Katherine Zappone
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Katherine Zappone (; born 25 November 1953) is an American-Irish
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020. She was a
Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...
(TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 2016 to 2020. She previously served as a
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from 2011 to 2016, after being
nominated by the Taoiseach A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...
. She was nominated by Taoiseach
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
to the
24th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 24th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected on 27 April 2011 after postal voting closed. The Taoiseach's nominees were announced on 20 May 20 ...
in 2011, having been recommended by
Eamon Gilmore Eamonn or Éamon or Eamon may refer to: *Eamonn (given name), an Irish male given name *Eamon (singer) (born 1983), American R&B singer-songwriter and harmonicist * ''Eamon'' (video game), a 1980 computer role-playing game for the Apple II *"Éamon ...
, the then leader of
Fine Gael Fine Gael (, ; English: "Family (or Tribe) of the Irish") is a liberal-conservative and Christian-democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil ...
's coalition partners, the Labour Party. With her Seanad nomination, she became the first openly lesbian member of the
Oireachtas The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of: *The President of Ireland *The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
and the first member in a recognised same-sex relationship. She was elected to the Dáil for the Dublin South-West constituency at the 2016 general election, becoming the first openly lesbian TD and, by her own reckoning, the world's 32nd lesbian to be elected to a national parliament. In May 2016, after a delay in government formation, due to prolonged talks, Zappone became Ireland's first openly lesbian government Minister and the first Minister to have been openly gay at the time of appointment to cabinet, when Taoiseach Enda Kenny appointed her as the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. She lost her seat at the general election of February 2020 and continued to serve as a minister until June 2020 on the election of a new government.


Personal life

Born in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, in 1953, Zappone was educated at
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
(PhD),
The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...
(MA) and
University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
(MBA). She became an Irish citizen in 1995. She and her wife,
Ann Louise Gilligan Ann Louise Gilligan (27 July 1945 – 15 June 2017) was an Irish theologian who taught at Saint Patrick's College, Drumcondra (part of Dublin City University). A former nun, she was the wife of Katherine Zappone. In '' Zappone and Gilligan v. ...
, founded An Cosán which supports individuals and communities to actively engage in the process of social change through transformative education. In '' Zappone and Gilligan v. Revenue Commissioners'' (2006), they unsuccessfully sought recognition in the High Court, for their Canadian marriage in Ireland. Zappone was a member of the
Irish Human Rights Commission The Irish Human Rights Commission has been merged with the Equality Authority. Both former organisations were dissolved and their functions transferred to a new statutory body, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on 1 November 2014. The ...
, chief executive of the
National Women's Council of Ireland The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI) is a representative organisation for women and women's groups in Ireland. It was originally known as the Council for the Status of Women. Policies The mission of the NWCI is to achieve women's equa ...
, and a lecturer in the fields of ethics, theology, and education at
Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...
. Though they were already married in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, Zappone proposed to Ann Louise Gilligan on air as the positive result in the same-sex marriage referendum became known. Gilligan died in June 2017.


An Cosán

An Cosán is an organisation in
Jobstown Jobstown (; ) is a suburb of Tallaght, and so an outer suburb of Dublin, in the administrative county of South Dublin, Ireland. History Jobstown takes its name from Henry Jope, who held land here in the 1250s. Jobstown was historically a small ...
,
Tallaght ) , image_skyline = TallaghtDublinD24.jpg , image_caption = Tallaght, Dublin , image_flag = , flag_size = , pushpin_map = Dublin#Ireland , pushpin_label_position = left , ...
, which offers adult education and other services to women from disadvantaged areas, and is Ireland's largest community education organisation. It currently supports over 1,000 families annually. According to ''The Irish Times'', An Cosán "was established by Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone with the intention of bringing valuable community-based education to the Dublin suburb. In 2012, An Cosán attempted to track the progress of 1,500 past students and found 1,200 were employed." Speaking at an event for International Women's Day in 2010, then Social and Family Affairs Minister
Mary Hanafin Mary Hanafin (born 1 June 1959) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport from 2010 to 2011, Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from January 2011 to March 2011, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Inn ...
, paid tribute to the work done by the women in An Cosán. "They are involved in education courses and communication and childcare and bettering themselves and their children, and they are making a big contribution". Speaking about founding An Cosán, Zappone said "Imagine creating something like An Cosan together with the community. You really feel like you're bringing about some change for the good. Why wouldn't you want to do it?"


Preschools

An Cosán also runs Fledglings, which operates eight preschools around the country – mostly in disadvantaged areas – which provide education and care to more than 250 children. Senator
Lynn Ruane Lynn Ruane (born 20 October 1984) is an Irish politician who has served as an independent Senator for the Dublin University constituency in Seanad Éireann since April 2016. She was the President of the Trinity College Dublin Students' Union fr ...
, President of Trinity College Students' Union, is a graduate. who at age 16, was a participant on the first Young Women's Programme; Ruane has said that: "An Cosán had its finger on the pulse and responded to a surge of teenage pregnancy in the west Tallaght area, taking into account of what was needed to support young mothers and their participation. Key in that was Rainbow House where my daughter, Jordanne, started out the early years in her life and I began to heal, learn and believe again. An Cosán was the beginning and remains the foundation of my journey so far. Somebody created an opportunity for me, met my needs, and empowered me to progress."


''Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners''

In November 2004, Zappone and Gilligan were granted leave by the High Court, to pursue a claim to have their September 2003 Vancouver marriage recognised for the filing of joint tax returns in Ireland. The case was heard in October 2006. The judgment was delivered in December 2006. and found that common law and the Irish constitution had envisaged marriage to be between a man and a woman. The case was appealed to the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
in February 2007. It came before the Supreme Court in 2012, although returned to the High Court to challenge different elements of law, specifically the Civil Registration Act 2004 and
Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 is an Act of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) which allows same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships. The Act also provides rights for participants in lo ...
.


Political career


Seanad Éireann (2011–2016)

Nominated by Taoiseach
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
, to the
24th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 24th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected on 27 April 2011 after postal voting closed. The Taoiseach's nominees were announced on 20 May 20 ...
in 2011, Zappone was a member of the Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality. In December 2014, she voted against the Water Services Bill, and spoke about the "people's right to water in a fair, affordable, efficient and effective manner". She also took part in a protest in Tallaght opposing the government's handling of water charges, at which she "noted that some were not opposed to water charge but had serious concerns about the way in which they were being implemented and the speed at which they were being rolled out", and said "there was public anger about the mistakes made relating to Irish Water". Zappone also spoke about the housing problem in
South Dublin , image_map = Island of Ireland location map South Dublin.svg , map_caption = Inset showing South Dublin (darkest green in inset) within Dublin Region (lighter green) , area_total_km2 ...
, highlighting that "there were 173 people homeless in the
South Dublin County Council South Dublin County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Átha Cliath Theas) is the authority responsible for local government in the county of South Dublin, Ireland. It is one of three local authorities created by the Local Government (Dublin) Act ...
area. She said "either the Government analyses of these problems are wrong or incomplete or the political ideologies that direct its solutions are insipid, vacuous of original vision, or simply outdated"." Zappone began working on amendments to the Gender Recognition Bill. After Zappone sought to amend the Gender Recognition Legislation,
Minister of State Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In o ...
Kevin Humphreys, accepted the principle of a Seanad amendment to have the legislation recognising the identity of transgender people reviewed. During Seanad debate, Zappone highlighted that it was regrettable it had taken successive Irish governments more than 20 years to legislate for gender recognition. Zappone stated that "the Tallaght Garda District must receive its fair share of new recruits and vehicles being made available to the force in the coming weeks". The following month she confirmed that she had received confirmation that the local Garda district was to receive 13 new cars after communication with the
Garda Commissioner The Garda Commissioner ( ga, Coimisinéir an Gharda Síochána) – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of the Republic of Ireland. The Garda Commissione ...
Nóirín O'Sullivan Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda Commissioner from ...
. In April 2015, Zappone raised the One-Parent Family Payment changes in the Seanad, highlighting that "single parents want their parental responsibility recognised, while some want access to full-time education with proper State support for their children".


Marriage Equality referendum

Zappone was a prominent campaigner for the Yes campaign in Ireland's Marriage Equality referendum, featuring on an RTÉ Primetime debate, helping YesEquality as a voluntary adviser, taking part in debates, and campaigning for a Yes vote. On 22 May 2015, she spoke about how she believed Irish people would "vote Yes for equality; for a Republic of equals, a Republic of love". On 23 May 2015, Zappone asked her wife Ann Louise Gilligan live on air to remarry her in Ireland now that it had voted yes to marriage equality. She described how she was "feeling emotional from the top all the way down to my toes".


Dáil Éireann (2016–2020)

In June 2015, Zappone announced she would contest the next general election as an Independent candidate in the Dublin South-West constituency. Confirming her decision to run, Senator Zappone added: "Since the end of last year, it has been a privilege to engage with local people in Dublin South West ahead of the Marriage Referendum. Together with my spouse, Ann Louise Gilligan, and the team of Yes Equality supporters we received a fantastic welcome on the doorsteps, at shopping centres, and at community events. It was clear that people in Dublin South West believe in equality; however, it was also evident that they are weary of old school politics which has led to years of austerity, unfair cuts, and disillusionment." She was the final candidate elected to the Dáil for the Dublin South-West constituency in the 2016 general election, following a full recount. In the third round of voting for
Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
, Zappone voted in favour of
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 2017, Leader of the Opposition from ...
. Zappone was embroiled in controversy after being elected as allegations surfaced regarding her claiming excessive amounts for mileage expenses. On 24 March 2016, ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' reported that the former Senator stood to earn €80,000 over the next five years from these expenses as she claimed to live more than 25 km from
Leinster House Leinster House ( ga, Teach Laighean) is the seat of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Ireland. Originally, it was the ducal palace of the Dukes of Leinster. Since 1922, it is a complex of buildings, of which the former ducal palace is the core, ...
. The paper, however, reported AA’s Route Planner puts the distance at less than 22 km. During her time in the Seanad, Zappone was paid expenses on the basis that she lived farther than 25 km from Leinster House. She submitted documentation to the Oireachteas claiming her normal place of residence was farther than 25 km from the Dail. In May 2016, Taoiseach Enda Kenny appointed her as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in the
Government of the 32nd Dáil There were two Governments of the 32nd Dáil, which was elected at the general election held on 26 February 2016. The 30th Government of Ireland (6 May 2016 – 14 June 2017) was led by Enda Kenny as Taoiseach and the 31st Government of Ireland ...
, and she was reappointed to the position when
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
became Taoiseach in June 2017.


2018 abortion referendum

Zappone had said that she believed the 8th Amendment should be repealed, and that abortion should be available in Ireland. She was initially the only member of cabinet to have unequivocally spoken out in favour of repeal of the Eighth and legalisation of abortion, arguing that the 8th Amendment "oppresses us with the burden of choicelessness", and that "as long as the Constitution treats a foetus as equal to a woman, her autonomy can be nothing more than a myth". In December 2017, she gave a lecture at
Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...
, in which she argued for the full repeal of the 8th Amendment and the introduction of "safe, legal and freely available" abortion including abortion on request up to at least 12 weeks. After the result of the May 2018 referendum, Zappone thanked the women who had shared their stories of how they were affected by the eighth amendment, "It's because of their willingness to tell their stories that they were able to change the hearts and the minds of the citizens but also many of the politicians too."


American politics (2020)

Following the loss of her seat at the 2020 Irish general election, Zappone moved back to Seattle to work as a full-time volunteer for Joe Biden's presidential campaign in the
2020 United States presidential election The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
, then to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
.


Controversy over appointment as "Special Envoy"

In July 2021, it was announced that Zappone was to be appointed to the newly created position of "Special Envoy to the UN for Freedom of Opinion and Expression". It subsequently emerged that the proposed appointment had not been flagged in advance of the Cabinet meeting where it was proposed by Minister
Simon Coveney Simon Coveney (born 16 June 1972) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment since December 2022 and Deputy Leader of Fine Gael since 2017. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affai ...
, raising the concerns of the Taoiseach,
Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence since Decembe ...
. However, he did not block the appointment, attracting criticism from within government, the opposition and the public, with Sinn Féin describing the appointment as "
cronyism Cronyism is the spoils system practice of partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. For example, cronyism occurs when appointin ...
". In the following days it was reported that Zappone had lobbied for the creation of and appointment to the part-time position, which was not openly advertised or subject to a competition. Further controversy arose when it was reported that shortly prior to the announcement of her appointment, Zappone had hosted a party for 50 guests, including politicians such as
Leo Varadkar Leo Eric Varadkar ( ; born 18 January 1979) is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from 2017 to 2020. He served as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment from June 2020 to De ...
, at the
Merrion Hotel Merrion Hotel is a hotel in Dublin, Ireland, which comprises a block of four terraced houses on Upper Merrion Street, built in the 1760s by Charles Monck, 1st Viscount Monck, for wealthy Irish merchants and nobility. He lived in No. 22, which b ...
, while the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Republic of Ireland, it has resulted in 1 ...
was ongoing. Comparisons were made between the party and the Golfgate scandal from earlier in the pandemic. On 4 August 2021, Zappone announced that she would not take up the envoy role, saying "While I am honoured to have been appointed by the Government to be the Special Envoy on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, it is clear that criticism of the appointment process has impacted the legitimacy of the role itself. It is my conviction that a Special Envoy role can only be of real value to Ireland and to the global community if the appointment is acceptable to all parties." In September 2021, she was invited to appear before the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, but chose not to attend. As a US citizen and resident, the committee had no power to compel her attendance.


Publications

* ''The Hope for Wholeness: A Spirituality for Feminists'', by Katherine Zappone, (1991). * ''Re-Thinking Identity: the Challenge of Diversity'', by Dr. Katherine Zappone, (2003). * ''Our Lives Out Loud: In Pursuit of Justice and Equality'', by Ann Louise Gilligan and Dr. Katherine Zappone, (2008).


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zappone, Katherine 1953 births Living people Alumni of University College Dublin American emigrants to Ireland American feminists Boston College alumni Catholic University of America alumni Independent members of Seanad Éireann Independent TDs Irish feminists Lesbian politicians LGBT legislators in Ireland LGBT people from Washington (state) LGBT history in Ireland LGBT politicians from the United States Members of the 24th Seanad 21st-century women members of Seanad Éireann Members of the 32nd Dáil 21st-century women Teachtaí Dála Nominated members of Seanad Éireann Politicians from Seattle Washington (state) Democrats Women government ministers of the Republic of Ireland