Leo Varadkar has announced that he is gay and that it was "not a secret."
"I'm comfortable to talk about it now, wasn't always - but I have been for the last couple of years," he said.
"It's not a big deal for me anymore, I hope it's not a big deal for anyone else - it shouldn't be," he added.
People on Twitter have been giving their reactions:
Oh, and fair play Leo Varadkar, although the nicest thing is, it hardly seems to be causing any storm.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) January 18, 2015
You can't underestimate the importance and impact of someone as high profile as Leo Varadkar coming out. Visibility is incredibly powerful.
— Una Mullally (@UnaMullally) January 18, 2015
Very proud of my colleague @campaignforleo interview with @MiriamOCal this morning. Still hoping for a day being "gay" is a non issue
— John Lyons TD (@JohnLyonsTD) January 18, 2015
Well done Minister Leo Varadkar. He didn't just come out on the radio (he was already out) but he just spoke about publicly for first time.
— Panti Bliss (@PantiBliss) January 18, 2015
Great to see this. But it stinks that #LGBT people still have to go thorough that embarrassing, cringeworthy series of conversations.
— Colm O'Gorman (@Colmogorman) January 18, 2015
Fair play 2 Leo Varadker. Meas s brod.
— Gerry Adams (@GerryAdamsSF) January 18, 2015
Absolutely brilliant interview by Leo Varadkar with Miriam O'callaghan On RTE .Tells nation he is gay . Go Leo!
— Shane Ross (@Shane_RossTD) January 18, 2015
No-one should be defined by their sexuality, but @campaignforleo has done this country some service this morning. #kudos
— Conor Pope (@conor_pope) January 18, 2015
A strong & brave interview for @campaignforleo & also for @EndaKennyTD with the honesty & humour of his response to a coming out.
— Chris Donoghue (@chrisrdonoghue) January 18, 2015
