Katherine Zappone (/zæˈpoʊn/; born 25 November 1953) is an American-Irish independent politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020.
She was nominated by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 24th Seanad in 2011,[3][4] having been recommended by Eamon Gilmore, the then leader of Fine Gael's coalition partners, the Labour Party.
[10] She and her wife, Ann Louise Gilligan, founded An Cosán which supports individuals and communities to actively engage in the process of social change through transformative education.
Zappone was a member of the Irish Human Rights Commission, chief executive of the National Women's Council of Ireland, and a lecturer in the fields of ethics, theology, and education at Trinity College Dublin.
[12] Though they were already married in Canada, Zappone proposed to Ann Louise Gilligan on air as the positive result in the same-sex marriage referendum became known.
[16] According to The Irish Times, An Cosán "was established by Ann Louise Gilligan and Katherine Zappone with the intention of bringing valuable community-based education to the Dublin suburb.
Key in that was Rainbow House where my daughter, Jordanne, started out the early years in her life and I began to heal, learn and believe again.
"[24] In November 2004, Zappone and Gilligan were granted leave by the High Court, to pursue a claim to have their September 2003 Vancouver marriage recognised for the filing of joint tax returns in Ireland.
She said "either the Government analyses of these problems are wrong or incomplete or the political ideologies that direct its solutions are insipid, vacuous of original vision, or simply outdated".
[40] Zappone stated that "the Tallaght Garda District must receive its fair share of new recruits and vehicles being made available to the force in the coming weeks".
[52][53] On 23 May 2015, Zappone asked her wife Ann Louise Gilligan live on air to remarry her in Ireland now that it had voted yes to marriage equality.
Confirming her decision to run, Senator Zappone added: "Since the end of last year, it has been a privilege to engage with local people in Dublin South West ahead of the Marriage Referendum.
Together with my spouse, Ann Louise Gilligan, and the team of Yes Equality supporters we received a fantastic welcome on the doorsteps, at shopping centres, and at community events.
It was clear that people in Dublin South West believe in equality; however, it was also evident that they are weary of old school politics which has led to years of austerity, unfair cuts, and disillusionment.
On 24 March 2016, The Sunday Times reported that the former Senator stood to earn €80,000 over the next five years from these expenses as she claimed to live more than 25 km from Leinster House.
[74] Further controversy arose when it was reported that shortly prior to the announcement of her appointment, Zappone had hosted a party for 50 guests, including politicians such as Leo Varadkar, at the Merrion Hotel, while the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland was ongoing.