The Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School is proud to announce the appointment of Leo Varadkar, former Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland, as Senior Fellow for the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program for the 2025–2026 academic year.
During his fellowship, Varadkar will lead a strategic project titled “The Future of LGBTQI+ Rights in the European Union.” The initiative will examine how the European Union can strengthen protections, uphold equal citizenship, and safeguard democratic values for LGBTQI+ people across member states.
“Leo Varadkar has been a transformative leader on issues of equality, democracy, and inclusion,” said Mathias Risse, Faculty Director of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights. “His experience leading Ireland through complex social and political change, while advancing LGBTQI+ rights at home and in Europe, brings an invaluable perspective to our work at Harvard Kennedy School.”
About the Fellowship Project
Varadkar’s research and engagement at the Carr-Ryan Center will focus on three interconnected areas:
Policy Benchmarking: Defining a clear baseline of rights and protections that every EU member state should aspire to, identifying policy gaps, and recommending feasible legislative steps.
Politics and Democracy: Analyzing how LGBTQI+ issues are instrumentalized in politics, and how this trend relates to democratic backsliding, the rule of law, and non-discrimination.
Stigma and Social Well-being: Addressing the persistent stigma affecting LGBTQI+ people and spotlighting strategies that improve health, safety, and inclusion across Europe.
As part of the fellowship, Varadkar will convene discussions with policymakers, scholars, students, and activists–both at Harvard and across Europe–and publish insights to inform decision-makers and the broader public.
He will also be a Hauser Leader at Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership for the fall 2025 semester.
About Leo Varadkar
Leo Varadkar served as Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland from 2017–2020 and again from 2022–2024. At the time of his election, he was Ireland’s youngest-ever Taoiseach and the first to be biracial and openly gay. Over his 13 years in government, he held portfolios including Health, Social Protection, Enterprise, and Transport.
As Taoiseach, Varadkar helped lead Ireland through the COVID-19 pandemic, steered the nation through Brexit while safeguarding the Good Friday Agreement, and championed landmark social reforms, including the legalization of marriage equality, the repeal of Ireland’s abortion ban, and the enactment of gender recognition laws. He also strengthened workers’ rights with new entitlements for sick pay, parental leave, and pensions.
A trained medical doctor and graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Varadkar is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He serves on the boards of Global Citizen Europe, the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA), and Care4Everyone, and is a member of Ireland’s Council of State.
Commenting on his appointment, Varadkar said, “Having served as a Hauser Leader at the Centre for Public Leadership, I am delighted to join the Carr-Ryan Centre as a Senior Fellow. Both are located at the Harvard Kennedy School. I am very concerned at the backsliding on human rights we are witnessing around the world - the undermining of democratic institutions and elections, free speech, the free press and academic independence. LGBT+ communities are on the frontline and often the first to come under attack. I’ll be taking a particular interest in Central and Eastern Europe, a part of the world I got to know well when I served on the European Council as Prime Minister of Ireland.”
Join Senior Fellow Leo Varadkar in conversation with Diego Garcia Blum and Timothy Patrick McCarthy as they discuss the future of LGBTQI+ rights in the EU.
Europe at a Crossroads October 20 | 3:00 PM
