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	Religious-run schools and hospitals will be stripped of the ability to sack staff for being gay, divorced, or unmarried parents by Easter, Equality Minister Aodh&aacute;n &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in says.</p>
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	The move will see Section 37 of the Employment Equality Act changed, as the minister says it puts a &ldquo;chill&rdquo; into workers who fear being fired for private lives that go against the ethos of church-run institutions.</p>
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	&ldquo;They can be sacked, technically, if a board manager felt that someone was actively undermining the ethos of their school by their private life,&rdquo; Mr &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in told the Irish Examiner.</p>
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	&ldquo;It has a chilling effect when people feel they can&rsquo;t be themselves. In the staff room they have to hide their private lives; they have to hide the fact that they&rsquo;re gay, or that they are divorced, or in a second relationship, or that they&rsquo;re an unmarried parent.&rdquo;</p>
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	Mr &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in, who said he aims to have the changes through by Easter, said people had the right to be open about themselves at work.</p>
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	&ldquo;Members of the LGBT community and divorcees and unmarried parents will not have a fear of being themselves and being open about their private lives if they are working in schools and hospitals,&rdquo; he said.</p>
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	He accused Alan Shatter of dragging his feet over the reform when he was in office, stating: &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a priority for the previous minister of justice.&rdquo;</p>
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	Fianna F&aacute;il senator Averil Power, whose 2012 bill to end the discriminatory elements of Section 37 was blocked by Government, expressed doubt about Mr &Oacute; R&iacute;ord&aacute;in&rsquo;s plans.</p>
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	&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll believe it when I see it,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The Bill that Labour brought out last year kept in discrimination; it just moved the onus on to employers to be able to justify that discrimination.&rdquo;</p>
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	Sandra Irwin-Gowran of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network warned the section adds to a homophobic culture in schools.</p>
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	&ldquo;Teachers can&rsquo;t be open about being gay or lesbian because of the impact it could have on their job security,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This can mean they are fearful of addressing homophobic bullying in schools, for fear it would bring attention to themselves.</p>
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	&ldquo;It is the same with civil partnerships, as some people are concerned if they have one it will mean coming out as gay or lesbian.&rdquo;</p>
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	Meanwhile, plans to lift the ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood is a significant step in addressing stigma, campaigners claim.</p>
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	Health Minister Leo Varadkar, who a week ago announced he is gay, has referred recommendations to revise the restrictions to the State&rsquo;s Chief Medical Officer and senior officials in the Department of Health.</p>
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	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/schools-and-hospitals-to-lose-right-to-sack-gay-staff-308937.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/schools-and-hospitals-to-lose-right-to-sack-gay-staff-308937.html</a></p>
