Katherine Zappone (b. Seattle, USA, 1953 -. ) is a pioneering educator, LGBQT+ rights activist, and politician. After meeting her partner, Ann Louise Gilligan, at Boston College, she moved to Ireland where she and Gilligan worked as academics. Together they founded An Cosán, Ireland’s leading community education provider, focusing on the adult education of disadvantaged women. They also took a landmark case, Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners, in which they tried to have their Canadian marriage recognized. She was subsequently appointed to the Irish Senate (2011-2016) and elected to the Irish parliament (2016-2020). She served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from 2016-2020, becoming the first openly gay minister at the time of her appointment and the first openly lesbian minister in Ireland.
