Out Spotlight

Today's Out Spotlight is a man who has spoken out in support of his brother. Having family and friend's love and support only makes living out even better. Unfortunately there were are some people who come out and don't have such support from their family. This is not the case for Eamonn Farrell.

Today Spotlight recognizes actor Colin Farrell who supports and speaks out for his older brother and for all GLBT people.Colin has always been supportive of his brother, and never stepped away from support gay rights. He is a firm believer in gay rights and is proud of his big brother.

Colin is taking a stand against gay-bashing, which is no small thing in his heavily Catholic home country. Since the church considers homosexuality an abomination. He is lending his name to an anti-homophobia campaign, because the issue hits close to home.

Colin and Eamonn have always been close growing up in Ireland. So close are the Farrell brothers they even houses together in Sandymount, South Dublin. Eamon, a dance instructor, founded Dublin’s National Performing Arts School back in the 90s.

Colin was Eamonn's best man when he marry his long partner, artist Steven Mannion, in Canada this past summer. When Eamonn wanted to get married, Colin was right there to help out his big brother with the preparations, and did the best man job one better. Not only helping Eamonn pick out the wedding rings, but picking up the tab too. He also helped Eamonn pick out a diamond and sapphire engagement ring for Stephen. This past December Eamonn and Stephen had a second ceremony/reception, in Ireland to celebrate the union with friends and family, little brother Colin was right by his brother's side.

This past week Colin talked about that bond and his brother, and what Eamonn went through growing up as a gay man. Colin spoke out against bullying for BeLonG to Youth Service's(Ireland’s national youth service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people) The STAND UP! campaign against homophobic bullying in Ireland’s schools. And it couldn't come at a better time in Ireland recently an Irish teachers’ union ruled that religious schools can discriminate against gay teachers.

"I can't remember much about the years of physical and emotional abuse my brother Eamon suffered. I was very small. The thing i do remember though, quite literally, is blood on his school shirt when he came home in the afternoon. The beatings and taunting were very frequent for my him and a constant part of his school years. I didn't understand at that time the concept of 'difference'. Back then, as now, he was just my big brother. If I did understand what difference was I understood it in the most pure and unaffected childlike way. To me then, as a child, difference meant being left out. Joy and laughter came with being included, being embraced , and BELONGING to.

People are often afraid of difference. They feel that anything that causes fear, should be turned away from. My brother represented fear for so many people, but caused joy in my life. From a very young age he made me laugh with his intelligence and wit, made me aspire to his strength and goodness. He was to be embraced. To many of the students of his school however he was to be feared. He was to be turned away from. I didn't understand it then, and I still don't know. As a race we humans are united and divided by emotions. The mother and father of all emotions, the queen and king are love and fear. Love unites, it brings us closer to an understanding of the possibility of beauty amidst all the confusion and pain that life can bring. Hate is a disease. It is fear's messenger and it makes us do terrible things in a shadow of our better selves, of what we could be.

Intolerance is not genetically encoded - it is taught. It is learned at home. It is learned in the classrooms and it is learned anywhere else we gather as a group. But it is usually learned early and added onto from there. If there is nothing to feared, there is nothing to hate. If there is nothing to hate there is no pain. My brother was so forceful in standing up for who he was, and for the good that he knew wa inside of him. Many people missed out on an opportunity, not only to enjoy him, but to enjoy themselves by embracing his "difference".

They missed out because they saw him as a threat - not as a testament to the kaleidoscope and diversity of this beautiful world. Bullying is torture, it is another betrayal of basic human decency and its scars reach way into the future of its survivors. But the saddest truth is that not all children survive it. It is a potentially fatal societal illness and must be respected and not feared. Respected and dealt with as a very real problem and as an adversary of a potentially harmonious world, that should have no place for bullies or bullying."


Colin joins a growing group of celebrities who speak out in support of the gay siblings, including actor Chris Evans, director Kevin Smith, Madonna, actress Marlee Matlin, Rosie O'Donnell radio talk show host Laura Ingraham, Cathrine Zeta-Jones, Anne Hathaway,and comedian Tom Arnold.

BeLonG To

Stand Up! Campaign

After Elton:Stars and their Gay Brothers
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