Sylvia Meehan
A Fearless Champion of Equality For All
By Kieran Rose
Sylvia Meehan, a courageous champion of equality for all, including lesbians and gay men, died on September 6 at the age of 89.
Sylvia was a prominent member of the group of 19,700 feminists who shaped the Ireland of today, as the Irish Times rightly put it.
Sylvia was appointed the head of the new Employment Equality Agency in 1977. It was in that role that first met her, when a gang of lesbians and gay men who were also trade unionists were campaigning for equality in the workplace. Our demands included amending the employment equality legislation to include sexual orientation and also that we would have explicit protection under the Unfair Dismissals Act.