Top Irish official comes out as gay in heartwarming video

Jack Chambers, an Irish Minister of State, came out as gay over the weekend in a heartfelt Instagram post.

“As I look forward to 2024 I am sharing with you something a little different but it’s something I wanted to do for a while,” Chambers, a member of Ireland’s center-right Fianna Fáil party wrote on Sunday. “As a politician it can sometimes be difficult to speak about my own personal life and that can lead to things drifting. However, It’s [sic] important for me to be true to myself firstly – and to you all in my public service role.”

Related: Ireland’s gay former Prime Minister recalls bringing his partner to infamous meeting with Mike Pence

Varadkar recalls his partner’s excitement to come along & shove their relationship in the notoriously anti-LGBTQ politician’s face, and the “mixed reaction” that got after.

“I am starting 2024 by telling you all that I am proud to say that I am gay,” the 33-year-old continued. “As a politician and citizen I want to share this today as part of who I am.”

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Chambers shared that he had already come out to close friends and family privately, and that “their support and love has given me the confidence and courage to share this publicly today.”

“I am fortunate that Ireland is a country that has made so many strides in recent years – becoming a much more inclusive and equal society to the extent that the sharing of this information is becoming increasingly unremarkable,” he added.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jack Chambers (@jackchamberstd)

Chambers, the former Government Chief Whip, is currently a Minister of State at both Ireland’s Department of Transport and Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications. He was previously a Minister of State at Ireland’s Department of Defense.

In 2017, Ireland made history when Leo Varadkar became the country’s first gay prime minister. The then 38-year-old prime minister said he would work to ensure that his country was “a republic in which every citizen gets a fair go and in which every part of the country stands to share in our prosperity.”

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