I welcome the announcement that the Government has agreed the wording of the same-sex referendum to be put to the people in May. It is really a question of choice. I note that a small minority of gay people have stated that they do not want marriage. That is fine. That is their choice. It is a matter of choice for other people. I do not want to get married - it is a bit late and I am long in the tooth - but I want it for other people. It is a question of choice.

Hear, hear.

I mention this particularly in the light of the courageous announcement of the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, that he is gay. It would be astonishing if this right to marry were denied to a member of the Cabinet.

I also very much welcome the fact that the Government is introducing legislation governing adoption and children's rights. This was the major defect of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 and it is now being amended, as the then Government promised. That is very good. This legislation deals with a far wider group of people than gay people who wish to adopt their own children, which is obvious daylight common sense. It also deals with, for example, the question of children born as a result of in vitro fertilisation. Those children have their rights, too. These are matters of human rights and people should not get upset and into a dander over them. It is merely recognising the human rights of Irish citizens.

It is also welcome that today we will discuss the Gender Recognition Bill 2014. I compliment my colleague Senator Katherine Zappone on organising a briefing for Members of the Oireachtas today. I welcome very much the fact that this legislation is being introduced in Seanad Éireann - another proof of the value of Seanad Éireann. I hope the Government will listen attentively to the debate here because the Bill, although it is a remarkable advance, raises three specific questions. The first is the astonishing requirement that people should be divorced.

Those questions can be raised when the Bill is debated in the House.

It is important to make the point that the Government should be listening to this.

The Senator can make those points during the debate on the Bill.

It is no harm to make them here. The Government is looking to force people to divorce when the Constitution supports marriage. It is quite extraordinary and leads to all kinds of difficulties such as the four-year delay. Then there is the question of age.

Does the Senator haves a question for the Leader?

Young people - those under the age of 18 years - have these requirements also. Then there is the question of self-definition. I very much hope the Government will be in listening mode and will not consider that the Bill it has presented to the House for Second Stage debate today is perfection and that it will permit the Seanad to fulfil its role for the proper and bettering amendment of the Bill proposed by it.