DUBLIN ¨C Ireland¡¯s health minister, tipped as a future prime minister, came out as the first openly gay Cabinet member in a Catholic country that until the 1990s banned homosexuality.
Leo Varadkar, 36, discussed his sexuality in an interview Sunday on state broadcaster RTE Radio. The son of an Indian immigrant and a doctor before entering national politics, Varadkar has odds of 2 to 1 to replace Enda Kenny as the next leader of the Fine Gael party, according to bookmaker Paddy Power PLC.
¡°It¡¯s not something that defines me,¡± Varadkar said in the interview. ¡°I¡¯m not a half-Indian politician or a doctor politician or a gay politician. It¡¯s just part of who I am.¡±
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