LINC a Quarter of a Century Later
Pride is a brilliant time for the community to come together and celebrate. The glitz and glamour of Pride is fun, but it is also important to highlight the quieter aspects of community that makes a huge difference. On Tuesday, we are running a Rapid-Fire Friending event to give people an opportunity to connect with new people and possibly spark some new friendships! Wednesday is double event day, with the return of our rainbow lunch and banner making in the evening. Whether you like free food and a chat or getting creative and covered in paint, we have something for you! All materials to make the banners will be provided and we are here to get you equipped and ready for the march on Sunday, or to hang up at home if big crowds and marches aren’t your thing! Éadaoin, our Administrator here at LINC, has been running a new art group, Beyond the Margins, with the aim of bringing LBTQ+ women and non-binary together through creative action. The group’s aim was to uplift Cork’s LBTQ+ history with a focus on women, as they have often been overlooked throughout history. Beyond the Margins will create a series of mural panels highlighting different historical LBTQ+ Cork figures and the more recent figures who have pioneered the creation and community of LINC. The exhibition will take place on Thursday at LINC where their work will be showcased. Back by popular demand, this year sees the return of our infamous night out, it’s OUTrageous?!...It is genuinely called OUTrageous, and is taking place on the Saturday night. An evening of diversity, divas and dancing, and we can’t wait to see you there! This is a fundraiser to help us deliver our services so there will be a charge. On Saturday we will be at the Family Fun Day in Fitzgerald’s Park. A brilliant day for LBTQ+ visibility, it will be packed full of face painting, activities and live music and food stalls. Come find us there to have a chat, laugh or find out more about us, and we encourage all families to join in the fun. Join us before the Pride march on the Sunday for Queers & Croissants where we’ll fuel up and get the face paint on point before heading out to join the march! If you want to be more clued into what we do in LINC , we invite you to follow our social media, sign up to our newsletter or get in touch at info@linc.ie.ie to connect with us. We can’t wait to see you throughout the week, our events and activities are tailored to our community and we always welcome new faces. Have a happy and safe Cork Pride 2024! Solidarity with Palestine During Pride, we celebrate our progress but also remember that Pride is a protest, and we believe that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. This includes standing against the pushback and discrimination faced by migrants and refugees in Ireland, and showing solidarity with global causes. We recognize the parallels between our own history of occupation and oppression, and the struggles faced by the Palestinian people. LINC is unwavering in its solidarity with the people of Palestine, and we advocate for an end to the occupation, brutality, and inequality.
What to expect during a visit to LINC Heading to LINC for the first time might give you a few butterflies, but don’t worry—we’ve got you covered! Our awesome team is ready to welcome you with a cozy cup of tea or coffee and a friendly chat. At LINC, we want every visit to be a highlight of your day. The reception area is designed with comfort and a sense of familiarity in mind; couches, books, and an overworked coffee pot make up the cornerstones of drop-in. During drop-in times there’ll always be someone on hand to show you around. The space is for you, for whatever you need in the moment; whether that’s a friendly chat, a quiet moment to yourself, somewhere to read in peace, guidance and sign-posting to services or simply just a place to be your whole self. With occasional board games, poker sessions, table tennis, lively evening drop-in sessions and seasonal events you’ll often find LINC lit up with a vibrant energy of inclusivity and warmth. These events and activities are great ways to meet new people, try new things, and build connections. Our outdoor garden is the perfect spot to sit, chat or just breathe in some fresh air. With a covered area, the space can be enjoyed throughout the year. And remember, LINC is not just a space; it’s a community. It’s a place where you can be yourself, find support, and share in the joys and challenges of life with others. Our community members are a friendly bunch. Whether you’re a regular or it’s your first time, you’ll quickly feel like part of the family. Whether you’re here for a quick visit or planning to stay a while, we’re excited to welcome you and make you feel at home. We look forward to seeing you soon and hope that LINC becomes a special part of your life. Come by, hang out, and discover all the wonderful things we have to offer. What’s happening in LINC for Pride As always, we are really excited for Pride and we hope you will join us for some of our events. We are proud and excited to announce a whole host of fabulous free events here at LINC for Cork Pride 2024. With events on every day of the week, there’s something for everyone! Running from Monday where we encourage all green fingers to attend our Pride Planting & Painting event, to the Queers & Croissants pre-march breakfast on Sunday, it’s a week not to be missed. Pride Planting & Painting is a new event that will be hosted at LINC on the Monday which we are super excited about. We bring the compost, plant pots and paint and everyone has a go at planting and/or painting a pot to take home.
It’s been another busy year in LINC! From organising a National Sexual Health conference, QCon last Sept, to valued staff members moving on and welcoming new staff and volunteers, it’s been a bit hectic. But yes, LINC is a quarter of a century old this year. It’s hard to believe that what started as an idea among a few dedicated activists has grown into the LINC we know today. Back in 1999, there was no dedicated service for Lesbian and Bisexual women, and a small group of women got together to change all that. Since those early days, values of diversity, inclusion, social justice and equity continued to be championed. Our vision is of an Ireland where LBTQ women and non-binary people are celebrated along with a mission to enhance the quality of life, health and well-being of LBTQ women and their families through advocacy, education, training, and development of a vibrant LBTQ community in Ireland. We don’t think small in LINC, and Margaret Mead’s famous words come to mind….. “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.” Highlight of 2023 Hosting the first National Sexual Health and Wellbeing Conference QCon for queer women has to be the highlight of our year. Over two days in mid-September, 130 queer women and non-binary people attended a range of workshops and panel discussions on kink, consent, reproductive health, exploring polyamory, pleasure, speed dating, fantasies, bi/trans visibility, dance, song-writing, menopause, relationship breakdown, motherhood, touch, body paint, ethnicity, and neurodiversity. The feedback has been incredibly positive, with numerous requests to run in again in the future. 2025 is definitely a runner! Goodbyes and welcomes The end of 2023 saw us say ‘see you’ to Ciara Mulcahy Lenihan who had been with us for 5 years and did phenomenal work in that period of time, including leading Q Con, our first National Sexual Health and Wellbeing Conference held last September, and the Sexual Wellbeing and Intimate Relationships booklet produced by LINC, Sexual Health Centre and HSE. While Ciara is very much missed, she will always be part of the LINC family and we wish her the very best for her future career. One door often closes before another one opens and we are delighted to welcome Sophie Eales-White to the LINC team as our new Community Health Worker. Sophie is a great addition to the team and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming months and hopefully years! If you wish to get in touch with Sophie, just drop an email to sophie@linc.ie.
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