Katherine Zappone
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Katherine Zappone TD |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Minister for Children and Youth Affairs | |
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Assumed office 6 May 2016 |
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| Taoiseach | Enda Kenny |
| Preceded by | James Reilly |
| Teachta Dála | |
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Assumed office February 2016 |
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| Constituency | Dublin South-West |
| Senator | |
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In office 25 May 2011 – 26 February 2016 |
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| Constituency | Nominated by the Taoiseach |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 November 1953 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Irish |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Louise Gilligan (m. 2003) |
| Alma mater | |
| Website | www |
Katherine Zappone (/zæˈpoʊn/; born 25 November 1953) is an American-born feminist theologian and independent politician. She is currently Ireland's Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
Born in Washington state, Zappone was educated at Boston College (PhD), The Catholic University of America (MA) and University College Dublin (MBA). 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. In Zappone and Gilligan v. Revenue Commissioners (2006), they unsuccessfully sought recognition in the High Court for their Canadian marriage. 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. 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.
In May 2011, she was nominated by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to the 24th Seanad, having been recommended by Eamon Gilmore, the then leader of Fine Gael's coalition partners, the Labour Party. She was elected to the Dáil for the Dublin South-West constituency in the Irish general election, 2016.
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