Openly Gay Minister Leo Varadkar could be Ireland’s next PM

SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) – Leo Varadkar, an openly gay Irish minister of Indian-origin, is being pegged as the frontrunner in the race to become Ireland’s next prime minister.

The 38-year-old Varadkar is the current leader of the Fine Gael political party and the social protection minister. He was born in Dublin to a retired Indian doctor and Irish mother.

A new poll conducted earlier this week said the people of Ireland would prefer Varadkar over Ireland’s housing minister, Simon Coveney, to be the next leader of Fine Gael. According to a report from The Journal News, Coveney received support from 23 percent of those surveyed, while Varadkar received 35 percent.

Further, reports have suggested Ireland’s current prime minister Enda Kenny could step down from the post after an upcoming visit to the U.S. to meet with President Donald Trump next month. Kenny has faced intense scrutiny for his handling of a controversy within the Irish police force after an officer alleged that influential people were not prosecuted despite being charged with various offenses.

The elevation of Varadkar could mark a signifiant moment in social growth for the nation, Ireland was among the last of European Union members to decriminalize homosexuality. The country voted to officially recognize same-sex marriage in 2015.

Varadkar and his partner are both doctors by trade, Ireland’s Independent newspaper described his partner Matthew Barrett as “the rock behind Leo Varadkar as he strives to become leader of Fine Gael.”

“Although the pair have been an item for the last 18 months, they have so far shunned the spotlight – although that could change should Mr Varadkar become Taoiseach (prime minister),” the report said.

Should he become the prime minister, Ireland would be the fourth country to have an openly gay head of state. Belgium’s Elio Di Rupo, Iceland’s Johanna Siguroardottir and Luxembourg’s Xavier Bettel are the other openly gay heads of government.

Varadkar revealed his secret to the public during a 2015 radio interview on his 36th birthday. “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose,” he said. Honestly, it’s true, whether he enjoys websites like twinkpornvideos.xxx or not, it shouldn’t, and hopefully won’t define him as a Prime Minister or politician.