In a letter published in Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper, the 38-year-old has recalled his older brother’s past regarding how he was bullied as a child for being different – and calls the government out for making it impossible for him to marry in his homeland, reports people.com.
“My brother Eamon didn’t choose to be gay. Yes, he chose to wear eyeliner to school and that probably wasn’t the most pragmatic response to the daily torture he experienced at the hands of school bullies,” he has written in the newspaper.
“But he was always proud of who he was. Proud and defiant and, of course, provocative,” he added.
The “Miss Julie” actor further explained how his brother Eamon and his now-husband, Steven, wed in Canada due to Ireland’s laws.
“That’s why this is personal to me. The fact that my brother had to leave Ireland to have his dream of being married become real is insane. INSANE,” he further wrote.
Ireland has seen a huge push to legally recognize same-sex marriage, a move that will be decided by vote in the spring.