GAY PROJECT: WE’RE HERE, WE’RE QUEER - ALL YEAR!
Gay Project has been at the forefront of LGBTQI+ activism and support in Munster for more than thirty years. In that time, it has been proud to support the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival. Our involvement has been so close that, at times, people have confused the work of our charity with the organisation of the annual festival. So, what’s the difference? Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival is an annual event born out of protest marches but now seen as a celebration of LGBTQI+ culture, with a street parade, after party, and many other events in the course of a week which raises the visibility of Cork’s queer community and helps individuals to find their place in our society.
Gay Project is a charitable project, with annual funding from the HSE, which gives year-round support to people who need it. Our remit is to provide support to gay, bisexual and trans men, and men who have sex with men (gbtMSM). In practice, we don’t turn anyone away, and our service users include parents of young queer youth, anyone questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity, and ‘straight’ people who wish to support their gay friends, family and colleagues. We provide support in a number of ways. First, our premises in Sawmill Street, in the centre of Cork, are open to individuals who need a safe space and a friendly face to talk to. We also have a regular programme of ‘drop-in’ activities targeting different groups - older men, students, people from outside of Cork city - and we host several specific support groups, for young queer people, trans people, parents of trans children, and others. We also encourage the formation of sports and social activities, with support ranging from publicising activities to seeding the establishment of inclusive clubs. Our current groups’ network includes representatives from Frontrunners Cork running club, Cork Racketeers Badminton Club, Hellhounds Rugby Club, Cork Rebels FC soccer club, a hillwalking group, a drama club, a book club, a drag hobby group and an accredited Drag School. To promote wellbeing, we have a weekly yoga club, a meditation club, free rapid HIV testing (monthly) and an online meditation group. More formal support and advocacy comes in a variety of forms. We have a resource library in our Community Room, with books and DVDs for loan and free paper copies of the latest Gay Community News (GCN). While we pride ourselves on our extensive knowledge of LGBTQI+ issues, we can also ‘signpost’ to support services for other issues, such as drugs and alcohol misuse, domestic and sexual violence, aging, sexual health, counselling, and much more.
We deliver training in sexual orientation and gender identity issues to schools, commercial operations and the public sector. Through active participation in the Cork LGBTI+ Inter Agency Group, the Rainbow Cities Network, Cork Equal and Sustainable Communities Alliance (CESCA), and national LGBT groups, Gay Project ensures that the voice of gbtMSM is heard in the corridors of power. Of course, the work we do is inextricably linked with the activities of many other groups - Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival, LINC, LGBT Ireland, BeLonGTo, ILGA Europe, Sporting Pride, to name a few. However, Gay Project remains unique, as the only charity specifically focusing on gbtMSM wellbeing in Munster. Look out for us in the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival march, and at Pride events throughout the week. Full details of our year-round services can be found on our website, www.gayproject.ie
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