Question to:	Joe Higgins
Issue:	Civil rights, data protection and political participation
06.05.2009 Question sent by	What are your policies around the lack of equality and rights for gay people in Ireland? Specifically, what are your views around gay marriage, partnership rights, adoption, and the discrimination allowed by religious institutions that is enshrined in our Employment Equality Act legislation, and what will you do to address these issues?
10.05.2009 Reply from Joe Higgins	Macfheorais A Chara, Go raibh maith agat as do cheist. I am opposed to any discrimination on the basis of sexual preferences. That means I am for equal rights of LGB community and individuals. as opposed to institutions such as schools where a church can impose its own rules, I believe that education should be in public hands and run democratically by communities, including parents, teachers, students at second and third level and there should not be discrimination on any basis. Churches naturally have the right to organise separate education for their own members as a private activity. Generally as an MEP my role would be to dialogue with the gay community, their representative organisations and the trade unions as to how this agenda can best be advanced and to work on joint strategies. toward that end. Sincerely, joe higgins www.joehiggins.eu
Source:	http://www.candidatewatch.ie/joe_higgins-30374-22148.html