Dublin LGBTQ Pride Guide 2018

We Are Family June 21—June 30 DublinPride.ie Pride-2018-Cover.indd 1

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Dublin Pride Festival Proudly sponsored

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Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 by the President of Ireland

Message from the Lord Mayor of Dublin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Message from An Taoiseach . . . . . . . . . . 17 Editor’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Chairperson’s Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Pride Grand Marshal’s Welcome . . . . . 21 Adam Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 on Politics & Pride

Jacob J. Erickson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 on Faith & Sexuality

Charting key moments in the evolution of LGBTQ rights in Ireland

Contents

100 Years of Firsts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

We Are Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

We discover the tight-knit bonds between our community & their families

What’s On & When . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

The lowdown on everything that’s happening during Pride week and beyond

Pride Festival Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Dos and don’ts for the Pride Parade this year

Pride Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Check out all the key Dublin Pride venues at a glance

We Are Family (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

With Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Goodbye from Ailbhe Smyth . . . . . . . . 122

Pride & Together For Yes

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Credits

Editor: Aoife Moriarty Designer: Dave Darcy Photography: Hazel Coonagh Additional Interviews: Caomhan Keane Contributors: Jacob J. Erickson, Clodagh Leonard, Adam Long, Sara Phillips Executive Editor: Brian Finnegan Festival Manager: Eddie McGuinness Festival Director: Jed Dowling

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Foreword by

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President Michael D. Higgins

AS PRESIDENT OF IRELAND I TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN WISHING EVERYBODY A VERY HAPPY LGBTQ PRIDE 2018.

Pride is an occasion for us all to celebrate diversity and inclusivity

From its very modest beginnings in 1974, when a handful of people took to the streets of Dublin to call for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, and from the first parade in 1983, Pride has grown into one of the most celebrated and notable public events on the streets of our capital city.

It is thanks to the tireless and courageous campaigning of these generations of activists that we now live in an Ireland with marriage equality and recognition for transgender people.

Each year, Pride is an occasion for us all to celebrate diversity and inclusivity, and this year’s parade is especially important, marking as it does 25 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland and celebrating the many recent milestones on our way towards full and equal participation of all LGBTQ people in Irish society.

So let us use Pride 2018 as an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved, to salute our solidarity and common humanity, and to inspire one another to keep working for the full achievement of our shared vision of a fair, inclusive and equal Ireland.

Wishing you and all those you love an enjoyable and memorable Pride 2018.

Beir beannacht President Michael D. Higgins

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DUBLIN LGBTQ PRIDE 2018 Sponsors & Partners Supported by

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Official Hospitality Sponsor

Media Sponsors

Pride Partners

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A message from the

Lord Mayor of Dublin ON BEHALF OF DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITIZENS OF OUR CITY, I AM DELIGHTED TO WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE DUBLIN LGBTQ PRIDE 2018 FESTIVAL. This year’s theme, ‘We Are Family’, reminds us that our city is made up of so many different types of families and we should not only celebrate all of them but support them too.

In the 35 years since the first Dublin Pride Parade, it has become one of the most important annual celebrations of diversity and inclusion in our city and

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one that we are proud to support and be part of. This year for the first time we will fly the Pride flag over City Hall as a gesture of the ongoing commitment of Dublin City Council to Dublin LGBTQ Pride. I would like to thank the festival organisers and statutory agencies involved in running this festival and wish everyone taking part a very Happy Pride.

Táimíd go léir brodúil as ár gCathair agus tá an Paráid agus an féile seo mar cheann de na himeachtaí is fear agus is tábhachtaí a bhíonn againn.

Mícheál MacDonncha Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath

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PRIDE 2018

BE YOU T I F UL pride— connects— us—

AUSTIN · BANGKOK · BOGOTA · BOSTON · BUENOS AIRES · CHICAGO · DELHI · DUBLIN · GURGAON · HAMBURG · HYDERABAD · JOHANNESBURG · LONDON · MADRID · MANILA · MEXICO CITY · MIAMI · MILAN · MUMBAI · NEW YORK CITY · PARIS · SAN FRANCISCO · SÃO PAULO · SEATTLE · SINGAPORE · SYDNEY · TEL AVIV · TOKYO · TORONTO · WARSAW · WASHINGTON, DC

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A Message from

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar Maya Angelou, one of my favourite poets, believed that while we all have empathy, we may not always have the courage to display it. The achievements of recent years were made possible because so many people showed courage and honesty and chose to believe the best of one another, rather than the worst.

Through our shared hopes and experiences, we became a family.

In so many ways, this is a historic year as we mark the centenary of women getting the vote, 25 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality and three

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years since marriage equality. Ireland has changed a lot over the last number of years, and I believe it has changed for the better, as we have become more understanding and respectful of our differences. This is reflected in this year’s Pride theme, ‘We Are Family’, and it is an opportunity to celebrate what has been achieved and all those who made it possible.

Leo Varadkar An Taoiseach

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LGBT + Friends #PrideinVodafone

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Welcome to

the Dublin Pride Guide 2018!

The programme this year features a diverse range of exciting and worthwhile events, from drag life drawing, queer walking tours, photography exhibitions, social networking, street parties and big nights out, to the main event of the Pride parade on June 30.

As the theme for this year’s Dublin Pride Festival is ‘We Are Family’, we’ve also photographed and interviewed some incredible LGBTQ people and their family members. You can find their stories dotted throughout the Pride Guide.

The support and acceptance of those closest to us helps us to flourish, but family does not always mean family in the most literal sense.

No one appreciates this more than the LGBTQ community.

Which is why we’ve also included alternative families like cabaret troupe Glitter HOLE, activists Radical Queers Resist as well as asylum seekers and refugees from the Identity LGBTQ group. They are all a reminder of how much strength and power there is in solidarity.

I hope that you enjoy reading their stories as much as myself and my colleague Caomhan Keane enjoyed speaking to them.

On a personal note, it has been an absolute privilege and a joy to edit this year’s guide.

I’m so grateful to give something back to a community I love so much, and that has brought so much happiness to me in my own life.

Thanks to Dublin LGBTQ Pride Festival and the GCN team for giving me the opportunity, and of course to Hazel Coonagh for her beautiful photographs.

Happy Pride 2018 to you and your family, however you define it.

Aoife Moriarty Dublin Pride Guide Editor

It has been an amazing experience to photograph such a wide variety of families within the LGBTQ community. We’ve had everything from couples with young children, cute babies and friend groups to activists, refugees and performers.

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This year is set to be a bumper year for Pride, whether you’re a raucous reveller or more interested in learning about the rich and sometimes difficult history of Dublin’s LGBTQ community.

I feel a great range of families have been represented and it’s been a privilege for me to meet them all. They’ve all been so excited to be a part of the Pride Guide, which has made it extra fun for me.

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I’m really proud of this project and grateful to the Pride Festival and GCN for the opportunity to capture the diversity of Dublin’s LGBTQ community, one for which I hold the utmost respect.

Hazel Coonagh Photographer, ‘We Are Family’

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Chairperson’s

Welcome I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO JOIN US FOR THIS YEAR’S DUBLIN LGBTQ PRIDE FESTIVAL. THIS IS A MASSIVE ANNIVERSARY YEAR FOR THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY IN IRELAND. It’s 35 years since the march in Fairview Park to protest the killing of Declan Flynn. It’s 30 years of GCN reminding us that there are loads of wonderful creative and talented LGBTQ people in Ireland. And it’s 25 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Plus, obviously this being a referendum year, repealing the eighth was at the forefront of our minds.

Like any proud mother we realised that we could not choose one event or anniversary over another. We never wanted anyone to be left out or upset, or to be playing favourites. Pride is ultimately about inclusion, after all. And as we thought we began to realise that the characteristic that was prominent throughout all of these anniversaries was family.

The parents and siblings that joined the march at Fairview Park, particularly our sisters, who at the time were also campaigning against the introduction of the eighth amendment; the mother-to-mother conversation that paved the way for decriminalisation; the Grandparents For Marriage Equality group that won the hearts of the nation. The queer families that have held us together while in these moments it felt like we were falling apart.

We’d like to invite every one of you to join us in our very oldest family tradition, Dublin LGBTQ Pride Parade on June 30, and be a part of the most inclusive celebration of families in Ireland this year, as we sing out, ‘We Are Family’.

Clodagh Leonard Chairperson of Dublin Pride Festival

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Pride Grand Marshal, Sara Phillips Pride is such an important event in the LGBTQ calendar. A very visible moment for our community to celebrate how far we have come and, simultaneously, protest the inequalities in Irish society that still exist for our community. We must not forget that at its heart, Pride still remains a protest. The successes of Marriage Equality and Gender Recognition do not mean Ireland accepts us as equal and does not continue to discriminate and marginalise us. There is still so much more work to do. Let us not get complacent.

Reflecting on last year’s theme, ‘Heroes’, and embracing this year’s theme, ‘We are Family’, there is no doubt that the heroes of my own life have certainly been my family. Without them, I would not be here today and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their love and support.

Whether it is your family of origin or the families we create for ourselves. Family is so important for all of us. For the LGBTQ community, many of us have had to create our families, carefully surround ourselves with close friends and support networks. And yet, it is clear our families are not reflected in Irish society

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as equal and, as an example, same sex parents struggle to include both parents’ names on children’s birth certificates.

I am very honoured to have been chosen to represent you all as Pride Grand Marshal for 2018. This year’s theme reflects the year our first trans Grand Marshal, the inimitable Dr Lydia Foy, led the parade. In 2010, our theme was ‘We are Family Too’, and so much has changed since then. Let us continue the progress. Let us not leave anyone behind.

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Welcome from

As a family, let us celebrate our Pride. And most importantly, let us protest.

Sara Phillips Pride Grand Marshal 2018 Sara Phillips has been involved with the trans community for over 25 years, as a founding member of the Dublin Trans Peer Support Group (TPSG). She has been a member of TENI since its current inception in 2006 and is now in her second term as Chair of the Board of Directors. She currently sits on the Government’s Gender Recognition Review Group.

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T

Beannachtaí na Féile Bhród oraibh go léir!

Wishing everyone a happy Pride!

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Educational workshops for: Secondary school students Primary & post primary teachers Parents & Guardians Social Workers & Youth Workers Workplaces & offices Volun

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Pride at Outhouse B ommunity esour e entre

11th 30th June 2018 uthouse e.

Capel Street, u lin e . www outhouse ie

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he e rimina isation ono o ues 11th & 12th, 14th & 15th June 1:00pm 14th + 15th June 7:00pm. 16th June 2.30pm To mark the th anni ersary of the decriminalisation of homose uality in Ireland, cting ut present new monologues y Irish writers unch time show tickets include a light lunch in our Cafe u in Pride nnua e ate Thursday 28th June 7:00pm - 9:00pm In association with the F, this year s ride nnual e ate features a panel of esteemed key note speakers Outhouse ookery emonstration Soap o Session Mental Health & ell eing Saturday 23rd June 1:30pm uthouse Chef Clair will e gi ing a cookery demonstration, highlighting the impact of a healthy alanced diet on our o erall mental health and well eing pm Followed y the th annual Soap o Session hosted y aura ouise Condell u lin es ian ine , pm

ir s i ht n Pride Party Weds 27th June 7.00pm Speed friending e ening, in a rela ed atmosphere with friendly chats and good food and drinks to cele rate ride week Outhouse Pride Breakfast Saturday 30th June 9:00am – 1:00pm ride Breakfast is ack Start the day on the right foot with a delicious reakfast in a rela ed & welcoming space at uthouse Caf non alcohol e ent O Post Parade Party Saturday 30th June 3:00pm Cele rate with us after the parade at our annual post parade party hosted y G ll ages welcome non alcohol e ent

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While we have seen gains in Ireland, the international backdrop is far less promising, with the increasing prominence of extremist, reactionary forces on the global stage and the rise of authoritarian regimes that express open disdain for equality and other core liberal democratic principles. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are the most obvious manifestations of this ugly phenomenon. In the US, for example, the LGBTQ gains of the Obama years are being systematically attacked and overturned by a Trump administration that prefers to curry favour with farright, homophobic elements.

Politics & Pride ADAM LONG LOOKS FORWARD TO THE DUBLIN LGBTQ POLITICAL DEBATE THIS PRIDE The Dublin LGBTQ Pride Political Debate, which I am delighted to chair once again, has become a much welcome fixture of the Pride festivities since it was first inaugurated in 2014. In addition to showcasing lively and engaging discussion about current political and legislative issues affecting LGBTQ people, it also serves as a crucial reminder that our Pride movement is firmly rooted in politics and social change. Indeed, 2018 is a year of anniversaries – 35 years since the first Irish Pride march (following the homophobic killing of Declan Flynn) and 25 years since the status of criminality was finally removed from Irish LGBTQ citizens.

We can measure the impact of Pride by looking at research such as Burning Issues 2, which reveals that the vast majority of LGBTQ people believe it to be more important than ever. Such clear sentiment provides the perfect response to any claim that Pride suddenly became ‘unnecessary’ following the passage of the marriage referendum in 2015 – an important reform but by no means the end of our equality journey.

Time: Thursday, June 28 from 6.30-8.30pm Venue: Outhouse, 105 Capel St, Rotunda, D 1 Chair: Adam Long

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Our concern for justice and equality must not end at any border and of course Pride is a transnational movement. In keeping with this year’s Pride theme, our global LGBTQ community is indeed family. The international dimension of LGBTQ rights will thus feature prominently in this year’s debate. I am particularly pleased to welcome the well-known, much-admired global equality campaigner Peter Tatchell as a panellist this year.

Here at home, there are numerous outstanding areas where we still need to achieve progress and I look forward to teasing out those issues with my panellists. It is certainly notable that, according to the research, the desire for progressive social change remains undimmed.

I will also be eager to get the views of my panellists on what can broadly be termed ‘Education Equality’.

LGBTQ students exist in every single classroom in the country and their rights and needs should take precedence over an archaic school patronage system, which is increasingly out of kilter with the realities of modern Ireland.

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Meanwhile, in numerous other parts of the world, similar unsavoury political ideologies are also gaining ground.

A full agenda of issues awaits us on June 28.

Meanwhile, audience input will be as important as ever and we look forward to your views contributing to a dynamic Dublin LGBTQ Pride Political Debate 2018.

Adam Long National LGBT Federation

Panelists: Peter Tatchell of the Peter Tatchell Foundation Former Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald TD of Fine Gael Senator Fintan Warfield of Sinn Féin Justin McAleese of Fianna Fáil Sara Phillips of TENI and Dublin LGBTQ Pride Grand Marshal ‘18 Dil Wickremasinghe, Broadcaster

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Supporting Dublin Pride 2018

AXA are proud to support the 2018 Dublin LGBTQ Pride Festival.

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Take part in events around the city between June 21-June 30.

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I realise that not all of us in the LGBTQ community experience religious communities in this just and inclusive way. Faith communities, theologies, religious figures and histories can be profoundly hurtful. But, as the great queer theologian Marcella Althaus-Reid once observed, sometimes we queer folk refuse to choose between sexuality and faith. We don’t like being put into closets.

Faith & Sexuality AS THE WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES 2018 APPROACHES WITH A PLANNED VISIT FROM POPE FRANCIS TO DUBLIN, JACOB J. ERICKSON GIVES HIS THOUGHTS ON HOW SEXUALITY AND RELIGION CAN COEXIST PEACEFULLY.

We queer folk refuse to choose between sexuality and faith. We don’t like being put into closets.

Those who embody a rainbow of sexualities may see something spiritual in drag shows at the bar. They pray with saints about an exciting, new relationship.

They study queer theology or read the Bible from queer perspectives. They show up to Pride with rosaries or sing sacred music in choirs. They attend churches and synagogues and mosques and their very presence is a witness to the existence of queer faith. Maybe their faith is just an ordinary part of who they are. Even Pride this year features inclusive services.

Others join committees or get involved in organisations like ‘We Are Church Ireland’ and work to transform harmful and homophobic church policies to make for a better world. I want to see future generations of religious families grow up in more just, inclusive religious communities. A dear friend started an online dictionary for queer faith (queergrace.com) that aims to help in that.

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I was sitting with friends in church the first time I heard talk of Pride. A pastor preached a sermon on self-love that Sunday: “God creates and calls us to be our full selves,” he said. “Whether you’re straight or whether you’re gay, God creates you that way, loves you, and wants you to live fully in that love.” As a rural kid without much access to urban queer culture, that progressive religious voice rang in my ears and gave me the confidence to come out.

The world is changing. One of the worst myths LGBTQ folks have been forced to believe is that we’re not allowed to be our fullest selves, that we’re not allowed to participate in either church or society, or that we can’t create change. That’s a myth still being broken down and proven a lie. And I’m grateful to those who preach against that lie.

Our sexual diversity is a beautiful thing – and so too is our religious, spiritual and nonreligious diversity.

Pride is a time to justly celebrate the whole of our odd, mysterious, wondrous selves and to see that beautiful diversity in others.

Jacob J. Erickson Assistant Professor of Theological Ethics, Trinity College Dublin

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Years of

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Inspired by the centenary of women gaining the right to vote, Dublin Pride celebrates key moments in the evolution of LGBTQ rights in Ireland.

1974

The Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform Ireland’s laws against homosexuality dating from the Victorian era make ‘buggery’ an offence punishable by penal servitude. Lecturer in English at Trinity College Dublin, David Norris, spearheads the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform aimed at decriminalising homosexuality in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

1977

Norris Takes His Case David Norris initiates legal proceedings to decriminalise homosexuality in Ireland stating that such laws contravened the Constitution’s stand on privacy. In 1980, Norris’ case is defeated in the High Court.

1983

The First Gay Pride in Ireland In March 1983, the first Pride march is held as a reaction to a ruling on the death of Declan Flynn – a 31-year-old gay man who had been killed in Fairview Park. The group of men convicted of killing him were given suspended manslaughter charges.

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1988

Norris Versus Ireland

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Having been appealed to the Supreme Court and defeated by a ruling of three to two, David Norris’ case against the Irish Government is won in the European Court. His senior counsel is future president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.

1993

Decriminalisation In June, Ireland passes Criminal Fraud (Sexual Offences) Bill which decriminalises homosexuality. The Bill was proposed by Fianna Fáil TD and Minister for Justice Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. With it, the Victorian-era rulings are removed from the Irish statute book.

1997

1998

Lydia Foy Takes Her Case Employment Equality (Almost) Dr Lydia Foy begins legal

proceedings to challenge the The Employment Equality Act is refusal of the Registrar General introduced making it illegal for to issue her with a new birth employers to discriminate on certificate reflecting her gender. the basis of sexual orientation.

The case reaches the High Court in However, Section 37.1 of the 2000, but judgment is reserved for Act exempts religious-run nearly two years until 2002 when organisations from the legislation, Lydia Foy’s challenge is rejected. effectively allowing schools to fire or refuse to hire lesbian and gay people.

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2000

The Equal Status Act The Equal Status Act prohibits discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education under nine grounds including gender and sexual orientation.

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2007

Lydia Wins Her Case

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The European Court of Human Rights finds Ireland in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights in relation to Dr Lydia Foy’s right to an amended birth certificate. Initially challenging the 2007 ruling on 21 June 2010 the Irish Government withdraws its appeal and sets up an inter-departmental committee on the legal recognition of transgender people.

2010

Civil Partnerships Introduced

The Civil Partnership Act passes through the Dáil, giving same-sex couples more rights than they had previously been afforded. It is controversial legislation, given that it does not cover the rights of same-sex parents and their children, among other key rights. The first couple to enter a civil partnership are Barry Dignam and Hugh Walsh (pictured) in April, 2011.

2011

First openly gay TDs

In the General Election, two openly gay TDs take their seats in the Dáil. They are John Lyons (Labour) and Dominic Hannigan (Labour), representing Dublin North-West and Meath East respectively. A year later, Jerry Buttimer TD (Fine Gael) from Cork South Central comes out, saying, “I’m a TD who just happens to be gay”.

2015

Varadkar Comes Out Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar comes out on national radio, making him Ireland’s first openly gay minister. He states that it is important for upcoming votes he will be involved in – including whether laws on gay and bisexual men donating blood should be lifted and the referendum on same-sex marriage.

2015

Ireland Votes For Marriage Equality 62% of Irish people vote in a referendum to recognise same-sex marriage in the Irish Constitution. The measure is signed into law by the President of Ireland as the 34th amendment to the Irish Consitution on 29 August 2015, and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland take place on November 17.

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2015

Gender Recognition

2015 Section 37 Amended

The legal exemption for religious-run schools and hospitals of the ability to sack staff for being gay, divorced, or unmarried is amended in the Employment Equality Act.

2016

First Openly Lesbian TD

Katherine Zappone is elected to the Dáil, becoming the world’s 32nd lesbian to take a seat in parliament and the first in Ireland. In May of the same year, Zappone becomes Ireland’s first openly lesbian government Minister and the first Minister to have been openly gay at the time of appointment to cabinet, when Enda Kenny appoints her as the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

2017

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Introduced in July, the Gender Recognition Act 2015 provides that a person can apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection in order to have their preferred gender recognised by the State. It is some of the most forward-thinking gender recognition legislation in the world, but campaigners say it does not go far enough in recognising under 18s,

Ireland’s First Gay Taoiseach

On June 17, Leo Varadkar becomes the first gay man to appointed the leader of Ireland. He attends Dublin Pride the same year, saying: “I really owe the fact that I am here to the people who have campaigned over the years when it wasn’t popular or fashionable to do so.”

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Your Yes has changed Ireland for everyone.

Together

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IT’S BEEN 25 YEARS THIS MONTH SINCE HOMOSEXUALITY WAS DECRIMINALISED IN IRELAND. AND IT’S A MOMENT THAT MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING PHIL MOORE, FOUGHT HARD TO ACHIEVE. Phil Moore (85), mother to Dermod (55), a psychotherapist, played a key role in the campaign for decriminalisation.

Legend has it that it was her words to Máire GeogheganQuinn, Ireland’s first female cabinet minister since the early 1900s, that made the politician take action.

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The pivotal moment came when Phil was invited with activists Chris Robson and Suzy Byrne to meet the minister, who was considering whether to draft a bill on the issue.

“Chris and Suzy spoke beautifully before me,” says Phil. “And I was sitting there, looking very tweedish and very motherly.”

“Then it was my turn to speak. I didn’t blind her with a political speech; I just spoke about my son Dermod and how wonderful he was, and what a pity he was treated as a criminal. She took that on board, because she had children herself, and she decided that fixed it. And she was very brave and very courageous, and she did it.”

Five years after Senator David Norris took his landmark case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights and won, decriminalisation finally came into effect in 1993.

Dermod was living in London at the time, but came home the day the bill was passed into law: “I came straight from the airport to see Mum outside the Dáil. And we had the best hug ever.” “He twirled me around!” laughs Phil. “It was just one of those extraordinary days that we’ll never forget. Amazing.”

Both Dermod and Phil have seen major shifts in attitudes over the past three decades. “They were dark times,” says Phil.

“Aids was rampant, and many young people died. It’s easily forgotten, how sad and terrible some of the stories were.”

The pair also attended the protest after the murder of Declan Flynn in 1983 which sparked the beginning of Dublin Pride.

“There’s something about the atmosphere of that time, where people could be killed and their murderers get off scot-free, that’s the darkness we’re talking about,” says Dermot.

Naturally he is proud of his mother, an LGBT ally from the get-go: “Mum of course was a feminist before I brought this mention of my sexuality into her life. I mean I grew up reading Spare Rib magazine in the house – and it was banned!”

But both stress that the fight for equality must continue.“You have to tell the stories, you have to be patient, and you have to be tolerant,” says Phil. “Keep talking, and keep talking, go to meetings, go to parades, and do what you can.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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Dermod & Phil

It was just one of those extraordinary days that we’ll never forget L-R: Phil Moore with her son, Dermod Moore

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Sara, Evelyn & Sharon Family will always be crucial throughout your life

SARAH PHILLIPS IS THE CHAIR OF TENI, IRELAND’S TRANSGENDER EQUALITY NETWORK, AND HAS BEEN A MEMBER SINCE IT FIRST BEGAN IN 2006.

She has been involved with the trans community for almost three decades and played a vital role in the passing of the Gender Recognition Act, a piece of legislation she continues to fight to improve.

But not only is Sara beloved of the LGBTQ community and Grand Marshal of this year’s Pride parade; she is also a proud daughter, sister, parent and partner.

Sara’s late father was the first person she ever told she was transgender. “Myself and my Dad had a really great relationship,” she says. “I was struggling with it through my teenage years really badly and at one point when I was about 17 I went to him and said, ‘I have a really big problem I want to talk to you about and I’m not really sure how to approach it’.”

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“Ultimately that was a long long time ago, that was the seventies in Ireland, and it was very much a situation where he thought, ‘Look, maybe it’s a phase you’re going through’. And he made some suggestions. And that’s what I tried to do, I tried to get on with it, but it just never goes away. It never does.”

Sara transitioned over a period of 12 months in her early forties. She has three adult children from a former marriage who she is immensely proud of, and her eldest son supported her all the way through transition, despite being just 17 at the time: “In lots of ways he was one of my rocks because he was living with me. When you come back from surgery, you need to have someone looking after

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L-R: Evelyn Phillips with Pride Grand Marshal Sarah Phillips & her sister, Sharon Daynes

you for the first couple of weeks doing the running around. You’re basically lying on a sofa.”

The eldest of three children, Pride’s Grand Marshal also has two brothers and a sister. She laughs as she remembers telling her sister, with whom she’s extremely close, that she was trans: “There was this big silence. And all of a sudden she went, ‘You mean to say, after all these years, I have a sister?’ There were three boys, and her. She wanted a sister, and all of a sudden she had a sister.”

Sara’s mother, now in her eighties, is also very supportive. “She’s a member of TENI, and she’s coming to Pride with me,” explains Sara. “She’s 83 and she’s never been to Pride. So we’re trying to work out the logistics.”

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What message does she have for the transgender youth of today, who may be frustrated that they are sometimes not understood by those closest to them? “Family and that core friend group will always be crucial throughout your life. Transitions can be a very difficult time emotionally and you need people around you.

“Try and be patient with your family and friends, because if you can get them to come on board and you can get them around you to support you, your life will be so much easier and so much more fulfilling.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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Diversity at our core At Grant Thornton we are committed to ensuring every member of staff feels their individuality is appreciated and that they can bring their “whole” selves to work.

Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of our culture, our interaction with our clients and the external market.

Sasha Kerins Head of Diversity and Inclusion T +353 (0)45 448 852 E sasha.kerins@ie.gt.com

grantthornton.ie

EMBRACE Diversity at our core

© 2018 Grant Thornton Ireland. All rights reserved. Authorised by Chartered Accountants Ireland (“CAI”) to carry on investment business.

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“I TOTALLY ACCEPT AND DON’T DENY THAT THERE’S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PRIVILEGE WE HAVE TOGETHER THAT SAME-SEX COUPLES DON’T.”

So says bisexual Bella FitzPatrick, who has been married to her partner Shane Duane since 2015. The couple have been together for almost 8 years.

Sometimes, she says, it would be so much easier just to tell people she’s straight. At others, when out socialising in the LGBT community, she is nervous about referring to her long-term male partner in case she’s judged negatively or dismissed. It’s happened before, she says.

But Bella is not willing to either hide the love of her life nor deny the fact that she has always been attracted to women. In fact, she feels so strongly that people should be free to be themselves, she is now the Director of ShoutOut, a not-forprofit organisation that runs workshops on LGBTQ issues for schools, parents and professionals.

Bella and Shane met in third year at Dublin’s Trinity College. She was studying Medicinal Chemistry and he was doing a degree in Theoretical Physics. She told him she was bisexual early on, and that she’d had several relationships with women.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” says Shane.

“Because the main thing was that we were in love, together. It didn’t matter what preferences she had. As long as she was happy with me, I was happy with her.”

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Bella & Shane

And it’s stayed that way ever since. “He’s just really open-minded and accepting, and that’s what really drew me to Shane,” explains Bella. “If he had’ve had a problem, then he wouldn’t be the person he is, and we probably wouldn’t have got together.”

L-R: Bella FitzPatrick & husband Shane Duane

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“I think it’s probably just fear of the unknown that gets to people a lot of the time,” says Shane. “People get being gay now, but being bi is still kind of strange.

They just need to look at it for itself and not automatically suspect or suppose that there’s all this other stuff attached to it.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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HAPPY DUBLIN PRIDE!

Dublin or Dhaka. Galway or Ghana. Ireland or Indonesia. LGBTI rights are human rights.

We march for those who can't. We march in solidarity with everyone whose human rights are denied on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. We march to highlight injustices and call for an end to discrimination and human rights abuses against LGBTI people around the world.

Want to get involved in the ďŹ ght for LGBTI rights around the world?

Join the Amnesty LGBTI Rights Network.

Contact lgbt@amnesty.ie to learn more and get involved in the campaign.

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Leigh, Emma & Lauren LEIGH HAGAN (33) AND HER PARTNER EMMA FIDGEON-KAVANAGH (35 ) HAD BOTH ALWAYS WANTED CHILDREN, BUT WERE NEVER REALLY SURE IF IT WAS AN OPTION FOR THEM.

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The pair have been together since 2011, and recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary. Six months ago, Emma gave birth to their first child, Lauren.

“We had some friends who had gone through clinics, and it had gone really well for them, so we just decided that we’d go down that route,” says Emma.

Although picking a donor was a tricky decision, the pair say their experience of attending a Dublin fertility clinic was extremely positive: “We felt really accepted as two lesbian parents. They were really welcoming and supportive,” Leigh explains.

On deciding who would give birth to their first child, that decision was “more straightforward”, with Emma deciding to go first. “You’re in a very nice position to be able to make that choice,” laughs Leigh of being in a female same-sex couple.

Emma is now on maternity leave from her job as a tax consultant, while Leigh is back at work as a speech and language therapist.

L-R: Leigh Hagan & Emma Fidgeon-Kavanagh with 6-month-old Lauren

“We were thinking, ‘What is different for us compared to other couples?’ and I think it’s maybe the fact that there’s two mothers: one’s on maternity leave getting to enjoy that, and spending all day with the baby, and then you have another mother, who is equally just as much a mother, but has to go to work.

And the difficulties behind explaining to people why you’re in work and yet you have a baby.”

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How are the two finding motherhood so far? “It’s life changing. It’s an extraordinary thing, and it’s really difficult to articulate how it feels. We’re loving it,” says Leigh.

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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RA I N B O W Opening Night: 20th June 2018 Time: 6pm - 8pm Running until: 30th June 2018

In conjunction with Dublin LGBTQ Pride Group Exhibition Featuring Mark O’Neill, Patrick O’Reilly, Eleanor Swan, Will St Leger, Shauna McCann, Fidelma Massey, Debbie Chapman, Maria Strzelecka, Alan Boyle, Brendan Ryan, Jordain Molloy Gillen, Pavel Jezak and many more

Gallery Zozimus 55/56 Francis Street, Dublin 8 01-4539057 www.galleryzozimus.ie info@galleryzozimus.ie

We also revamped the way you can subscribe to GCN by introducing three different tiers, each of them packed with perks and GCN goodies.

Visit www.gcn.ie/qcard to see what’s on offer.

Your passport to queer Irish life We’ve teamed up with businesses and organisations across Ireland to bring you our brand new membership card, packed with exclusive discounts and offers on shops, restaurants, events and more – GCN’s Q Card.

You will receive your very own Q Card when you subscribe to our print magazine. You can check all the offers and discounts available for our subscribers at www.gcn.ie/qcard.

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Friday

JUNE 11

JUNE 15

The Decriminalisation Monologues

Bright and Gay, Gloria DLGC Summer Concert

Outhouse, 11–15 June 1pm, 14 & 15 June 7pm, 16 June 2.30pm, Price €12/€8

Werburgh Street Church, Dublin 2, 8pm, €10

To mark the 25th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland, Acting Out present new monologues by Irish writers, including lunchtime shows. Ticket includes a delicious light lunch in our café!

Pride Summer Concert with special guest singer Eoin Hynes, in Werburgh Street Church on Friday, June 15 at 8pm.

Back from attending the Various Voices festival in Munich, Gloria look forward to welcoming you to this delightful venue.

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JUNE 2O Rainbow Group Exhibition

June 20 until June 30, Gallery Zozimus, 55/56 Francis Street, Free Pride exhibition featuring artists including Mark O’Neill, Patrick O’Reilly, Eleanor Swan and Will St Leger.

Thursday

JUNE 21 GCN30 Exhibition

Thursday June 21 to July 1, The Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Free A multimedia exhibition charting three decades of the evolution of LGBT Ireland through the pages of GCN (Gay Community News), which was first published 30 years ago. A number of talks and events will take place during the exhibition’s run. Find out more at www.gcn.ie.

Friday

JUNE 22 Dublin Pride Run 5K 2018

Phoenix Park, near Papal Cross Car Park, 7.30pm-12am, Free

The Dublin Pride Run is an Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) accredited 5K race now entering its seventh year.

You can jog, run, walk, or prance your way around the park. Dublin Frontrunners are raising money for three worthy charities: TENI, Gay Switchboard and Dublin Lesbian Line. All proceeds from the run go to these charities.

The Outing & Dublin Pride Does Rock, Indie and Pop

Whelans, 25 Wexford St, D2, 8pm

A fun night out at Dublin’s top indie venue. Tickets: whelanslive.com Saturday

JUNE 23 Outhouse Cookery Demonstration (Mental Health & Wellbeing)

Outhouse, 1.30pm, Free

Outhouse Chef Clair will be giving a cookery demonstration along with some guest chefs. The cookery demonstration will focus on highlighting the impact of a healthy balanced diet on our overall mental health and wellbeing.

Soapbox Session (Mental Health & Wellbeing) Outhouse, 3pm, Free

Join us for the sixth annual Soapbox Session in celebration of mental health and the LGBT+ community. Speakers from different backgrounds, ages and identities will share their stories in conversation with host Laura Louise Condell (Dublin Lesbian Line) on this year’s Dublin Pride theme ‘We Are Family’.

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Wednesday

Sunday

JUNE 24 LGBTI+ History @ BeLonG To Sunday

Outhouse Community Centre, 105 Capel Street, 3pm-6pm, Free If you are 14 - 17 and want to learn more about LGBTI+ History, then this is the place to be!

Register at dublinfrontrunners.ie for the Dublin Pride Run 2018. Let’s run together!

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Sunday

Monday

JUNE 24

JUNE 25

Dublin City Centre (meeting point: The George), 3.30pm-6pm and 4pm-6.30pm, Free An indispensable part of Dublin Pride, the queer history walking tour begins at The George and winds its way leisurely through the city centre, with a significant stop at Leinster House to mark the 25th anniversary of decriminalisation, before finishing at the Oscar Wilde statue. Due to popularity, there will be two tours hosted

by Mary McAuliffe and Tonie Walsh, each approximately 2.5 hrs in duration.

This is a free, ticketed event and is open to all. See Eventbrite.ie for more details.

Further information on the Irish Queer Archive: irishqueerarchive@gmail.com, tel: +353 85 816 4033.

Uncover - A Series of Portraits

The Library Project, Temple Bar, 7pm-9.30pm, Monday June 25 until Sunday July 1, Free Gay Switchboard Ireland has engaged queer photographer Brian Teeling to create an exhibition which sees individuals from all walks of Irish society photographed, from politicians to musicians and artists and activists to unsung heroes. This crosssection of the LGBTQ community represents the diversity of individuals within it and seeks to uncover the issues that confront those who access Gay Switchboard Ireland. Many of those included are torch-bearers in our society as they transform and represent change in Ireland.

The exhibition will run throughout the week of Pride in the Library Project in Temple Bar. Proceeds from the project will support Gay Switchboard Ireland, Ireland’s longest-running voluntary LGBT+ support service.

A Day In May

Olympia Theatre, June 24 & June 25, 7.30pm, from €25.50 We all remember the years, weeks and months leading up to that magical day in May 2015 when the people of Ireland said Yes to Marriage Equality.

Ticket are now on sale for the World Premiere of ‘A Day In May’, a play based on the book of the same name by Charlie Bird that captured some of the stories from the historic referendum.

All proceeds from the event will go to Pieta House working with BeLonG To LGBT+ Youth Service, their friends and collaborative partners. BeLonG To work in partnership with Pieta House to deliver a counselling service for LGBTI+ young people who were self-harming or thinking of suicide.

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Tuesday

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Dublin Pride Queer Walking Tour

June 26 Screening of The 34th & Panel Q&A

Lighthouse Cinema, 8.30pm, tickets available on Eventbrite.ie

A screening of The 34th, a documentary that tells the story of the driven and dedicated people who formed marriage equality in Ireland and developed it into a grassroots force with one clear goal in mind – the extension of civil marriage to same sex couples.

A panel Q&A with Katherine Zappone TD and key figures from the campaign will take place after the screening.

All proceeds will go towards the political campaign fund for Katherine Zappone, TD, Ireland’s only lesbian member of government.

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Wednesday

Thursday

JUNE 27

JUNE 28 Dublin Pride Annual Debate

Outhouse, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Free

‘Speed-friending’ evening, in a relaxed atmosphere with friendly chats and good food and drinks to celebrate Pride week.

In association with the NXF, this year’s Pride Annual Debate features a panel of esteemed key note speakers, including Senator Fintan Warfield of Sinn Fein, Justin McAleese of Fianna Fail, Sara Phillips of TENI and broadcaster Dil Wickremasinghe.

Drag+Draw Pride Edition

Street 66, 7pm-9pm, €10, Sign up online Drag + Draw is an informal life drawing session for drawing and drag enthusiasts alike. For this Pride special, we are mega excited to have the incomparable Bunny as our model.

This guided session will be led by artist and teacher Ailbhe O’Connor and is open for drawing beginners (so absolutely feel free to feck it up!). It will also give more experienced artists the opportunity to draw a model whose posture and attitude brings a whole new energy to life drawing. Basic materials provided, but feel free to bring your own stuff.

For more information, check out the draganddraw Facebook page or email draganddrawdublin@gmail.com.

Pole Show – Pride Special

The George, from 11pm, Free

Veda presents an all-star pole dancing show with some of the world’s leading pole dancing superstars! Not forgetting to mention our fierce drag ladies will also be taking on the pole. Show kicks off 11pm with DJ Rocky on the turntables til late and it’s free in all night.

Post Marriage Equality: A State of Mind

LinkedIn Dublin Offices, Gardner House, 2 Wilton Place, 7pm-9pm, €5

A discussion on the issues facing the community in the wake of Marriage Equality, hosted by National Sexual Health Outreach Worker and Director of Gay Switchboard Ireland, Adam Shanley. Guests TBA.

Thursty Thursday Antics with Davina Devine The George, from 11pm, Free

Our number one hun, Davina Devine, and her thirsty comrades will be here slayin’ the stage for your entertainment, just in time to warm you up for Pride!

Expect high kicks and low standards with #sickeningdrag performances thrown in. DJ Conor will be spinning the pop hits til late and it’s free in all night. Well doesn’t that all sound tempting indeed!

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Girls’ Night In Pride Party

Outhouse, 7pm, Free

Karaoke Session

Street 66, from 8pm, Free Karaoke session and raffle for Lagunitas Circus tickets in London!

Pride Geilí

Pantibar, from 9pm, Free

Pantibar in association with The Outing & Dublin Pride presents the legendary Pride tradition of music and dancing.

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JUNE 29 Movie screening: ‘Pride’,

Offices of The Workers’ Party, 7.30pm, Donation based The Workers’ Party socialist film club Reel Politics is hosting a screening of the movie ‘Pride’ on Friday June 29 at 7.30pm. Reel Politics is a fundraising event with suggested donations of €5 or €3 for unwaged. The funds go towards The Workers’ Party. Visit the Reel Politics Facebook page for more information.

Special Pride AA Meeting

Outhouse, Starting at 8pm, Free

Pride events are great fun and it’s a wonderful time of celebration, however for those of us in the LGBTQ community with alcohol issues this time of year can be testing.

There is an opportunity for anyone who may have a concern about their drinking to come to an open public meeting of the LGBTQ Group of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) at Outhouse on Friday at 8pm.

Saturday

JUNE 30 Outhouse Pride Breakfast

Pop Tunes at Pantibar

Outhouse, 9am

Your favourite pop tunes with Pantiboy Stephen Dowling.

Outhouse Pride Breakfast is back! Start the day on the right foot with a delicious breakfast in a relaxed and welcoming space at Outhouse Café. There’ll be something for everyone; from vegans to meat eaters and everyone in-between (non-alcohol event).

Pantibar, from 9pm, Free

Glitterbomb

The George, Free until 10.30pm, €5 until 12am, €8 afterwards

Pre-Parade Brunch Event: ‘The Party Starts Here’

NoLIta, Georges Street, 10.30am-1pm, tickets €25

Get your pre-pride celebrations started right with some banging tunes and dancing! Glitterbomb will have you tasting all the colours of the rainbow with back-to-back DJs and drop dead gorgeous glittery dancers to gawk at!

So come on, show that dance floor who’s boss! DJs Mo and Davina will be encouraging you to become the lord of the dance through the medium of the latest mashups and remixes!

Ensure your day is off to a fabulous start & enjoy beats, eats and colourful cocktails from 10.30am to 1pm at NoLIta, Dublin. The perfect way to fuel up for a day of parading around the city, celebrating all that Pride Festival has to offer.

Tickets are just €25 and available to order from Eventbrite, covering a welcome cocktail on arrival, 1 x house drink and a brunch main course. Group reservations available for parade participants via email to bookings@nolita.ie.

Dublin Bear Pride

Youth Work Ireland, 20 Dominick St Lower, 10.30am-12pm, Free

Nealon’s Bar, 165 Capel St, from 9pm, Free

DJ Aggie on the decks for Dublin Bear Pride.

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Friday

Pride Youth Breakfast

BeLonG To and Youth Work Ireland’s annual pre-parade breakfast for young people (aged 14 -23). Come along to get ready, get fed and to meet up with young people from all over Ireland. Free event, no alcohol permitted.

PRIDE 666

Street 66, from 9pm, Free

Drag Madness Disco Pride with Lady Veda & Pixie Woo.

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JUNE 30 The George’s Pride Party

The George, from 12 noon, Free in until 5pm, €10 after After you’re done proudly parading yourself at Dublin Pride, join us as we celebrate until the late AM. With back-to-back DJs and pop-up bars out the back, you’ll never want to leave! This is the day we’ve all been waiting for so get your sexy selves sorted with Pride’s biggest party right here. This Pride be Proud and let’s celebrate together!

Pantibar All Day Street Party Pantibar, from 2pm (all day), Free

Pantibar’s famous all day street party!

Dublin Pride Parade 2018

From Stephen’s Green to Smithfield, from 2pm, Free

This year the parade will assemble at St Stephen’s Green South with speeches and entertainment from the starting point from 12 noon. The Pride Parade will embark on its route at 2pm sharp.

From there it will head through Dublin and will finish at our brand new Pride Village location. The parade is a celebration of the rich diversity of the LGBT+ community in Dublin, Ireland and the world, with diverse arts, social and cultural content.

GOLD Post Parade Party

Outhouse, 3pm-7pm, Free

Celebrate with us after the parade at our annual post parade party hosted by GOLD. All ages welcome! (non-alcohol event)

Mother Pride Block Party

Tivoli Theatre, Francis Street, 4pm-11pm, €25 The Mother gang is teaming up with sparkling sponsor Smirnoff and throwing another Mother of a Pride Block party. Get ready for their biggest party of 2018! Now in its fourth year on the grounds of the iconic Tivoli, this year will feature full bars, food stalls, bespoke interactive installations and everything else needed for the most bangin’ party on the block.

Line up to be announced in the coming weeks. Strictly over 18s.

El Styra’s Pride Pop Party

Nealon’s Bar, 165 Capel St, 4pm, Free

Dublin Bears party with DJ El Styra.

Drop. DRAG. Gorgeous.

Mercantile, Dame Street, 7.30pm, €16

Join us in The Mercantile post-parade at 7.30pm for what is sure to be a colourful performance from Ireland’s Got Talent Star, Paul Ryder. With high kicks, low blows & lip sync battles on the line up- this is the perfect way to kick start Pride night in the midst of Dublin’s Pride madness.

Tickets are €16 and available to order from Eventbrite, covering entry & 2 x house drinks per person. Group reservations available for post parade parties via email to bookings@mercantile.ie.

THE OFFICIAL PRIDE 2018 AFTER PARTY Opium, Wexford Street, from 7.30pm, Tickets €15

Partnering with Dublin Pride Festival, Opium Dublin are pleased to present this year’s OFFICIAL parade after party with none other than your girl, Samantha Mumba. Expect to hear your favourite Samantha Mumba hits, with meet and greet opportunities post-performance.

With a rooftop BBQ keeping things lit, an exclusive Pride cocktail menu & confetti cannons showering the dance floor in colour all night long, this really is set to be Pride 2018’s biggest party! Tickets are €15 and available to order from Eventbrite.

Group reservations available via email to bookings@opium.ie.

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Saturday Continued

The Covers: Live Rock & Indie Classics Plus DJ GerBear & Pixie Woo Street 66, DJs from 8pm, Free

A perfect tribute to Morrissey, The Beatles, Van Morrison, The Stones, The Killers, Prince, David Bowie and more. Afterwards, DJ GerBear and Pixie Woo until late.

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Saturday Continued

Sunday

JUNE 30

JULY 1

THE FURRY GLEN

Panti’s Big Gay Cocktail Giveaway

Dublin Bears present Sound House in Wiley Fox with DJ Martin McCann. Special Guest DJ Eddie Kay.

SPINSTER Pride Party

Bad Bobs Temple Bar, 10pm-3.30am, €12 SPINSTER brings you five floors of the LADYZ Pride Party to end all Pride parties at Bad Bobs, Temple Bar. DJ Elle (Crush Girlclub fame) will on in the main club, and you can enjoy the best in current dance-floor stompers - a mix of solid house and RnB from 10pm until VERY late on the roof. Expect the unexpected with super craziness in every corner! Or you just chill out in the VIP room, with smoking balcony (you are all VIPs, so open to all). €1 from every ticket goes to supporting the wonderful TENI. Tickets at www.dublingurlclub.com.

Mother After Dark

Pantibar, from 6pm, Free

Pantis Big Gay Cocktail Giveaway (it’s NOT bingo) with Panti, Dizzy and Arianna.

Pride Bingo with Shirley

The George, show starts 9.30pm, Free in until 10pm, €5 entry after Let Shirley Temple Bar and her Bingo Belles nurse those Pride hangovers with some ball-popping Sunday Bingo! You could win big bucks while watching some of Ireland’s most well-loved queens doing what they do best, and no we ain’t talking about drinking, we’re talking about drag! So join us as we wave goodbye to another amazing Pride until next year!

District 8, Tivoli Theatre, 11pm-3am, €10 (plus booking fee)

Following on from Mother Pride Block Party, the peeps responsible for one of Pride’s biggest events are throwing the Mother of all afterparties inside the Tivoli and District 8 from 11pm to 3am. Tickets are very limited so make sure to grab yours quick! We love a good late-night afterparty...especially at Pride.

Saturday

JULY 14 Dundalk Pride

Line up: Mother DJs plus very special guests to be announced.

Strictly over 18s event.

Outcomers Centre, 8 Roden Place, Dundalk, Free

Visit the Mother Facebook page for more details.

Dundalk Outcomers have a number of events planned for Pride from Monday July 9, culminating in a family fun day on Saturday July 14, 12pm to 5pm in Outcomer’s courtyard. Come along and enjoy music, chat, coffee and great baking. Join Outcomers later that night VTC to celebrate another year.

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Wiley Fox, 28 Eden Quay, 10pm, €10

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The Parade Route: 2pm

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Post-Parade Party, Smithfield Square: 3pm – 7pm

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Staying Safe at the Getting to Pride and Around the City

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• For security, we will have searches entering the Stephens Green and Smithfield festival sites. This is a requirement for the safety of all, please cooperate with security staff, stewards and An Garda Síochána.

• Please do not bring a bag, people without bags will be fast tracked through the search at either location.

• If you must bring a bag it needs to be smaller than A5 size. All bags will be subject to search and will result in unnecessary queuing.

There will of course be exceptions made for people with medical conditions or children, but for the sake of everybody’s safety, all bags will be thoroughly searched.

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working with us. If you need assistance or you see someone who does, contact one of our team.

• You may not bring alcohol into

• Please look after your own welfare

Looking after each other

• Remember your first Pride,

the festival grounds.

• Free wristbands for children are

available at St Stephens Green and Smithfield. The purpose of these wristbands is to help reunite lost children with their parent/guardian should they get separated from you.

Have a happy and safe Pride!

Jed Dowling Festival Director

• We will have a medical team

Martin Cullen Event Controller

on the day. Stay hydrated, we will have a supply of free drinking water if needed.

it’s magical and terrifying and wonderful and overwhelming all at once. Be welcoming and friendly to those here for their first time; this is not a day to be alone.

After all, ‘We Are Family’.

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Bags and searches

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& Locations Bars/Clubs 5 The George 6 Pantibar 7 Street 66 8 Tivoli Theatre 9 Bad Bob’s Temple Bar Arts/Culture 10 The Library Project 11 Gallery of Photography 12 Lighthouse Cinema

28/05/2018 19:08

THE MOST ICONIC SHOW ON DUBLIN’S LGBTQ SCENE, ‘BINGO WITH SHIRLEY TEMPLE BAR’ CELEBRATES ITS 21ST BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR. Although The George’s flagship Sunday sermon has had different line-ups over the years, several constants have stayed the same: Shirley Templebar, LGBTs nursing hangovers and, naturally, the bingo.

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But how has Shirley managed sustain it, week in week out? “It’s not always been easy to show up, but most of the time it is because it’s fun,” she says.

Performing with her onstage tonight are fellow drag artists Veda, Dolly and Davina, with DJ Karen on decks and ‘young fella’ Dave stage managing. These bingo buddies enjoy being creative together, feeding off each other’s energy and just generally having a good time.

The LGBTQ landscape has changed dramatically since the show – one-third stand up, one-third drag act and another third bingo – first started out.

Shirley says this is what has kept things interesting.

“The bingo show had a lot to do with opening up the gay community from a secretive and secluded world, behind darkened windows, into something where people from all around the country, straight as well as gay, were coming to The George to see it,” she explains. “So it had a big impact on blowing the doors off the secrecy of the gay scene.”

“Back in those days, it was considered quite a naughty thing to do. It was looked down on by a lot of people, including in the gay community.”

She tells me it’s incredible to witness how much things have changed: “The first time I ever went to Pride, I think I was on the streets of Dublin for about 25 minutes!” she says. “I don’t think there was any Gardaí looking out for us. And there were people wearing masks because they weren’t out. We didn’t want to linger around, there was an air of danger.

“I get a big kick out of the freedom of young kids celebrating inclusivity and diversity in a way I could never do when I was their age, and that gives me all the feels.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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29/05/2018 11:44

Back in those days, it was considered quite a naughty thing to do

Bingo Buddies L-R: Dave, DJ Karen, Davina, Shirley, Dolly & Veda

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28/05/2018 20:11

COMMUNITY PRIDE, FAMILY PRIDE, LGBTQ PRIDE, TR AVELLER

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RO MA PR IDE .

29/05/2018 17:44

Oein, Dan & Trina “THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN GAY TRAVELLERS. IT’S NOTHING NEW,” SAYS OEIN DEBHAIRDUIN. “It’s just that for a very long time we didn’t have the freedom to say, ‘Yes, I am,’ because people were in situations that didn’t facilitate that or others may have cautioned against it.”

Oein (32) is a gay traveller man from Tuam in Co. Galway, the town with the highest traveller population in Ireland. He has been with partner Dan for over a decade and has lived in Dublin for five years now.

DeBhairduin is a key figure in the Irish Traveller Movement as its vice-chairman. Among his many roles supporting the traveller community, he is also one of the founding members of LGBT Pavee, a support group set up in 2009 after a spate of LGBTQ traveller suicides.

majority of travellers don’t have access to a wider social setting. They can’t go into most pubs or clubs, and when people do get in, they have the tendency to only go to there because they know it’s a safe place.”

When he came out to his own family at 16, Oein was initially advised to move: “It was a case of ‘consider your safety and what kind of life you want. If you want a different life, maybe it’s not here’.”

He describes an essential conflict between traveller culture, with its focus on marriage, and being gay: “The structures of LGBT services are based around young people. They’re not really based around the potential that you could be a young mother with children.”

Family support is crucial for LGBTQ travellers, says Oein, who describes his own family, in particular his close relationship with sister Triona, as “very strong”.

Being a gay traveller can be an incredibly lonely and difficult experience, Oein says, and a case of “being marginalised and then further marginalised again”.

“In every community, family is important. But especially for travellers, because of the social issues, because of the discrimination and prejudice. Having family close to you is key because it gives you a sense of security.”

“The travelling community in itself can very isolating because it’s very protective,” he explains. “The vast

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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L-R: Trina Warde, brother Oein DeBhairduin, his partner Dan McGrath & their dog, Chester

29/05/2018 14:52

LEAVING BEHIND YOUR OWN COUNTRY IS NEVER EASY. BUT IT’S MADE ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT WHEN YOU ARE UNABLE TO WORK OR LIVE INDEPENDENTLY WITH NO CLEAR END IN SIGHT.

It is frustrating, but I can only hope for the best

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That is the lived experience of Clarice Mhonderwa, a good-humoured, calm and articulate woman in her early thirties who originally hails from Zimbabwe. She has been living in direct provision in Birchwood House, Waterford City for over three years as she waits to find out whether she will be granted refugee status.

“It is frustrating, but I can only hope for the best,” she tells me. “I can’t let the frustration get to me, because I’m only hurting myself.”

Clarice is bisexual but says that being openly gay in her home country was an impossibility, and that holding any ‘controversial’ political views during President Mugabe’s reign would have meant grave danger.

She moved to Ireland from the UK at the end of 2014 and soon after became a member of the Identity LGBT Group, which now meets at Outhouse in Dublin’s city centre. It was here she met Carlos Velasquez (30), a refugee from Venezuela, and Ernest Slickus (28), a Lithuanian victim of human trafficking, who came to Ireland five years ago, frightened, alone and with little to no English.

Ernest never came out to his foster parents in Lithuania because he knew they wouldn’t approve of his sexuality. “They kind of knew about it, because obviously my manner is a bit different from other guys,” he says. He left home at 18 on “not the best” terms and has never spoken with them about his orientation.

All three say that the group has made a real difference to their lives, offering them invaluable support from other LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers. They will all be marching in the Pride Parade on June 30 along with other members of Identity, to remind us that, as far as Ireland may have come in terms of LGBTQ acceptance, persecution and homophobia are still rife globally. We need to remember those still struggling under oppression and offer our fullest support.

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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28/05/2018 20:11

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Clarice, Carlos & Ernest

L-R: Carlos Velasquez, Clarice Mhonderwa & Ernest Slickus

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29/05/2018 14:52

Mother is delighted to be packing our gold sequins and making the journey back to Ballinlough Castle this summer!

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This year on Reckless in Love, Mother is hosting a 16 hour Saturday takeover so expect to have your Body & Soul satiated in a gold & glittering extravaganza.

29/05/2018 10:17

BUKKAKE PRIDE PARTY SPECIAL

ALL DAY ROOFTOP PARTY

ALL NIGHT INDOOR CLUB SATURDAY 30TH JUNE

THE GRAND SOCIAL (Only 100 Sashays away from PantiBar)

MAIN ROOM

PADDY SCAHILL RAFAEL MAFRA SEAN RATCHFORD ROOF TERRACE

BUNNY

Many more DJs to be announced.

2 ROOMS / 8 DJS OUTDOOR BARS & FOOD Doors: 5.30pm - Ends: Sunday 1st - Tickets available from Eventbrite.ie - Early Bird: 10 Euro - General Admission: 15 Euro

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28/05/2018 19:44

CONLETH TEEVAN (47), MIKEY O’BRIEN (33) AND RHONA DRUMMOND (39) ARE NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL FAMILY, BUT THEY’RE ONE THAT WORKS. Two months ago, Rhona gave birth to their son Felix Teevan-O’Brien – the lucky little boy who will have three parents instead of one.

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Conleth and Mikey have been a couple for seven years, becoming civil partners in 2014, just before the ‘Yes’ campaign kicked in. While Mikey and Rhona, who worked as midwives at the Rotunda together, have been friends for a decade.

“It was really over a period of a few years that we talked about having a child together,” says Rhona.

“Personally I thought that the opportunity to have a family was kind of passing me by. But through the conversation with Mikey and Conleth, it became a reality.”

“We were lucky I had contacts at one of the clinics that did tests on both myself and Rhona,” Mikey adds. “We started fertility drugs, still nothing was happening after six months, and we were about to go to Prague for full-blown IVF. At the very last attempt here in the Big Smoke it happened.”

After over a year of trying to get pregnant, the three were on the point of giving up when they finally received their good news.

“I told a friend who’s a mother of two when Rhona became pregnant and it was a big surprise to her. She was shocked, first and foremost, that we were doing it, but then she said, ‘Oh my God, everyone should have at least three parents. It makes more sense!’” says Conleth.

Parenting of any kind is brand new to all three, and they’re still in the process of figuring it all out: “In relation to Felix and the three of us, we have a dynamic that works,” Mikey explains.

“We’re three very different people, and we’re just taking every day as it comes at the moment.”

“It was a very interesting couple of years, we learnt a lot and hopefully we’ll be able to pass that information on to someone else going through it,” he says. “It was a journey, but you know we’re very lucky.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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L-R: Conleth Teevan, Mikey O’Brien & Rhona Drummond with baby Felix

29/05/2018 19:00

The three of us have a dynamic that works

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29/05/2018 19:00

MARCO DIAS (32), NADIA FUNARO (38) AND MATEUS ZANCHETA (31) HAVE BEEN FRIENDS FOR A DECADE. THEY MET ON AN ENGLISH COURSE AFTER ARRIVING IN DUBLIN, MARCO AND MATEUS FROM BRAZIL, AND NADIA FROM ITALY.

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Hytalo Fonseca (28), a friend of Marco’s brother back home, joined their tight-knit group three years ago, and the four are now so close, they consider themselves like a little family.

“We’re all foreigners and we had to go through dealing with language, getting a job, finding a house, going to school, and I think all of that brought us even closer together. But we also share the same interests,” explains Marco.

Being far away from biological family, even after so many years, can still be tough. But the three guys, all of whom are gay, and their female Italian friend have an incredible bond, which sees them through the difficult times.

“We do everything together,” says Hytalo, who shares a flat with Marco. “We cook for each other, we travel together, we go to the cinema together, all the family things. We are all together all the time!”

Marco is from Porto Alegre in South Brazil: “The struggle is just real down there. The racism and discrimination is at a very high level, so that was one of the reasons I moved. I came out to my family at 15, but I had people throwing things at me in the street, I had people shouting things at me, I had death threats. It’s a big city, and you think, ‘Oh Brazil, it’s colourful, it’s nice’, but it wasn’t that way.”

Nadia is from a small province in Italy, where views can be very conservative, and says moving to Dublin and experiencing the LGBTQ community here really opened her mind: “I love to be surrounded by the gay community, I feel a part of it. It has really helped me to express myself better, to not feel judged all the time, to dress the way I want, to say what I want.

Now I can’t live without them.”

All four can’t wait for Pride this year, with Marco planning his first ‘drag debut’ since 2009. “It’s about showing young people that they have to rise up the flag, and just be themselves,” says Mateus. “That’s the most important. As long as as you know who you are, you don’t need anybody else’s approval.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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29/05/2018 10:27

Marco & Friends

As long as you know who you are, you don’t need anybody else’s approval

L-R: Hytalo Fonseca, Marco Dias, Nadia Funaro & Mateus Zancheta

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28/05/2018 20:12

Growing up LGBTI+ isn’t all rainbows.

BeLonG To Youth Services is here to support young people.

We run youth groups nationwide, and offer support, information, and free counselling for LGBTI+ young people between 14 and 23 years.

You don’t have to be alone.

Find out more at www.belongto.org or call 01 670 6223

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28/05/2018 19:50

P O

1 J 2

Moninne, Clodagh & Edie So says Moninne Griffith, the Grand Marshal of last year’s parade, Executive Director of BeLonG To and former Marriage Equality Director.

“I took great comfort in that, to see other LGBTQ people. It gave me courage and hope that I would be brave in the future.”

When she did come out, Pride became all about getting the message about marriage equality out there. “Now, with BeLonG To, it’s a great opportunity to have old and young, rich and poor come together, to learn about their history, make friends and party.”

The BeLonG To Director says three young people a month are made homeless due to the fact that they are LGBTQ: “Even if they aren’t made homeless, they

are struggling at home to be accepted. We have so many people coming up from all around the country on their own to be with their ‘gay family’. Pride is a day to be with friends, to feel like they are part of a community that loves them and accepts them no matter how different they are.”

Discussing this year’s theme, Moninne’s wife Clodagh Robinson says there’s always been a sense of family woven through Pride. “When I was single, I went with my gay family. As a couple, we went with our couple friends. Now it’s evolved again and we’re coming together with our kids and seeing all our gay friends with theirs.”

“But we are still not fully equal,” says Clodagh. “We are still waiting for Section 2 of the Family Relations Act to be enacted. In the eyes of the law, I am just a guardian, not a parent to our four-year old daughter, Edie. When she turns 18 our relationship will, officially, revert to that of stranger. It’s a smack in the face.”

Words: Caomhan Keane

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“BEFORE I OFFICIALLY SAID ANYTHING, PRIDE WAS THE ONLY TIME I COULD BE OUT AND FEEL OUT.”

L-R: Moninne Griffith, daughter Edie Rose & wife Clodagh Robinson

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29/05/2018 14:53

Linders Motor Group & Linders of Smithfield are proud sponsors of Pride Festival 2018

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28/05/2018 19:44

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28/05/2018 19:37

Eileen & Frankie

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“I REMEMBER A CUSTOMER FROM THE COFFEE SHOP I WORKED IN SEEING ME AND I WAS TERRIFIED OF REPERCUSSIONS,” SAYS EILEEN LEAHY, WHEN I ASK HER ABOUT MARCHING IN THE TINY PRIDE MARCHES OF THE EARLY 1980S.

“This was a time when being an unmarried mother itself was considered a really awful thing.

Being gay was just fuel on a lit fire.

“You were considered a degenerate, a criminal, a danger to children.

Someone threatened to have my son (the novelist Frankie Gaffney), taken off me. You didn’t have to believe it for it to do damage.”

Is it any wonder that she was a repeat visitor to the closet? “I came out when Frankie was quite young, but I went back in as I wouldn’t have been comfortable making him a target.”

Not being able to go out on Dublin’s small but vibrant gay scene was like missing Christmas over and over. “I remember going to a gay event a few years later and being very aware of how much I needed it, that sense of being with your people, not being the odd person in every situation.”

She came out to Frankie when he was a teenager. “There were clues,” he laughs, “all these women coming round to the gaff with short hair, and my Ma going out to The George every week.

“I’m intensely proud of me Ma, blazing the trail that she did. For not settling down into a crappy marriage to conform. Back then, there were 40 to 70 people, fanning themselves out to make the march look bigger, and only three or four of them were women.

But when we went last year, you couldn’t see where the march started or ended.”

Words: Caomhan Keane

L-R: Frankie Gaffney & his mother, Eileen Leahy

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28/05/2018 19:45

Daniel

“HIV is an undetectable and untransmittable part of me.

Stigma is the social disease.”

Robbie

Tonie

“Being undetectable these past nine years has been utterly liberating for me.”

We are on effective treatment so our HIV is undetectable.

That means we’re healthy and we can’t pass the virus on.

We are taking care of ourselves and taking care of each other.

We are the solution.

“Taking my HIV medication every day keeps me healthy and protects my boyfriend.”

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Read about Daniel, Tonie and Robbie at www.masc.life or visit actupdublin.com

28/05/2018 19:46

LUCAS CROSS (21) WAS 15 YEARS OLD WHEN HE CAME OUT TO HIS PARENTS AS TRANS. And his mother Catherine is not afraid to admit that it was a difficult time: “To be honest, transgender wasn’t really on my radar. I didn’t know anything about it and I did find it very challenging.

“It took a couple of years, and I suppose Lucas’ delay in transitioning wasn’t really down to his peers, it was down to me. He was very patient and very respectful, and we got there eventually.”

Lucas transitioned two years later during sixth year, and changed his name by deed poll before the school year began. Four years on, life has thankfully grown much smoother for both him and his family.

Catherine now works at TENI (Transgender Equality Network Ireland), supporting other families going through similar experiences and working in schools.

“Sometimes they’re afraid to say it’s challenging,” Catherine says of the parents she encounters through TENI. “We’re so hell bent on trying to support our kids that we don’t want to acknowledge

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L-R: Catherine Cross & her son, Lucas Cross

that things might be a little bit difficult for us, you know?”

Lucas says acceptance of his true gender identity by family and friends was a steady process. “It was more of a kind of gradual thing where some people knew, some people didn’t. It did take a long time for a lot of people to warm up to me changing my name and my pronouns.”

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Catherine & Lucas

Being able to change his birth certificate at 18 made life much easier for Lucas and his parents. “If you’re not in our world, it’s hard to understand the stress that can cause you,” says Catherine. “Having to get on the phone, and explain your child’s status and why the documents don’t reflect it. You have to out your child every single day.”

Does Lucas have any advice for young people at the beginning of the same journey? “You can get frustrated that a lot of things that should’ve happened yesterday aren’t happening. And it’s all well and good, but if none of that was the case it wouldn’t build you as a person, I don’t think.

Transition is such a long process that it gives you the time to grow up a little bit.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

29/05/2018 17:07

IT’S HARD NOT TO BE JEALOUS OF A COUPLE WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED THE WOES OF DATING APPS, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT CLODAGH LEONARD (29) AND AISLING DOLAN (28) ARE.

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The pair met on a night out when they were just 19 and 20 years old. “We missed Tinder, we totally missed it,” says Aisling. The two are now engaged, and will get married on October 27 at a castle in Mayo.

Aisling proposed on the day of the Marriage Equality Referendum results, something that made that moment extra special: “We woke up that morning, and we didn’t expect the results to come in until 5 or 6 in the evening really. We were so overwhelmed. I went over and opened a bottle of Prosecco and just proposed,” she says.

Which adds another layer of meaning to an iconic photo of the two at Dublin Castle as the final tally was read out: “It was an emotional moment,” explains Clodagh. “And then there were 15 photographers all around us, it was really weird. It’s me looking into the future and just bawling my eyes out!” They woke up the next morning to find the image had travelled across the world.

Both say their experiences as a same-sex couple have improved greatly since the referendum. “I think the message that was given to homophobic people, was that other people just didn’t support them,” Clodagh says.

Three years on, Clodagh has a massive task ahead of her as Chair of Pride, but it’s one that she embraces: “It’s a lot of work, but it’s work that I love and I’m passionate about.”

So what does Pride mean to the two of them? “I think with Pride, you have this annual experience of feeling you’re the majority, instead of the minority. And I don’t think that as a feeling will ever diminish, no matter how many strides we take towards equality,” says Aisling.

“The fact that it’s so exciting for us to have a day where we feel completely safe and seen means that’s not as present as it should be,” adds Clodagh. “The fact that there’s a day where young people feel they can hold hands or dress flamboyantly and that’s not their everyday life? Until we have a world where people can write their own scripts and live a life that’s completely dictated by their own terms, Pride is essential.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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28/05/2018 20:14

Clodagh & Aisling

There were 15 photographers all around us, it was really weird L-R: Aisling Dolan & fiancĂŠe Clodagh Leonard

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28/05/2018 20:15

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L-R: Peter Maxwell & Buzz O’Neill, with their dog, Eric

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29/05/2018 12:48

Buzz, Peter & Eric EVENT MANAGER BUZZ O’NEILL HAD A ‘COP YOURSELF ON’ MOMENT AT PRIDE.

Even closeted, Buzz felt the political power of Pride, as “a chance to look on with admiration at those who went before us, who were visible. It’s amazing to have seen it grow into this all-inclusive party, which belongs to the city, which everyone gets on board with. The wave of enthusiasm around the Marriage Equality Referendum has changed it.”

His husband, Peter Maxwell, agrees. “The big thing now is to reinforce the specialness of the referendum. We need a moment in the year to mark that sense of togetherness, that acceptance on a much wider scale. It’s a special time of year that reinforces family beyond genetics.”

The Marriage Equality Referendum has come and gone, but Buzz thinks it’s crucial that Pride show off her old school protest roots.

“There not a lot of equality for trans people in Ireland right now and – at a government level – we need to get our act together around HIV and PrEP. It was great to hear our Taoiseach talk about it on the stage at Pride last year, but, while lauding what he is saying, activists say the wheels are grinding way too slowly.”

In a year that requires us to ask many questions about privilege and representation, how does he feel Ireland holds up? “I think people automatically mix up the community and the scene.

There are different social clubs, sports clubs, workshops away from the bars and clubs for people who aren’t into that. Our community is incredibly diverse and strong.”

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“I came out late, at 29, and had watched the parade many, many times going by, cheering them on and thinking, ‘I should be there with them.’ To finally march in it was really brilliant, an emotional waking up.”

Words: Caomhan Keane

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29/05/2018 14:53

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Ursula & Evan

L-R: Evan Barry with his mother, Ursula Barry

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29/05/2018 12:48

“IT WASN’T SOMETHING YOU FELT CONFIDENT IN SHARING,” EVAN BARRY TELLS ME WHEN I ASK HIM HOW PEOPLE RESPONDED WHEN HE TOLD THEM HE HAD TWO MUMS. “You didn’t know what reaction you would get. Even in the gay community, there wasn’t that much talk about it.

“Eventually a group of about 10 to 12 of us from around the country got together and discussed our different experiences and how we could help the movement. What’s great, today, is how many groups there are for kids, because even though it’s a lot more visible, it’s not, necessarily, that common.”

His mother, the activist Ursula Barry, marched in the very first Pride parade, noting that the death of Declan Flynn that sparked it galvanized the community, creating a stronger connection between gays and lesbians, and bucking the international ideology of women-only spaces, which were popular in the women’s movement at the time.

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It’s the cultural systems that need challenging now

The Pride parade, in many ways, was like a shop window, or showcase for various different gender and sexual roles, his mother Ursula says. “It brought all these different images to the wider society, who were exposed to stories and narratives from the community that were sometimes dramatic and spectacular. They may have reacted with bemusement and a lack of understanding at first, but it led to discussion in the media which would later lead to acceptance.”

With greater access to events like Pride, and the GAZE film festival, children today are much more empowered to implement change.

“It gives them the confidence to go back into the education system and try and take on some of the challenges there, to create a more inclusive and diverse environment,” says Ursula. “There have been so many political and legal changes in recent years. It’s the cultural systems that need challenging now.”

Words: Caomhan Keane

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29/05/2018 14:53

Dil, Anne Marie, Phoenix & Xavier

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WHEN BROADCASTER DIL WICKREMASINGHE ARRIVED IN DUBLIN, HER ARRIVAL COINCIDED WITH PRIDE. “WITHIN 24 HOURS I FOUND MYSELF DANCING DOWN O’CONNELL STREET IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, WITH OTHER GAY PEOPLE. “There were no words to explain how that felt; I never thought I would have this level of happiness or acceptance. I’d found my tribe.

“My parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses who threw me out at 17.

The LGBT community was where I, like so many, felt what it was like to have a proper home.”

Her wife, Anne Marie Toole, never knew Pride as a single person.

“I came out at 29 and within the space of about nine to ten months, I realised I was gay, acted on it and met Dil. “Pride hit the real core of who I was. It‘s like putting your foot on the stage you always wanted to dance on. Looking at others expressing who they are… it’s more than the colours or the chaps, it’s a celebration of the stuff that’s usually kept private. It inspires you to journey into your own self-acceptance.

“I was 37 when we met, and I could see the last bus coming,” laughs Dil when asked about starting a family, “so I turned to Anne Marie and was like, ‘We gotta leg it’.”

“I was like, ‘I have just come out, we have just started this relationship, can we take a minute,’” laughs Anne Marie.

Jokes aside, both women needed to go through a lot of soul searching before they started IVF. “Because of my religious upbringing, the last thing I managed to shed was that belief that gay people shouldn’t have children,” says Dil. “But I realised I wanted that for myself. My own parents have no relationship with their only grandchildren because they can’t get over that.”

“We had to reevaluate and redefine what family means to us,” adds Anne Marie. “The theme this year is ‘We Are Family’. It’s what we are, not what we’re told.”

Words: Caomhan Keane

L-R: Dil Wickremasinghe with wife Anne Marie Toole & their children, 3-year-old son Phoenix and baby Xavier

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28/05/2018 20:15

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dren, Xavier

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29/05/2018 14:54

CORMAC CASHMAN (30) IS THE CLUB PROMOTER RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME OF DUBLIN’S BEST-KNOWN LGBT CLUB NIGHTS, FROM MOTHER TO SWEATBOX AND ONE-OFF EVENTS FEATURING QUEER-FRIENDLY ARTISTS. HE STARTED HIS FIRST CLUB, PRHOMO, WHILE STILL AT COLLEGE; NINE YEARS ON IT’S STILL GOING STRONG.

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But this entrepreneurial spirit comes as less of a surprise when you meet his Dad, Seamus. Because it runs in the family. Cashman Senior (74) ran his own well-known publishing company, Wolfhound Press, for almost three decades and is also a published author and poet.

Seamus is clearly proud that his son is not only a stalwart of the LGBTQ scene, but also a similarly self-made man: “I can’t believe how organised and structured his way of being is, it’s extraordinary. I’m the opposite. I did run a business alright, but I’m a bit kind of scatter-brained and so on. But he ties things down, he gets things done.”

This might be a little modesty on Seamus’ part though. “I think we’re quite similar. I think you just don’t see that I’m probably just as all over the place as you!” his son interjects.

Does Cormac enjoy working for himself? Yeah, very much so. But I don’t know if I like working for myself or I just would hate the idea of working for anyone else.”

“He needs to know everything and be in control of everything,” says his Dad. “But that’s very similar to you though!” Cashman Junior counters. Though they might poke fun, it’s clear the two get on like a house on fire.

Seamus visited Mother’s Yestival event last year and was suitably impressed: “I could not believe the atmosphere. You never feel or see that atmosphere outside of that kind of context, you know? It was just so comfortable, and alive with energy and driven at the same time. Really fantastic.”

Seamus & Cormac

“And within a half an hour of him being there I had him ticketing on the door,” laughs Cormac.

Pride is one of the biggest days of the year for the entrepreneur, with Mother’s Pride Block Party outdoors at the Tivoli Theatre, which he describes as “three thousand people outside, having the craic”.

“It’s a very, very busy day and it’s one of the biggest ones we do,” he says. “So at like 3am on that Sunday morning, I’ll have a pint, and it’ll be the best pint I’ve had all year. I really enjoy the day and it’s very satisfying to pull off an event that big, but it’s hard work.”

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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It’s very satisfying to pull off an event that big, but it’s hard work L-R: Seamus Cashman with son, Cormac Cashman

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Gaze Film Festival

www.filmqlub.com

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BLOWN AWAY BY A TRIP TO ALTERNATIVE LONDON CABARET NIGHT SINK THE PINK, BETH HAYDEN AND HER FRIEND DANIEL POWER (BOTH 25) DECIDED TO SET UP THEIR OWN DIY ‘QUEER VARIETY SHOW’.

IN AUTUMN 2016, GLITTER HOLE WAS BORN.

Pride Guide 2018 We Are Family 98

“Obviously the scale is different, but that’s the sort of atmosphere we try to capture for the show,” says Beth. “With the audience members, sometimes they come in drag and it feels like more like a community than a show, when the audience is very separate from the performer.”

Glitter HOLE now takes place every few months in Jigsaw, a small community space near Mountjoy Square.

One of the group’s original motivations was to create a safe space for queer people where they could express themselves however they liked.

“We’re very open,” she says. “We don’t really care about what kind of performances feature; in any given show there would be drag, and there would be comedy and music and sometimes there’s something even more left-of-centre. Like one time, we had a rollerblading duo!”

The Glitter HOLE gang has five core members, but has always included guest acts, from feminist comedians and musicians, to drag kings and queens: “The main change would be as we’ve got a bit more popular, there’s more people coming to us asking to perform rather than us searching for people.” Alison Spittle was a guest performer at a recent show, but the group also welcomes first timers and people who might not fit into any particular category.

“For all of us, the Glitter HOLE gang, none of us have performance backgrounds whatsoever, we’re all total amateurs. So it does have a very DIY feel to it. I think it’s a nice addition to the scene in Dublin,” says Beth.

So what does the future hold for this barrier-breaking troupe? “We’d love to do a full-length show. Maybe less of a variety show, somewhere between a drag show and a play. But I think our focus is always going to be on the smaller variety show, and creating that safe space.”

Glitter HOLE’s next show will be at Jigsaw on July 20 at 8.30pm.

Glitter HOLE L-R: The Glitter HOLE Gang

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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I think our focus is always going to be on the smaller variety show, and creating that safe space

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Advocacy

Support

Community

Community, support, education and advocacy for bi+ people in Ireland Bi+ Ireland are proud to be the only organisation providing support, community, and advocacy for bi+ people throughout the island of Ireland.

We work to bring about a more inclusive LGBTQIA+ community, and a society where all of us are valued equally.

Everyone under the bi+ umbrella- be they bi, pan, queer or moreare welcome to join us in our events throughout the country, as well as our Facebook discussion group.

Join us at: biireland.com @irlbi Bi Ireland Pride 4.indd 1

biirelandnetwork@gmail.com @biirelandnetwork 16/05/2017 18:30:27

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com

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THE MORE PROGRESS WE MAKE, THE EASIER IT BECOMES TO BE FLIPPANT OR CYNICAL ABOUT PRIDE. But for Mr Bear Ireland 2014, Jozef Certan – whose home country’s Pride events have been broken up by neo-Nazis in the past – you learn not to take it for granted.

Pride Guide 2018 We Are Family 102

“I come from Slovakia, where it’s really oppressed for LGBTQ people. Growing up, gay people didn’t exist.

There wasn’t even a name for being gay…well, no nice ones. It was a dark time, knowing that I was different.”

Coming to Ireland made a huge difference. “I went through a straight-gay transition. It was really moving for me, the acceptance I felt from friends and work colleagues. It gave a boost to my life.”

Daniel & Jozef

While he still isn’t out to his biological family, he found a logical family in the bear community, who crowned him Mr Bear in 2014. His boyfriend, Daniel Heras currently holds the title, making them bear royalty. “It’s a subculture, basically, for people who don’t see themselves reflected in the mainstream gay community,” says Daniel.

“Lots of people are afraid that they won’t fit in with mainstream gay society or be accepted if they don’t have the perfect haircut, or wear make-up or whatever,” says Jozef. “I was a newbie, never went to a gay bar before, and never knew I could be comfortable around other gay men. The bear scene helped me come through all that.”

Daniel will be marching in the parade, wearing his sash and promoting the cuddlier corner of the community. “In terms of Pride, it’s good to have a place. To say it’s good to be butch, to be camp or flamboyant. We need to remind people that gays come in different shapes and sizes. It’s okay to be hairy, mustached, have a belly.

“Shy bears that are not confident to approach us in person should reach out before the day on the Dublin Bears Facebook page or www.dublinbears.ie. “ Words: Caomhan Keane

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Growing up, gay people didn’t exist L-R: Jozef Certan & his partner, Daniel Heras

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It is really important that we do recognise each other as a family waf-all.indd 40

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Radical Queers Resist

THEY’RE RADICAL. THEY’RE QUEER. AND THEY’RE RESISTING LGBTQ OPPRESSION IN ALL ITS FORMS. Radical Queers Resist are a group of young activists who created a stir in the lead up to the abortion referendum, covering graphic images used by the ICBR with the Pride flag. But despite only forming three months ago, they have already gained significant traction.

The groups first official protest was at the Rally For Life in March. “It was just a silent protest,” she explains. “We made a big banner that was like 15 feet long and we stood on O’Connell Street as people prayed at us, and spat at us, and threw salt at us and told us that we were murderers and all of these awful things.”

The group use peaceful protest methods, something which has gained them many admirers, including in Dáil Éireann: “We didn’t engage with anybody, we just stood there. We didn’t want them to think that they were just going to be unopposed when they’re talking about our rights.”

The RQRs recently launched a manifesto, which includes calls for better trans healthcare, improved LGBTQ mental health services and increased access to PrEP. Naturally, they will be taking part in Pride. “It’s our day and I think it’s important that we reclaim it as our day, and that we remind other people that this is why we’re here,” says N. “We have to remember the people that came before us, what it is that we’re fighting for and we have to be able to shape it ourselves.”

L-R: Radical Queers Resist members

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“We were all involved in various things in our own colleges. But within college societies, you have to go through bureaucracy,” says core member N. “You’re not allowed to do certain things that are a bit more out there.”

Both N and her fellow group members believe it’s vital for those within the community to advocate for each other, particularly as the rights of some groups have begun to fall behind those of others.

“The queer community is like one big family that spans across all the different countries and communities,” she says. “And, united in our oppression, we’re able to come together and push for our own rights. It is really important that we do recognise each other as a family.”

hat ach mily

Words: Aoife Moriarty

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The GCN Family

If you spend time working at GCN, you understand how special it is WAF-All.indd 42

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IRELAND’S LGBTQ PUBLICATION, GCN, TURNED 30 THIS YEAR. AND WHILE IT HAS TOLD THE STORY OF MANY QUEER FAMILIES OVER THE DECADES, ACCORDING TO EDITOR FOR 15 OF THOSE YEARS, BRIAN FINNEGAN, IT’S A HUGE, EXTENDED FAMILY ALL OF ITS OWN.

“At the time there were 24 people working on the GCN scheme, and it was a place where lifelong friendships were forged. We all spent the days together on the top floor of an almost derelict building in Temple Bar, the burnt-out Hirschfeld Gay Centre, and it felt like we were part of a big, odd family of diverse characters, all supporting and understanding each other. It was just before decriminalisation, and being lesbian or gay, you felt on the edge of society. GCN made us part of something that was fundamentally proud to be gay, and it was the making of many of us.”

Finnegan, who has edited GCN for the last 15 of its 30 years, has seen staff members come and go over that time, but while people have left for other horizons, they all remain part of what he calls “the ever-extending GCN family”.

“I think if you spend time working at GCN, you understand how special it is – how it’s all about a group of people who really care about what they do, who really love the magazine and website, and understand its importance to the LGBTQ community. It makes you feel part of something greater, the LGBTQ community as one great extended family, maybe.”

L-R: Dave Darcy, Peter Dunne, Lisa Connell, Brian Finnegan, Katie Donohoe, Stefano Pappalardo & Seán Kennedy

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“I first worked at GCN in the early 1990s on a Community Employment Scheme for a year,” he says.

Along with Finnegan the current GCN family is made up of Lisa Connell, Dave Darcy, Katie Donohoe, Peter Dunne, Seán Kennedy, Stephen McCabe, Elly Smith and Stefano Papparlardo. According to Connell, who has worked in the publication’s commercial department for ten years, being a member of the GCN family is a source of pride. “My GCN family are all immensely talented and brilliant humans and it’s a joy to work with them producing the national LGBTQ press in Ireland, the oldest publication of its kind in the world,” she says.

As we celebrate the enormous GCN family from past and present, Finnegan would especially like to remember members who have passed away, among them, Catriona Carrig, Junior Larkin, Cathy Quinn, Jim Redmond, Colman Walsh, and Noel Walsh, the latter of whom edited GCN’s HIV pages for over a decade and was key to the AIDS movement in Ireland.

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PrEP PPr rrEP EEPP is a pill that preve s HIV prevents PrEP

Find out if PrEP is right for you

www.getPrEP.online

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The staff of GMHS wish you a fun and safe Dublin Pride.

Check in with us for free condoms, lube, vaccines and testing.

The STI clinical services are for all gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people.

MON

TUES

THUR

2pm - 4pm Asymptomatic Nurse led screening clinic.

WED

From 4pm Full testing and treatment clinic

10am - Noon PrEP monitoring clinic All clinics walk in. Spaces are limited

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GAY MEN’S

HEALTH SERVICE

GMHS Clinic Baggot Street Hospital, 18 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4.

Tel: + 353 1 669 9553 SMS: 087 941 0934.

E-mail: gmhsclinic@hse.ie

28/05/2018 19:49

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Are you planning a weekend away or a long holiday this summer?

Are youinplanning weekend away or aclinic long holiday summer?

Check with youra local sexual health for free this vaccines and Check in with your local sexual health clinic for free vaccines and a sexual health upgrade against sexually transmitted infections. a sexual health upgrade against sexually transmitted infections.

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A free personal development course for GMT men and Trans women.

FIND OUT MORE TODAY

www.belongto.org 016706223

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28/05/2018 19:44

Outhouse Pride Breakfast Saturday 30th June 9:00am - 1:00pm Full Irish Breakfast - €8.95 Homemade Spicy Beans on Sourdough Toast - €7.50 Summer Fruits, Homemade Granola & Honey Sweetened Yoghurt - €7.00 Spinach & Goats Cheese Muffins - €2.50

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Congratulations Sara R Phillips Chair of TENI & Dublin Pride 2018 Grand Marshall Join TENI in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, St. Stephen’s Green, from 11am on 30th June, for some pre-parade breakfast and poster making. Then come walk with us in in the Dublin LGBTQ Pride parade from 2pm.

We pr are ou d o so fy ou

!

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NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF

family YOU HAVE

IS HERE TO

SUPPORT YOU

TENI runs a peer support group called TransParenCI for parents and family TENI, in collaboration members of trans people once with LGBT Ireland, runs a Gender a month in Dublin. Transformers Identity Family Support Line is held is a peer support group for trans every 2nd and 4th Sunday. This is a young people whose parents attend volunteer-led listening and support TransParenCI. Both groups run service for families of trans and simultaneously but are facilitated gender non-conforming people in in separate spaces. For more Ireland.

The Support Line number information contact TENI on is (01) 9073707.

(01) 873 3575 or at office@teni.ie.

The Dublin Trans Peer Support Group meets every first and third Wednesday of the month, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, at OutHouse. This group welcomes anyone who is trans or exploring their gender identity.

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NE OPEN 7 DAYS : 01 872 1055

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HELPLINE OPEN OPEN 77 DAYS DAYS :: 01 01 872 8721055 1055

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HELPLINE OPEN 7 DAYS : 01 872 1055

ask@gayswitchboard // www.gayswitchboard.ie

Gay Switchboard Ireland provides a confidential telephone, email and online chat support service for the LGBT+ community.

Our friendly, trained volunteers provide a safe space where listening, support, information and signposting are provided in a non-directive and non-judgmental way.

The service is available to anyone who has concerns or is seeking information on sexuality, gender identity, sexual health and wellbeing, mental health and wellbeing, drugs and alcohol, clubs and organisations, the scene and anyone who just wants to talk about how they’re feeling and for them to be sure of a supportive voice to hear them.

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Whatever it is that you want to talk or type about, you can get in touch with our friendly volunteers 7 days a week: Monday to Friday: 6:30pm – 9pm Saturday & Sunday 4pm – 6pm Call us: 01 8721055 // Email us: ask@gayswitchboard.ie // Chat: gayswitchboard.ie

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Whether you’re ‘I am’ or ‘am I?’.

We wish you a happy and healthy Pride.

Thank you!

IT’S 25 YEARS SINCE MY FIRST DUBLIN PRIDE, THAT TIME I HAD A DAY’S NOTICE AND MY FRIEND JUNIOR LARKIN, KNOWN TO MOST AS KYLIE O’REILLY, DRAGGED ME ALONG TO PRIDE AND COMPLETELY OUT OF THE CLOSET. This time round there’s been a bit more time to prepare; in fact, within just a few weeks of finishing last year’s festival, we were in with Dublin City Council starting work for this year. Dublin LGBTQ Pride is now the second biggest city event of the year and takes a team of hundreds working all year round.

There are so many people to thank and apologies for anyone I miss out, but here goes: Junior Larkin, thank you for bringing me to my first Pride and inviting me into this amazing family. You are missed.

Our Grand Marshal, Sara Phillips.

Our community partners: TENI, GCN, BeLonG To, Outhouse, Gay Switchboard, Act UP, Shoutout, Gay Men’s Health Service, LGBT Ireland, Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, GAZE, NXF and so many more.

Our city partners: John Downey, Susan St. John, Alison King, Graham Kiersey, Tom Johnson, Rosemary McNulty, Ailish McCarthy, Lynn Daly and all the team at Dublin City Council. Keith Niall Crowley, Emer Curran, Brian Cullen, Ann Markey, Darren Coventry Howlett and all the hard working Gardai who keep us safe at Pride. Keith Brunkard from Dublin Fire Brigade, James McConnell and Fergus Byrne from Civil Defence and the teams at Dublin Bus and Luas.

Our board of directors: Clodagh Leonard, Jason Flynn, Lisa Connell, Jed Dowling, Cormac Cashman, Eoin Hendrick and Margaret Molloy.

Our amazing team of volunteers: Pat Maher, Graham Hayes, Paul McConnell, Gilly Pardy, Damien Waldron, Sean Murphy, Eimhear Ó’Dálaigh,Conor Kelly, Olivier Foubert, Colm Molloy, Aisling Dolan, Seán O’Brien, Ciarán Hewitt, Ciaran McBrearty, Paddy Kerley, Andrew Coffey, Sue Rickard, Ben Rickard, Jóse Montilla, Tonie Walsh, Sally-Ann McCann, Brendan Searson, Niall O’Brien, Gadi Evron, Dara O’Donnell, Sean Kennedy, Tim Dowling, Keeli Thea, Ryan O’Toole, Dani Lovera Teixeira, Frank Cleary, Thomas Maher, Sarah Johnson, Dekel Braunstein, Laurie Del Lago Meza, Cian O’Mahony, D O’Reilly, Karl Hayden.

Our event production partners: Martin Cullen, Elaine Fitzsimon, Mags Connolly, Mark Breen and everyone at Safe Events and Damien Bolger from Boggler Productions.

And of course to all the sponsors, partners and venues who help make Dublin LGBTQ Pride the biggest and most colourful event of the year, a big thank you.

I would like to give a very special thanks to the newly-formed group Radical Queers Resist. You showed us that a flag we created to fight for our rights could be used just as well to defend others.

In equal parts a huge thank you my husband John for his support and patience, sorry that my love for Pride came first in the last few months.

On behalf of the whole Dublin LGBTQ Pride Family, to everyone, past and present, who has joined us on our march, Thank You and Happy Pride!

Eddie McGuinness Dublin LGBTQ Pride Manager

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A Message of Pride From

Ailbhe Smyth

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FOR AILBHE SMYTH, CONVENOR OF THE COALITION TO REPEAL THE EIGHTH AMENDMENT AND CODIRECTOR OF TOGETHER FOR YES, THE OVERWHELMING RESULT OF THE REFERENDUM VOTE IN MAY WAS A SOURCE OF TRUE PRIDE. On Saturday, May 26, as the results of the referendum to repeal the eighth amendment came in, there was huge feeling for me personally of pride. I was so proud that we as a people, when we were at long last asked the right question, were able to say very firmly, in a forthright and practical way, ‘Yes, of course’.

My first feeling was of massive relief. It was as if this great weight had been lifted off my shoulders, and I felt as if it had been lifted off the shoulders of Ireland.

The Irish people said we won’t have this weight of secrecy, of stigma, of hypocrisy, of cruelty and suffering anymore.

It was a very emotional day. People were weeping, laughing, hugging – it was as if all of the emotion of the campaign, which had had to be contained, was at last able to be expressed. It was that sense of a very profound feeling of relief. At long, long last, we’ve done this.

It was by far the least divisive of all the abortion referendums that I’ve fought. There was none of that undercurrent of deep anger coming out at us on the doorsteps and on the streets. People were calm and determined and the numbers in which they turned out confirmed that this was incontrovertibly a very clear Yes from the people.

The Taoiseach said on the night of the results ‘this is a mandate from the people’, and afterwards I said to him, ‘in fact, it was a strict instruction from the people’. This was not only a referendum that was about repealing the eighth amendment, but it was about the kind of legislation that would follow. Never has a piece of legislation ever had this degree of national discussion and approval.

Both of the marriage equality referendum and the referendum to repeal the eighth sprang from the same root, that of sexual oppression. They were about people’s autonomy, their bodily integrity, their

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sexual integrity, but we were also aware that each required its own campaign.

The marriage equality campaign became one that was primarily about love, about what people aspired to in their lives. This was not the same for abortion, which is not a happy issue. Of course, no one wants an abortion and we are aware of the difficulty and distress this may cause in people’s lives, having to make that decision. They were campaigns that needed to be, and were very different in tone.

I want to say a huge thank you for the way in which the LGBT community came out and were so supportive of the fight to repeal the eighth amendment, from the very beginning. We had that sense all around the country of drawing on the experience of many, many people, particularly young LGBT people who had campaigned so tirelessly for marriage equality. They were campaigning again, and that was incredibly important to us.

We all did this. In our own LGBT community, of which I am a proud member, we were very clear that what we stood for in 2015 and what we stood for in 2018 was a new and different Ireland, an Ireland in which people’s freedom, equality and dignity are properly respected, and a much kinder, more generous and honest country. On May 25, we voted for that Ireland, and I look forward to celebrating that new Ireland in fine style with you at Dublin Pride on June 30.

Ailbhe Smith Co-Director of Together for Yes

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exhibition

June 21 to July 1

Join us: The Gallery of Photography, Meeting House Square, Dublin 2 Admission Free

Thanks!

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GCN would like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the contributors to the GCN30 Fundit campaign

29/05/2018 17:36

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