s just that he seems to have been a politician forever and has achieved a lot for such a young man.

Varadkar was praised for his honesty, a trait that sometimes lands him in trouble with the head honchos in Fine Gael. On this occasion, though, Enda Kenny was supportive, reportedly making quips about his recent visit to the Pantibar.

This further demonstrates how our attitudes to homosexuality have changed. Can you imagine a Taoiseach joking about being in a gay bar during Archbishop John Charles McQuaid’s reign of fear? There would have been a lot of hell-fire and brimstone. It’s a welcome sign that we are no longer in the iron grip of the Catholic Church when it comes to issues of morality.

Within days, the story about Leo Varadkar’s sexuality had virtually disappeared. Now, perhaps, the media can concentrate on the vital work that needs to be done to reform our dysfunctional health service. 

Just weeks earlier, his department was presiding over the worst hospital trolley numbers on record. It would be grossly unfair to lay the blame for the most recent crisis solely at the feet of Leo Varadkar, who is only in the job since last summer and, frankly, inherited a shambolic mess from his Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats predecessors. 

The Department of Health was famously dubbed ‘Angola’ by Brian Cowen and it remains one of the most toxic ministerial portfolios. Given the perilous state of our health system and the multitude of obstacles that need to be tackled, it would be unrealistic for us to expect any discernable improvements between now and the general election.

Leo Varadkar may not have all of the solutions but he is an able, hard-working politician; a straight talker who is not afraid to ruffle a few feathers. All things considered, he is probably the best person – straight, gay or otherwise - for the job. Now that the distraction of his sexuality is out of the way, we should just let him get on with it.