Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival Magazine 2023
29th July - 6th August 2023
Proudly supported by
52-53
Kudada Nechingochane (Being Proud of your Queerness) by Eppnoggia Mutetwa Why Abortion is a Queer Issue by Charlotte Waltz
56-57
60-61
Gaze on Tour by Greg Thorpe
64-65
Where the ‘Gay Purge’ Began by Alexandra Miroshnikova Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby by Aaron O’Sullivan
68-69
72-73
In Between a Place to Be and Where We Are by Stephen Doyle
76-77
Homofónia by Alana Daly Mulligan
80-81
Neuro Pride by Cír Doyle
86-87 88-89
All Things LINC!
We’re Here, We’re Queer- All Year! By Gay Project
CONTENTS
92-93
Queering Kinship by Ellen O’Sullivan
5 7 8 9
A Message from An Taoiseach
96-97
A Message from The Lord Mayor
William Keohane: Artist and Activist
100-101 Got Balls?
Meet the Team
by Dr Mohammad Saab
Chairperson’s Welcome
104-105 Rise in Hate Crimes Requires a Robust Response by Pádraig Rice 108-109 Resilience and Wellbeing in LGBT+ Communities by Johanna Thea 112-113 Cork LGBT+ Sports Groups by Sinead Huggins-Young 120-121 Make the Call: Volunteering with LGBT Ireland 124-125 Pride Reaching Out Project by Dee Finn 128-129 Proud Spaces by Lucas Cross 116-117 The Gay Bible
12-13 14-15 16-17
Events Listings
Prides of Ireland
A Remarkable Journey: Reflecting on the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality in Ireland by Kieran Rose
- Cork Rebels FC, Cork Hellhounds, LINC Racket Rebels & Frontrunner
20-21
Interview with Wild Youth by Paul Ryder
24-25
Understanding Hate and Extremism by Hope and Courage Collective 40 Years On… by Kieran Rose and Queer Culture Ireland
28-29
32-33
What’s the Tea with the T? by Saoirse Mackin and Louise O’Donnell
36-37 40-41
Loafers by Orla Egan
Intersex in Ireland by Adeline Whittney Berry
44-45
It’s About the Feel by Mark Breen
48-49
Corporate Rainbow Washing: Empty Gestures or Genuine Support? by Damien O’Halloran
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A MESSAGE FROM AN TAOISEACH
My very best wishes to everyone celebrating Cork Pride this year.
#CORKPRIDE2023 THANK YOU We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of our
Pride is a time when people who are gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual or queer, who’ve been made to feel shame for being who they are, who’ve had their culture condemned, march together to say we are not ashamed of who we are. We will do so with our LGBT+ friends and our straight allies. The theme of Cork Pride 2023 is ‘30 years on’, commemorating the 1993 decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. The criminalisation of homosexuality is now widely recognised as an affront to human dignity and a significant historic injustice. The Government is introducing a scheme to disregard historic convictions related to consensual sexual activity between men prior to decriminalisation in 1993. Despite all the progress we have made as a community since decriminalisation, this year, Pride, will be tinged with a sense that the warm embrace felt by the community after the marriage equality referendum is not as warm as it was. Homophobic violence has increased and there is a growing feeling that overt and covert homophobia is on the rise again. We are updating our laws around incitement of hatred and hate speech, and we are increasing the number of Gardaí on our streets. The increase in homophobic attacks highlights the continued need for Pride. It also reminds us that Pride started out as a protest, and remains a protest march today, as well as a celebration of diversity, equality and inclusion.
Aoife Whelan, Stephen Campbell and all the team at eBay; Aoife Kavanagh and all the team at McCafé; Vincent Phelan and all the team at Solarwinds; Amy O’Shaughnessy and the team at Energia; Noelle Mulcahy and all the team at Teamwork; Grace O’Sullivan MEP, Rob O’Donnell, Alana Daly Mulligan and all at the Green Party; Cllr John Maher; Ciaran Austin and all the team at NOSP; Triona Healy and all the team at HSE Cork South Community Work Department; Rachel McKeon, Shane Bowles, and all the team at Abtran; Cllr Mick Finn and the team at CETB; John Goulding and all the team at WorkVivo; Phoebe Holland and all the team at Rugs.ie; Mary Weathers and all the team at DFS; Bernadette Boyle, Molly Forsythe and the team at Pat McDonnell Paints; Ruairi O’Connor, Sinead McDonald, and all the team at The River Lee; Peter Loughnane and all the team at Trigon Hotels; Diana Pyzio and all the team at Jurys Inns; Cork Pride Artist in Residence Stephen Doyle; Cork Pride Master of Ceremonies Paul Ryder; Mike Boyle and the team at BCE Consultants; Murt Whelan and the team at Murt Whelan Sound; Shane Healy and the team at Healy Sound and Lighting; Paddy Ahern at Herlihy Consulting; the Work with Pride Committee: Damien O Halloran, Mary White, Kery Mullaly, Aoife Dilworth, Ronan Kenny, Lauren Hogan, Don Crowley, Darren Fitzgerald, Evan Murphy-Keogh, and Nuttawud Nutchanat; Nicki French Davis and the team at Civic Trust House; Claudine at Claudine Leonard Design; Cork Pride Magazine Editor Dee Finn; Event Coordinator Geri Murphy; Accounts Administrators Mary Flanagan and Maeve Conroy. Daragh Murphy and all the team at Hairy Baby; Alma Brosnan and all the team at Fuzion Communications This year’s cover artwork and branding was designed by Ethan Desmond of From The Sketch Up. The story of the artwork is 30 people from the last 30 years - 15 are well known faces and activists from the Irish LGBT+ community and the other 15 are representative of the LGBT+ community in all it’s diversity. Huge thanks also to our dedicated Board of Directors: Clive Davis, Denise Boyle, Damien O’Halloran, Samantha Lake, and Darren Fitzgerald, and our teams of volunteers who generously give of their time and skills to bring you the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival annually, Cork Pride simply couldn’t and wouldn’t happen without you!
community partners, loyal sponsors and advertisers – but most especially to each and every one of you, our fabulous LGBT+ community - you have helped build the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival into what it is today! We’d also like to thank An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; Lord Mayor Cllr Kieran McCarthy; Denise Coleman and all the team An Garda Siochana Anglesea Street; Dave Browne and all the team at Port of Cork; all the team at Cork City Council; all the team at Cork County Council; all the team at LINC; all the team at the Gay Project; all the team at the Sexual Health Centre; Karen O Donoghue and the marketing team at the Irish Examiner; Dave McCardle, Stevie Grainger, and all the team at Red FM; Justin Cronin, Kieran Rigby, and the team at Coolgrey; Peter O’Toole; Maurice Supple; Daragh Kelly; Ethan Desmond; Benny McCabe, Conor Lyons, Kate O Shea, Saoirse McCabe and the team at Cork Heritage Pubs; Will Organ and all the team at PepsiCo; Niall Donnelly and all the team at Gilead; David O’Meara and all the team at Merck; Mícheál Barry, Sara Bronnenkant and all the team at Apple; Fiona Connolly, Linda Allen, and all the team at Bus Eireann; Clodagh Graham, Emma Madigan, and all the team at Stryker; Diane Murphy, Ruan Pais do Nascimento, Vivie Nguyen and all the team at Remitly; Lucille Tordella and all the team at Qualcomm; Mark Browne, Philip Greene, and Courtnee Kyle, and all the team at Permanent TSB; Louise Dorgan and all the team at Pfizer; Eilín Ni Chroinin, Tim Kearney, Ozren Čolović, and all the team at J&J; Bex Hill, Lucy Clode, and all the team at Tesla; June McCarthy, Kevin Egan-Higgins, and all the team at Musgrave; Aoife Dilworth and Robbie McKeown at Tesco; Chryssa Dislis and all the team at Johnson Controls; JP McCarthy and all the team at Amazon; Maria Barry and all the team at EY; Anca Titu, Shane McCarthy and all the team at VMware; Siobhan Curtin, Erica Lester, and all the team at Clearstream; Jarred Arendse and all the team at Logitech; Eden Bovi, Dean Constable, and all the team at Blizzard; Don Crowley and all the team at MTU; Dr Claire Murray and all the team at UCC, Niamh Timon, Bridget Fitzsimons, and all the team at Accenture; Cristina Ioana Tudoran, Addy Azmi, and all the team at Cloudera; Sophie Lambert and all the team at Trellix; Philip Harris, Olivia Trought, and all at Collins Aerospace; Aoife Breslin, Sarah Stamps, and all the team at Sims IVF; Dave Walsh and all the team at Irish Water; Gilda Morrison and all the team at Zazzle;
We also recall the fact that in many countries in the world, homosexuality is still criminalised and that only thirty or so, out of two hundred, have marriage equality. We recommit to raising the rainbow flag all over the world and fighting the global fight for acceptance, respect and equality. It is great to see how Cork Pride has gone from strength to strength in recent years, becoming the largest LGBT+ Pride Parade outside of Dublin. Congratulations to all involved in becoming the first Pride in Ireland to be awarded charitable status by the Charities Regulator, and for being the first to join the European Pride Organisers Association.
Leo Varadkar An Taoiseach
www.corkpride.com
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A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD MAYOR On behalf of myself and Cork City Council, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival 2023! This year in particular, 30 years on from the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland, we can reflect on the hard-won victories that have made Ireland a more inclusive and equal society. The importance of Pride is ongoing, not only as a celebration but as a way to reflect upon all of the progress that has been made in terms of LGBT+ rights. Pride is a very important time of year. It gives the LGBT+ community and its supporters the opportunity to come together, build a sense of togetherness and celebrate Cork as a diverse, welcoming city and region. It is a joy to see the vibrancy and enthusiasm people bring to Cork LGBT+ Pride each year. Pride also serves as a reminder that it is essential to continue working towards making Cork and Ireland a safer and more inclusive place. Given the rise in hate crimes and anti-LGBT+ attacks in recent times, it is crucial to continue to stand together against bigotry and hatred. Pride offers a crucial opportunity to show solidarity with all LGBT+ people. For many years now Cork City Council’s Community Section and Cork City Inter-Agency Group have also pursued supportive LGBTI+ inclusion projects and events, working with the strong vibrant LGBTI+ community in Cork. I would like to thank the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival team, volunteers, sponsors and partners, who all work to make this event possible. Wishing you all a happy and safe Pride, Mise le meas,
Proud sponsors of
Cllr Kieran McCarthy Lord Mayor
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Clive Davis / Chairperson Clive has been the Chairperson of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival for the past 10 years. Clive is a Regional Director with Youth Work Ireland, manages Youth Work Ireland Laois, and is a Director and Board Secretary of People First Credit Union; he is also Director on the ILCU’s Youth Committee and is a Director of LGBT Ireland where he is also Treasurer.
CHAIRPERSON’S WELCOME
Denise Boyle / Vice Chairperson Denise has been the Parade and Afterparty Manager for the past 7 years. A well known Cork building contractor, Denisew is a registered gas technician, CAD technician, and electrician. She is a huge Munster Rugby fan, is the Coach for Mallow Women’s Rugby team and is a Board member of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival.
Community Members, Allies, and Friends, I’m delighted to welcome you all to the 2023 Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival! If you’re reading this, you have the 10th edition of the Cork Pride magazine in your hand or on your screen - we’re very proud of this eagerly-awaited annual publication, which has developed itself from a small events listing leaflet into the largest Pride-produced magazine in Europe, which is entirely produced by our community, for our community. The Pride Movement has become the most successful human rights campaign in history, but whilst many international Pride events have developed into celebrations of our amazing LGBT community, our history, and our culture, Pride is, and always has been, a protest – and we should never lose sight of that. Our theme this year is ‘30 years On…’ which commemorates the 30 year anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. I say commemorate rather than celebrate, as whilst the removal of the repressive Victorian era law which criminalised our community was no doubt a cause for celebration, the fact that it remained unchallenged in law for over 140 years is shameful, and difficult to comprehend in 2023. Some of us might take the equality in the Ireland we live in today for granted, but we owe an enormous collective debt of gratitude to the trailblazers who tirelessly campaigned for our community in very different times, who became the architects of LGBT+ life in Ireland. It was their bravery, commitment, and single-minded sense of purpose that paved the way for the equal rights we all enjoy today – but whilst huge gains have been made over the past 30 years, there is still much work left to do. 2022 was reported as the most vicious year for LGBT+ hate crimes across Europe, but also in Ireland, and the bullying and harassment our community receives online is at an all-time high - attempts to erode our hard-won rights across the world over the past couple of years has also increased exponentially, and this is a huge cause for concern. Why do some people feel that our community’s existence in some way threatens theirs? Our Trans family is constantly being attacked for simply living their lives - to use a quote from a poster used to describe ‘Homosexuals and Lesbians’ at a demonstration on Patrick Street in Cork in 1981 “they are our brothers, sisters, neighbours and friends.” We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the Trans community – an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and none of us are equal until all of
us are equal. We were delighted to see Trans+ Pride Cork establish themselves last year and are proud to support their work and events. This year’s theme has also given us an opportunity to reflect and look back on the progression of Cork Pride as an organisation, which is going from strength to strength. Some of our team have sadly passed away in recent years, some have retired after many years of service, but we also have some great new members who have joined the team to help us to continue the development of our amazing Cork Pride. I would also like to pay tribute to Cork Pride’s sponsors and partners this year – some have been supporting Cork Pride for many years, but several have engaged with Cork Pride for the first time this year. Without this help it would not be possible for us to continue to grow the festival, and keep all of our events and initiatives entirely free of charge for our community. We thank you, and all of the community members and allies that work on these engagements annually, which help us to deliver our festival. Lastly, but most importantly, I’d like to thank you, our fabulous LGBT+ community for your help, love and support over the years. Cork Pride is your festival and your community, and I hope you will come and enjoy as many Cork Pride events as you can! Yours in Pride,
Damien O’Halloran / Company Secretary Damien O’Halloran is an executive leader working in IT for over 25 years, leading globally diverse teams. He is actively involved in multiple diversity and inclusion functions, most especially Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), focusing on encouraging team members to bring their authentic selves to the workplace. Damien is also the chair of the Work With Pride professional network.
Sam Lake / Secretary Sam is the newest member to the Board and holds the role of Secretary. Sam is a behavior therapist with Cope Foundation. Sam is an enthusiastic gym bunny and self-proclaimed dog lover! Sam is looking forward to working with others to ensure the Cork Pride Festival represents everyone.
Darren Fitzgerald / Treasurer Darren joined the Cork Pride team in 2021 and is the Legal Advisor. Darren is a Partner and head of Private Clients at Orbitus Law LLP. Darren’s goal, being a proud member of the community, is to promote community presence within the legal realm.
Kery Mullaly / Business Development Manager Kery handles the Cork Pride sponsorships remit and produces the annual Cork Pride magazine. Kery has brokered partnerships and sponsorships across many festivals and events including the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Electric Picnic, Cork Midsummer Festival, and the Cork International Choral Festival. He divides his time between Kilkenny and Cork.
Clive Davis Chairperson Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival
Dee Finn / Cork Pride Magazine Editor Dee is a theatre maker and community worker based in Cork. This is her first year in the role of Magazine Editor, having previously coordinated the Pride Reaching Out Project in 2022. Dee holds a MA in Women’s Studies from UCC and has completed research on LGBT+ experiences of education in Ireland.
Mary Flanagan / Administrator Mary joined The Cork Pride team in 2018, bringing experience in Youth Services, Finance, Education, & Logistics. She is an Office & Finance Administrator in Youth Services and also runs Music & Arts programs. Mary is the Programme Co-Ordinator for the Youth Work Ireland Laois “Electric Youth” programme held in association with Electric Picnic.
Geri Murphy / Events Manager Geri has spent the last several years producing events and festivals on behalf of local authorities (Cork City and Cork County Council), Commercial Chambers, Charity Organisations, businesses and Festivals, as well as working as a freelance Project Manager with Goldiefish Events on an ongoing basis. She has experience working in the Arts and Culture Sector and on site specific events and festivals.
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Event details correct at time of print but subject to change – please scan QR code or check out our events page for up to date information
Friday 28th July
Thursday 3rd August
Drag Rec Room: Fierce Prep Pride — 6.30pm | Gay Project
Homofónia Screening & Panel Discussion: LGBTQ* Representation in Irish storytelling today — 1-3pm | Cork City Library, Grand Parade Bi+ Ireland: Picnic @ Marina Market — 3pm | Marina Market LINC: Protest Pieces – Activism and Art with Eadaoin — 6.30pm – 8pm | LINC
Saturday 29th July Cork Hellhounds RFC: 3rd Annual Pride Tag Rugby Tournament — 12pm | Musgrave Par k Diary of an Activist Exhibition Launch — 3.30pm | Cork City Library, Grand Parade Body Of… Exhibition — 9am-5pm (open until 4th August) | LHQ Gallery, County Library
Service of Remembrance — 7.30pm | St Anne’s Church, Shandon The Wilde Geeze Comedy Cabaret — 8.30pm | Crane Lane Theatre Cork Pride: ZOO Night (free entry) — 10pm- late | The Black Dog
Sunday 30th July
Friday 4th August Gay Project: GOLD Café for Older GBQmsm Men — 12-3pm | Gay Project Cork Pride Community BBQ — 6-8pm, Civic Trust House, Popes Quay Cork Pride: Flashback Friday (free entry) — 9pm- late | Crane Lane Theatre Va Va Voom with special guests Krystal Queer and Lucina Schynning (free entry) — 9pm-late | The Pavillion Saturday 5th August Frontrunners: Pride Run — 9.30am | Tramore Valley Park Cork Pride Family Fun Day — 12-6pm | Fitzgerald’s Park Making a Scene: Alternative Rock Drag Show — 8.30pm | Fred Zepplin’s The Ringmasters Drag Revue, hosted by Paul Ryder (free entry) — 8pm | Crane Lane Theatre Ringmasters Afterparty with Special Guests (free entry) — 9pm-late | The Pavillion Sunday 6th August LINC: Queers and Croissants – Pre-March breakfast and face painting — 11-12.30pm | LINC The Bodega Drag Brunch with Krystal and the Queers — 12-2pm | The Bodega DJ Blitz at The Poor Relation (free entry) — Midday-11pm | The Poor Relation Cork Pride Parade — 1-3pm | Cork City Cork Pride Party at the Port — 3pm-8pm | Port of Cork Official Cork Pride After Party: OUT! featuring live performance from Wild Youth — 8.30pm-late | The Pavillion
Pride on Tour — 12-6pm | County Wide (Port of Cork, Mallow, New Twopothouse, Doneraile, Buttevant, Charleville, Mitchetown, Fermoy, Glanmire) OUT!: The Boiler Room hosted by D’Beours (free entry) — 7pm-late | The Pavillion
Monday 31st July
LINC: LGBTI+ Active Allies Event | Contact info@linc.ie — 10am-12pm | Online Lughnasadh Harvest Festival — 6pm | St Peters, North Main St Tuesday 1st August Gay Project: Out Of Your Mind: Online Meditation Pride Session with Derrick Gerety Email: konrad@gayproject.ie for details — 10.30am-11.30am | Gay Project Gay Project: QueerVibes Bingo with Queens — 6.30pm | Gay Project Sexual Health Centre: Rapid HIV Testing — 6-8pm | Gay Project
Wednesday 2nd August
Cork Pride: Welcome to the Community: ‘Coming Out’ Evening — 6.30-9.30pm | Civic Trust House, Pope’s Quay LINC: Rainbow Lunch — 12-2pm | LINC Gay Project: Midweek Drop In Café: Pride Badge Making — 1-3pm | Gay Project Cork Pride: Gaze Film Night — 8-11pm | The Pav
For full details and info on how to book your place for all events go to www.corkpride.com
For full details and info on how to book your place for all events go to www.corkpride.com 13
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DUNDALK PRIDE 10 th -15 th July 2023 Dundalk Pride |
WATERFORD PRIDE 18 th -20 th August 2023
@DundalkPride
Waterford Pride |
@waterfordprideoffical
WEXFORD PRIDE 27 th May 2023 Wexford Pride |
NAVAN PRIDE 26 th June-1 st July 2023 Navan Pride |
KINGDOM PRIDE 10 th -16 th July 2023
MEATH LGBT PRIDE 19 th August 2023
@wexfordpride
@NavanPride
Kingdom Pride |
@thekingdompride
www.navanpride.ie
Meath LGBT Pride |
@meathpride
PRIDE OF THE DÉISE 2 nd -5 th June 2023 Pride of the Deise |
WICKLOW PRIDE 1 st July 2023
BRÓD NA GAELTACHTA 16 th - 23 rd July 2023
MID-ULSTER PRIDE 12 th August 2023
@prideofthedeise
Wicklow Pride Festival |
@wicklowpridefestival
@deisepride
Brodnagaeltachta |
@brodnaG
www.wicklowpridefestival.com
Bordnagaeltachta.ie
Mid Ulster Pride |
@midulsterpride
INISHOWEN PRIDE 4 th June 2023 @inshowenpride |
@MidPride | Milulsterpride.com
TRANS+ PRIDE CORK 1 st July 2023 Trans+ Pride Cork |
DROGHEDA PRIDE 22 rd July 2023
FOYLE PRIDE 18 th -27 th August 2023
Inishowen Pride
@transpridecork
@inshowenpride
Drogehda Pride |
@Droghedapride
TIPPERARY PRIDE 10 th June 2023 @tippearypride |
CARLOW PRIDE 2 nd July 2023 Carlow Pride | MAYO PRIDE 2 nd -5 th July 2023 Mayo Pride |
Foyle Pride |
@foylepridefest
BELFAST PRIDE 21 st -30 th July 2023
@FoylePrideFest
Tipperary Pride
@carlowpridefest
CLONMEL PRIDE 26 th August 2023
Belfast Pride | @Belfastpride
@Belfastpride
KILDARE PRIDE 10 th June 2023 @kildarepride |
Clonmel Pride Festival |
@clonmelpride
CORK LGBT+ PRIDE FESTIVAL 29 th July-6 th August 2023
Kildare Pride
@MayoPride
@KildarePride
LAOIS PRIDE 4 th -10 th September 2023
LIMERICK PRIDE 3 rd -9 th July 2023
Cork Pride | @corkpride
@corkpride
OMAGH PRIDE 17 th June 2023 @omaghpride |
Midlands LGBT Project |
@midlandslgbtproject
Limerick LGBT Pride |
@limericklgbtpride
www.midlandslgbtproject.com
Omagh Pride @omaghpride | Omaghpride.com
SLIGO PRIDE 2 nd -6 th August 2023
www.limerickpride.ie
TRANS PRIDE NI 16 th September 2023
DUNGARVAN PRIDE 17 th June 2023 @Dungarvanpride |
MULLINGAR PRIDE 8 th July 2023 Mullingar Pride |
Sligo Pride |
@Sligopridefestival
www.sligopride.wordpress.com
Transpride Northern Ireland |
@Transprideni
@pridemullingar1 @mullingarpride | Mullingarpride.ie
Dungarvan Pride
@transprideni
GALWAY COMMUNITY PRIDE 7 th -13 th August 2023
@DungarvanPride
DUBLIN PRIDE 20 th -25 th June 2023
QUARE CLARE PRIDE FESTIVAL 18 th -24 th September 2023
TRANS & INTERSEX PRIDE DUBLIN 8 th July 2023 Trans & Intersex Dublin |
Galway Pride Festival | @Brodnagaillimhe @Galwaypridefestival | www.galwaypride.ie
@dublinpride | @DublinPride
Dublin Pride
Quare Clare | www.quareclare.ie
@transpridedublin
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2023
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A REMARKABLE JOURNEY
ONE OF THE HISTORIC EVENTS OF THE DECADE
There were some nasty anti-gay speeches from some Fianna Fail TDs, some of whom would later to go on to apologise. One Fianna Fail TD who had a reputation for being bigoted and was described by Proinsias de Rossa as an ‘ignoramus’ was sent off to the United States on a junket so he wouldn’t be around for the debate. Meanwhile the vast majority of TDs and Senators celebrating the gay law reform. It was seen as ‘one of the historic events of the decade’, ‘a great day for Ireland’, and ‘truly liberating’. I got the sense that the TDs and Senators were were delighted to be throwing off the shackles of the Catholic Church and lay Right who had intimidated successive governments since their overwhelming success in the 1983 Abortion Referendum and the 1986 Divorce Referendum. This was the first big defeat for the Right and we were delighted that a small LGBT+ group like GLEN was able to play an important role in out-maneuvering and out- strategizing the Right. The Dáil passed the Gay Law Reform Bill without a vote on Thursday 24th June and it was covered widely and positively in the media. By a very nice coincidence, the Dublin Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade took place the followingSaturday giving the Parade an added sense of gusto and exuberance.
Mary Holland wrote in a great piece for the Irish Times on the Parade: ‘One would need a heart of stone not to have been moved by the great waves of happiness that surged through the centre of Dublin last Saturday afternoon as Irish lesbians and gays took to the streets’. The original aims of GLEN when it was set up in 1988 was an equality-based gay law reform and equality
In 2007, the Labour Party twice presented its Marriage- like Civil Unions Bill to the Dáil significantly increasing the pressure for legal recognition of same-sex couples. 2010 saw the passing of the Civil Partnership Act by the Dáil without a vote and in a similar celebratory way to the Gay Law Reform. The dozens of Civil Partnership wedding celebrations that took place throughout the country every month radically changed public opinion so that it increasingly embraced marriage for same-sex couples, paving the way for the success in the 2015 Marriage Referendum. In 2018, the 25th anniversary of Gay Law Reform, the Dáil and Seanad as a result of a Labour Party initiative voted on a fulsome apology for criminalization and the wider damage done for example the denial by the Department of Health to fund Gay Health Action for their HIV/AIDS awareness work, a denial that undoubtedly cost lives. The 2020 Programme for Government includes a commitment to introducing Disregard legislation to exonerate with people convicted of consensual sexual relationships before gay law reform. On 17th of May this year, Senator Fintan Warfield and other Sinn Féin Senators presented a Motion to the Seanad commemorating the 30th anniversary of gay law reform, the 40th anniversaries of both the Fairview March and the first Dublin Pride Parade, and the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Liberation Movement established in Trinity College in October 1973. The Motion commended the advocacy of groups such as the Cork Gay Collective. The Motion called for the immediate introduction of Disregard legislation to exonerate the men convicted before gay law reform. There was support from all Senators and the Motion was passed unanimously. Criminalization was one of the most serious human rights violations by the Irish State and undoubtedly requires a wider Restorative Justice programme to commemorate all the victims and pay tribute to their lives.
Reflecting on the decriminalisation of homosexuality 30 years later By Kieran Rose 1993 was a huge breakthrough for LGBT+ rights in Ireland with the passing of an equality-based gay law reform and the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Unfair Dismissals Act. There was huge opposition to the gay law reform from the Catholic Church and lay Right wing groups, like Family Solidarity. One Bishop warned at the time that “Decriminalisation will lead to a point where gay relationships will be seen as a valid alternative to marriage”. In April 1993, a draft Memorandum to Government on gay law reform was leaked to the Irish Times and very disappointingly it took a right wing approach and set out three options: the very repressive British style law reform; marking a difference with an unequal age of consent of 18 years; or the equality option as put forward by GLEN and the Campaign for Equality. GLEN decided it would call for the defeat of any gay law reform Bill that did not provide for full equality and delegated Christopher Robson to contact his friend Ruairi Quinn who was a senior Labour Minister to make clear on a confidential basis initially of our decision in this regard. We were delighted that the Government gay law reform Bill when it was finally published was the full equality option, abolishing the basic criminalization under the Common Law offence of buggery, no privacy restrictions, no exemptions for the Defence Forces, and, of course, an equal age of consent of 17 years. The Fine Gael leadership tried to wreck the equality integrity of the Bill by attempting to introduce an unequal age of consent of 18 years. A number of progressive Fine Gael TDs carried out an organised filibuster against their own Party Amendment, so that the time available was used up and no vote was taken.
legislation. In 1998 the Employment Equality Act was introduced and later the Equal Status Act 2000 with the
setting up of the Equality Authority
which was to prove to be crucial for LGBT progress. GLEN also lobbied for the
inclusion
of sexual orientation in the Refugee Act 1996. Ireland held the Presidency of the European Union in 1999 and
GLEN successfully lobbied the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to include sexual orientation in the Amsterdam Treaty which was a hugely important breakthrough giving the EU competence in LGBT issues.
Kieran was a founder member of GLEN and is a former chair. He is a member of the Department of Justice Working Group on Disregard legislation (see www.LGBTDisregard.ie ).
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2023
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INTERVIEW WITH Wild YOUTH
PAUL It must’ve been really nice to know that your country voted for you to go and do Eurovision, it’s not just that a panel made a decision. Your country went behind you and said, these are the people we want? That must be nice? WILD YOUTH Yeah, of course. Yeah, it means a lot to us. But yeah, when it’s done on a public road, it’s always a nice boost of confidence or reassurance. And there’s some people in the country who want you to go around present. PAUL What is the Eurovision experience like though? Are you completely wrapped up in the experience, being inside the Eurovision bubble? WILD YOUTH Yeah, it’s very unique. All in all, it was an incredible experience. We absolutely loved it. You know, we got to make friends and memories. There’s a band coming over today that we’re playing a show with tonight called Joker Out on the Eurovision and we’re doing shows together in Dublin. So we’ve made friends for life, and we enjoyed the experience. We got to travel, so many incredible cities and meet so many people. And then also, even though we didn’t get through to the final, which, of course, was upsetting for us, because we just really wanted to. So we were sad that we couldn’t do that. But all in all, it was an incredible experience. PAUL We’ve had some amazing people like Brooke Scullion go to Eurovision last year, she absolutely smashed it she came home as the nation’s sweetheart, you’ve done a very similar job where you went out there, you did the absolute best, you did an amazing job and you’ve come home even bigger in the hearts of Ireland. What do we need to change about our Eurovision efforts? WILD YOUTH You know, it’s just kind of simple things along the way. It’s like when you see some other countries, the preparation, everything that goes into what you have to do and what you’re about to do. Obviously we didn’t get through with our song this year, but I think it just takes one incredible song. I don’t think anything is beyond the realm of possibility and Ireland has so much incredible talent. PAUL You found yourself in a media storm during your Eurovision journey with your Creative Director Ian Banham and some incidents with his online presence and in your statement you said your song We Are One, stands for unity and kindness and this song represents your beliefs as a band. How important is this message in today’s society and climate? WILD YOUTH I think it’s so important. And it’s something that we genuinely stand for as a band. Everyone should be accepted. And, you know, kindness always wins. And I think we really need to speak about it more. And you know, it’s such an important message. And that’s why the song was important for us. Albeit some people could say the sound was generic, but sometimes you need to simplify the message so the masses can hear it. Yeah, because they’re obviously not hearing it right now.
PAUL Are you conscious that what you say and the messages you portray with socials, your songs and beyond is taken into account by so many fans? WILD YOUTH Yeah, of course. And I just think in general, you have to just be so careful all the time, which sometimes can be frustrating because sometimes you do want to speak about things that you really care about but or you do want to kind of go back on certain things, but you know, it’s probably not always smart. I’ve learned to just delete Twitter. PAUL So, I’ve been told that Cork Pride is your very first Pride celebration you’ve performed at? Are you ready for the absolute craziness that it is and just to be adored by members of the LGBTQIA community? WILD YOUTH We are so excited. Obviously, we’ve heard incredible things about Pride festivals across the country. But we actually were talking about it yesterday we’re such big fans of Cork and Cork was the first place we ever played a sold out headline show. So to be doing the Cork Pride festival we’re incredibly excited. We hear wild things. We actually met
By Paul Ryder
They’ve only just descended from the bright lights, camp queendom and utter craziness of Eurovision 2023 but not without their fair share of trials, tribulations and moose knuckles. Conor, Alan, David and Callum of Wild Youth are joining the party of Cork Pride this year as our headline act. Our main stage host Paul Ryder grabbed a quick five minutes with the lads for a debrief of Eurovision and their expectations of the Party in the Port. PAUL So lads, let’s get straight to your Eurovision. How does an opportunity like that appear on your laps? WILD YOUTH It came from a tweet actually. In 2020, I tweeted just saying we want to do the Eurovision and it kind of just gained legs. And you know, we’ve always been big fans of Eurovision and I think after COVID and everything, we just wanted to take some more risks and try some things. So the opportunity kind of came up and we’d written this song and we just sent it in and luckily enough we got through to Eurosong on The Late Late Show and then we won that.
some of the organisers in Cork and they were like, “Just be prepared!” and we’re like “We’re scared!” PAUL ..and they’re just talking about me. C’mere, what can we expect from a Wild Youth gig? WILD YOUTH Moose knuckles and gold jumpsuits. (LAUGHS) PAUL The whole country just said ‘THANK YOU”, but I do love that you can laugh about it? WILD YOUTH Of course, you have to laugh about these things. PAUL We’re marking the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. How do you think Ireland has changed since? WILD YOUTH If you think about that, what you just said is that it was literally illegal to be gay in Ireland. This extreme change and I feel how open and accepting the city is, or Ireland as a country is. It’s unbelievable to see, obviously it’s not totally where it should be. People should feel free to really flourish and be who they feel comfortable being. PAUL Amazing, we cannot wait to show you a proper Cork Pride welcome in August.
I DON’T THINK ANYTHING IS BEYOND THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY AND IRELAND HAS SO MUCH INCREDIBLE TALENT.
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2023
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Dare to be yourself www.pepsicojobs.ie
Raising the bar on talent and diversity is a key element of PepsiCo’s vision.
This year, our EQUAL Employee Resource Group (ERG) celebrates its 30-year journey of cultivating diversity, inclusion, and engagement among employees. Our goal is to create a workplace environment that is welcoming and supportive of the LGBT+ community. EQUAL has since grown to become one of PepsiCo's largest and most active ERGs, with over 1,800 members in more than 50 chapters worldwide.
Proud sponsors of Cork Pride Family Fun Day
One of the most important aspects of EQUAL is our year-round presence. We know how important it is to promote equality throughout the year, and not just raising a flag one month out of the year. EQUAL celebrates and highlights many events such as Transgender Day of Visibility, International Day against Homophobia, and Ally Day, using these events to promote awareness of the issues faced by LGBT+ associates, as well as providing opportunities for education, discussion, and celebration.
Understanding Hate And Extremism: The Rise of the Far Right in Ireland By the Hope and Courage Collective
THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC The far right used the pandemic as a fertile ground to spread and amplify conspiracy theories. They took advantage of the uncertainty and fear surrounding COVID to sow doubt in communities. Issues such as immigration, globalisation, and distrust in institutions have been exploited by far right groups to blame marginalised communities and promote their hate filled narratives. Moreover, lockdown measures and economic hardships resulting from the pandemic have created social and economic anxieties, which have contributed to the appeal of far right ideologies that promise “simple solutions’’ and scapegoats. Over this time online audiences were gained, and what has emerged from the post-pandemic far right is a more hardened, extreme and violent movement. Since then far right groups and influencers have returned with vigour to core themes of immigration, nationalism, extreme Christian dogma anti sex education and anti-LGBT+ hate especially targetting the trans community. LIBRARY ATTACKS Since January 2023 a concerted campaign against the LGBT+ community has begun under the guise of library books. These actions see gender critical actors working with openly violent far right thugs to remove LGBT+ books for younger audiences from libraries. These actions also intimidate people working in our public libraries. Protests have also been targeting children’s bookshop suppliers. The trans community is a particular target for hate and attacks from extremists. Far right actors actively produce and share disinformation about gender identity, promoting transphobia and ultimately seeking to remove the education of sexual identities in schools. Many communities have courageously pushed back against the vocal minority, with welcoming groups and setting up solidarity events across the country. BIG TECH AND THE FAR RIGHT This vocal minority has been ably assisted by persistent inadequate actions by large tech companies, providing the platform for pumping out hate-filled propaganda. All major platforms have been used to whip up hate and fear against people seeking asylum, people who have designated refugee status, and increasingly towards migrants. Since February 2023, H&CC has noted extremist language to include migrant and LGBT+ people in the same breath.
THE ELON MUSK TAKEOVER We want to draw attention to the changes at Twitter. Since Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, the platform has become a magnet once again for those intent on pushing hate, division, incitement, and violence. Many white supremacist and hate accounts, previously banned for breaching terms and conditions around hateful conduct, have now been reinstated. Hate organisers in Ireland are openly thanking Elon Musk for supporting them. Twitter is a global communications organisation with international headquarters based in Dublin. It is a platform that shapes news making, media commentary and perceptions of political organisations within electoral systems across the globe. It is now also a primary conduit for fear, violence and hate visited upon our communities, led by an owner engaging with Irish white supremacism. THE DANGEROUS PATH: ONLINE HATE BREEDS REAL WORLD VIOLENCE The H&CC has been flagging for more than a year that an increase in frequency and intensity of violent rhetoric online from far right influencers would, if left unchecked, lead to physical violence in communities. Many of these same prominent influencers have been churning out content and commentary designed to incite hate, in many cases going back several years and travelling the country to incite local division all, it would seem, without consequences. CONTACT H&CC If you or anyone in your community has been affected by the far right in Ireland you can reach out to H&CC for support at theteam@hopeandcourage.ie
The LGBT+ community have always had to endure oppression, hate and othering in Irish society. Coming from the state, societal structures and society in general. The LGBT+ community have courageously organised and proactively brought Ireland to a more progressive and inclusive place. In recent years, as hate and extremism have grown internationally, Ireland is behind the curve. We can now see a very small but very vocal group of extremists attempting to sow hate and division in our communities. The most recent European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) report, showed a rise in transphobic speech and anti-LGBT+ hate crime in the last five years. The extremists are strategically targeting groups who already experience oppression and othering in Ireland causing a growing sense of fear and polarisation among people directly affected. We at the Hope and Courage Collective want to bring a shared understanding of the tactics of hate and extremists to marginalised communities. Building a knowledge and understanding of extremism in communities also builds power and resilience to respond and flourish in the face of hate.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “FAR RIGHT PLAYBOOK”?
The far right playbook involves a combination of tactics aimed at promoting and advancing the extremists agenda. This playbook or template is roughly the same, whatever theme the far right uses. It always begins hyperlocal. New local Facebook pages and other social media accounts are set up to flood news feeds with rumours designed to create fear and anger. The far right will try to frame it as local community concern. We have seen this used against people seeking state protection and people from the LGBT+ community. The goal of the far right is to create localised social panics and paranoia, by demonising certain minority people, such as migrants, people seeking asylum, and members of the LGBT+ community. Often they will call snap public meetings or protests to try to pit people against each other and sow divisions on a localised level. During these events, the far right is actively promoting nationalist ideologies and sowing mistrust of others within local communities. Through these processes, people can be recruited into far right networks or groups that have longer term aims of seeking to infiltrate political systems to gain power. Increasingly we are seeing the use of intimidation and violence to further their goals.
www.corkpride.com
#CorkPride2023
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Creating Possible
The Pride Alliance is an employee resource group dedicated to celebrating diverse identities. The group is committed to helping ensure LGBTQ+ employees and allies can be their authentic selves, and all employees are empowered to contribute to Gilead’s success.
Date of Preparation: March 2021 UK-UNB-0008
These photos of Cork activists at Dublin Pride 1983 serve as a reminder of all of the years of LGBT+ activism that have brought us to where we are today. Our theme for Cork LGBT+ Pride this year is 30 Years On… but these photos commemorate the struggle for LGBT+ rights in Ireland in the years leading up to decriminalisation. Photo credit: Kieran Rose These photos were kindly digitised and provided by Queer Culture Ireland. YEARS ON… 40
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Accept people for who they are and support them if they need it. You can also speak up in situations where you see inequality occurring. The more people who speak up, the more others will be inclined to follow.
What advice would you give to someone who is interested in becoming an ally to the LGBTQ+ community? • Speak to the community and listen to what they really want and need rather than assuming you know. Also be an actual ally to the community, stand up for them and what is right - we've come a long way but there is still so far to go. • Be an ally, fight the good fight, you will be on the right side of History. This being said, remember to listen to people from the community to be a good ally. Sometimes what an ally think is the right thing is not what a member of the community needs/wants according to their experience. • If you believe in your life mission then stick with it. Never give up. Be stubborn! The more success you have, the more people will try and pull you down in life. • Looking back over the last 30 years, Ireland has come a very long way, not only in terms of the acceptance of the LGBT+ community, but also in terms of wider social reforms. It can be easy then to think that the "work is done". However, now, more than ever, it is important to show support to the LQBTQ+ community. There are still a lot more that can be done to make Ireland a more inclusive and accepting society. Getting involved in LGBT+ employee groups at work, participating in Pride events and pushing for more social reforms are all ways that allies can help support the LGBT+ community.
After a successful participation in last year’s Cork Pride and on the anniversary of the 1993 homosexuality law , Qualcomm is proud to reiterate its support to LGBTQ+ rights as it has done for decades. On this important anniversary, we’ve asked Qualcomm employees a few questions about their thoughts on how to improve life for our community in Ireland. What changes would you like to see in society regarding its treatment and acceptance the LGBTQ+ community in the next 30 years?
• I would like to see a lot more acceptance and friendliness towards the community. I hope attacks especially physical become things of the past. Everyone realising that people of the community are people just like everyone else. • In general, a continued growing acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland is something I would love to see. One area I believe were this could have the most impact is in education. Including LGBT+ issues as part of the curriculum could have a huge beneficial impact in terms of helping to make Ireland a more open society while also helping young people in feeling more comfortable with who they are.
• I would like to see people treated equally no matter their backgrounds. A lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community are still stigmatised for what they are. We can see people in Ireland still need to go through paperwork to be granted a pardon for a “homosexual acts offence” conviction which is an offence that has been abolished. This should have been automatically pardoned. We can al so see a lot of discussion/effort to exclude transgender people (especially women) from sports, even though they don't perform better than cis women, this is discrimination.
How can employees help to create a more inclusive and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community in their workplaces?
• Educate yourself, follow diversity and inclusion trainings to understand your privileges and biases and call out other people when they do/say something wrong. It can be unconscious, but it is our responsibility to make sure each and every one of us is comfortable in our work environment. Don't get defensive if you're being called out, we are all learning and making mistakes, the important thing is to grow and correct ourselves . • Have employees participate in bias training to help curb discrimination in the workplace. Managers and leaders should foster an inclusive team culture and treat everyone equally. People should feel comfortable approaching their managers to call out any incidents, whether they were witnesses or victims.
• By supporting talks/education workshops and actually be involved in them and implement them rather than having them as a ticking the box initiative • Be part of the induction for new hires. More awareness events. Don't be afraid to ask. You only have to ask! • Getting involved in LGBT+ employee groups, marching in Pride Parades, helping to organize talks of LGBT+ issues or even attending such talks will help to create a more welcoming and open environment in their workplace. To be able to show that LGBT+ ideals and concerns can be discussed in an open manner in the workplace among LGBT+ peers and allies goes a long way towards creating a more inclusive workplace.
• More acceptance and tolerance from everyone. Everyone is equal. I was reared by my parents to respect people, their thoughts, and opinions. • The government must ensure that the LGBT+ community is considered in legislation and policies to encourage full inclusion and equality. For example, the extension of paid leave for couples who have children through surrogacy and recognition of legal parentage for both partners. In which way can allies and members of the LGBTQ+ community contribute to making these changes in the next 30 years?
• Push for equal rights. Fight the political fights for tolerance. Educate the younger communities and call out bigotry. Political decisions are going backwards for the community in many countries in the world. We can see countries forbidding mentions of LGBTQ+ in schools or books, fightin g against this and for even more equality/equity is needed every day.
• Educate people on the different members of the community and try to eliminate the 'us & them' attitude. • Lobby your local TDs and government representatives individually or as part of an activist group to make changes. Also, get involved in future referendum campaigns; it really does help! • Never give up. It is a journey, and everything takes time unfortunately. One piece of advice, never lower yourself to your distractors. Believe in yourself.
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