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Katherine Zappone
Katherine Zappone (/zæˈpoʊn/; born 25 November 1953) is an American-Irish independent politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 2016 to 2020. She previously served as a Senator from 2011 to 2016, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
She was nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 24th Seanad in 2011, having been recommended by Eamon Gilmore, the then leader of Fine Gael's coalition partners, the Labour Party. With her Seanad nomination, she became the first openly lesbian member 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 2020 general election and continued to serve as a minister until the formation of a new government in June 2020.
Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1953, Zappone was educated at Boston College (PhD), the Catholic University of America (MA) and University College Dublin (MBA). She became an Irish citizen in 1995. She and her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan, 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, chief executive of the National Women's Council of Ireland, and a lecturer in the fields of ethics, theology, and education at Trinity College Dublin. Though they were already married in Canada, 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.
Zappone began a new relationship in 2021 with a South African woman named Jennifer, whom she met while living in the US. The couple later moved back to Ireland.
An Cosán is an organisation in Jobstown, Tallaght, 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, Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin, 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 Cosán 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?"
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 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."
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Katherine Zappone
Katherine Zappone (/zæˈpoʊn/; born 25 November 1953) is an American-Irish independent politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 2016 to 2020. She previously served as a Senator from 2011 to 2016, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
She was nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 24th Seanad in 2011, having been recommended by Eamon Gilmore, the then leader of Fine Gael's coalition partners, the Labour Party. With her Seanad nomination, she became the first openly lesbian member 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 2020 general election and continued to serve as a minister until the formation of a new government in June 2020.
Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1953, Zappone was educated at Boston College (PhD), the Catholic University of America (MA) and University College Dublin (MBA). She became an Irish citizen in 1995. She and her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan, 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, chief executive of the National Women's Council of Ireland, and a lecturer in the fields of ethics, theology, and education at Trinity College Dublin. Though they were already married in Canada, 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.
Zappone began a new relationship in 2021 with a South African woman named Jennifer, whom she met while living in the US. The couple later moved back to Ireland.
An Cosán is an organisation in Jobstown, Tallaght, 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, Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin, 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 Cosán 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?"
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 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."