Watch: Cork politician thanks Joe Biden for 'changing hearts and minds' on marriage equality in heartfelt address

A Cork politician has thanked US President Joe Biden for changing hearts and minds and for reframing the debate around marriage equality as a celebration of love.

The Cathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, Jerry Buttimer, was speaking on Thursday afternoon in the Dáil chamber on the day the US president made a historic address to the joint houses of the Oireachtas.

Not content with the smile he had received from President Biden for inviting him to Cork the next time he’s in Ireland, Senator Buttimer offered the president a heartfelt message of his own.

“On a personal level, may I thank you for being one of the first leaders to support marriage equality?” Mr Buttimer said, to sustained applause.

“In your infamous Meet The Press interview in 2012 with David Gregory, you framed the debate as a simple proposition: Who do you love, and will you be loyal to that person that you love?

“With this statement, Mr President, you held aloft your respect for diversity, and others followed, including my very good friend, Enda Kenny here, who, as part of his government, allowed us to have a referendum on marriage equality in our country,” he said.

Cathaoirleach Senator Jerry Buttimer made the closing remarks at today’s Joint Sitting Address by US President Joe Biden. #SeeForYourself #OireachtasBiden @jerrybuttimer pic.twitter.com/vOjs6lvpvb

— Houses of the Oireachtas - Tithe an Oireachtais (@OireachtasNews) April 13, 2023

Looking humbled in the distinguished visitors’ gallery, the former taoiseach gave a small wave down to the friend whose wedding he had attended in the Triskel Christchurch in Cork in 2017.

“Mr President, your intervention was a truly transformative moment that changed the political narrative around marriage equality, and like the architects of the Good Friday Agreement, who took a risk, you took a risk, and I thank you.

“Because of you, and the generosity of the Irish people, I can wear this wedding ring as a symbol of my love for my husband, who is here today,” Mr Buttimer said, gesturing up to his husband Conchobar Ó Laoghaire, as the US president applauded.

On 22 May 2015, the Thirty-Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, “to permit marriage to be contracted by two persons without distinction as to their sex”, passed by 62%.

Mr Buttimer, who had been Fine Gael's only openly gay TD before Leo Varadkar came out in advance of the marriage equality referendum, was a prominent member of the Yes campaign.

Speaking to The Echo after his speech to Mr Biden, Mr Buttimer said that President Biden had stood up for marriage equality at a time when it was not a popular thing to do, and he had felt that Mr Biden’s decency should be acknowledged.

“As I said in my speech, because of him and the generosity of the Irish people, I can today be married, which is a huge statement about this country,” Mr Buttimer said.

“I wear my heart on my sleeve, I’m an emotional guy, and I just like being able to say to people ‘This is who we are’, and to me, it was something I had to do today, and I wanted to do it.”