March2016

EILE

Magazine V3 Issue 10 – Mar. 2016

Ben Mauro New Album

The Randomer Film by Gerry Stembridge and Filmbase Students

Stephen Donnan

Love Proudly NI

Airi Mori

Singer/Songwriter

Inside:

Travel | Film | Music |Health | News

FREE

EILE Magazine | Who’s Who

Contributors

M. Butler M. Butler is a writer and editor, with a keen interest in human rights, and has studied philosophy and psychology Scott De Buitléir Scott is founder and Editor-at-Large of EILE Magazine. He is also a writer and broadcaster, originally from Dublin but now based in Nottingham Stephen Donnan Stephen Donnan is based in Belfast, and is a writer, LGBT rights and political activist, and founder of LGBT group, LoveProudly.

Lisa Reynolds Originally from Co. Meath, Lisa is a fashion industry student, now living in Bray, Co Wicklow, with a great interest in media and celebrity Brian Rochford Brian has studied health, exercise, and nutrition, with a special interest in controlling pain in rheumatism and arthritis Frances Winston Frances Winston is EILE’s resident film buff, and has contributed to many other publications such as The Irish Independent and Irish Tatler

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EILE Magazine | Welcome

Highlights March 2016 The Randomer - P. 16 Gerry Stembridge’s new film, The Randomer, and the students at Filmbase have a crowdfunding campaign going

Travel - P. 34 Explore the Great White North with a holiday in Canada

NI Elections - P. 32 Stephen Donnan of LoveProudly urges NI voters to vote for pro-LGBT candidates to bring home marriage equality to Northern Ireland

Music - Ben Mauro P. 6, Airi Mori P.12 Our featured artists this month are two very different singer/songwriters, Ben Mauro and Airi Mori

Celebrity - P. 24 Lisa Reynolds reviews the X Factor 2016 Dublin Concert

Volume 3, Issue 10 Editor-at-Large: Scott De Buitléir Editor: MKB Contributors: M. Butler, Scott De Buitléir, Stephen Donnan, MKB, Lisa Reynolds, Brian Rochford, Frances Winston Photographers: Wes Marsala, Killian Whyte, Yuri Hasegawa NB: All images in this publication are either under Creative Commons licence, or used with permission. Image credits, where necessary, are printed on the corresponding page(s) or photo(s). Any queries can be made to hello@eile.ie Special Thanks to MKB for all her hard work, dedication and support.

Web: http://eile.ie Contact: hello@eile.ie Twitter: @EILEMagazine Facebook: http://fb.com/eilemagazine Note: All opinions expressed in this issue are the writers’ own.

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…plus film reviews, news and much more!

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EILE Magazine | Editor’s Letter

Contents

Supporting our friends in NI and Down Under Welcome to the March edition of EILE Magazine.

6-

Ben Mauro

12 -

Airi Mori

16 -

The Randomer

18 -

Béar Féile

20 -

Rebel Rebel Pride

24 -

X Factor 2016

28 -

Aisling’s Seven

30 -

Summer Shape

32 -

LoveProudly NI

34 -

Travel

38 -

Stop The Wheel

40 -

Frances on Film

47 -

Bird & Bass

From page 48 on World LGBT News, Views, Entertainment etc

With March just leaving now, the weather is - slowly!

- getting that little bit milder, and with that our hopes are raised for the year ahead. Many events took place recently which made us take a moment to reflect on how far we have come. In Ireland, the centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising made us realise how far our nation has come, placing equal rights to the fore with the arrival of marriage equality last year. In New York, Irish-American LGBT people proudly marched through the streets for the first time, overcoming institutionalised homophobia in an Irish celebration that had stopped reflecting true Irish values years ago - until now.

Despite the success stories, all is not yet well on our beautiful island. Northern Ireland is quickly gearing up for its elections in May for the Stormont Assembly, and marriage equality is still strongly on the cards for many LGBT voters, both nationalist and unionist alike. Many Ulstermen and women - on both sides of the border, proudly campaigned for marriage equality in the Republic last year, and we should now support those same people and many more, as their upcoming elections could finally help our friends and family there.

It isn’t just in Ulster that we look towards for the next step forward. Recently, we learned that Tiernan Brady, formerly of YesEquality and GLEN, is moving to Australia to help push forward the campaign for equal marriage there. Tiernan is no stranger to EILE, or to Irish politics, and we wish him the very best of luck as he works hard to help our friends down under.

Now, with all that, isn’t it really a time to be hopeful?

I hope you enjoy this issue of EILE Magazine.

Scott De Buitléir Founder / Editor-at-Large EILE Magazine

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Ben Mauro EILE Magazine

EILE Magazine finds out what singer-songwriter and guitarist, Ben Mauro, is all about Singer, guitarist, and songwriter, Ben Mauro, a New Yorker from Syracuse, seems to have boundless energy. He has just released an album, ‘FROM NY’, among his many other projects, like touring with Lionel Richie, or his music travel blog. Ben is also one of those rare musicians who believes in ‘giving back’ to the community.

Ben was just on a major tour that began in February, with pop/funk icon, Lionel Richie, which took in South America and South Africa. In 2015, he had been on tour with Richie around some of Europe’s biggest Summer festivals, including Glastonbury.

The Lionel Richie tours saw the band play to sold-out arenas. Ben’s extraordinary musical skills, and dynamic stage presence, has been the reason that he has remained a core member of Richie’s band for over fifteen years.

He has also worked with many other top artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Don Felder from The Eagles, John Fogerty, Christina Aguilera, Toni Braxton,

Ben Mauro (left) with Lionel Richie (centre) and another band member

Photos: Wes Marsala

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and has also been involved in projects produced by Peter Frampton and Prince.

Ben now lives in Los Angeles, California, but grew up playing the clubs of Syracuse, eventually moving to NYC, where he landed the gig with Lionel Richie.

His previous album, TO LA, was recorded with an all-star cast of musicians, including Oscar Seaton from Lionel Richie/George Benson on drums, Monet Owens from Boz Scaggs/Lenny Kravitz on background vocals, Ramon Yslas on percussion from Stevie Nicks/Carlos Santana, and Grammy award-winner producer/mixer, Ted Greenberg.

Daniel Spears, Vice President of Industry Relations at BMI loved the TO LA album.

He said: ‘Love this album… It’s got a great vibe to it with a lot of diversity…poppy, bluesy and country…Solid songwriting and some pretty nifty guitar work too! I particularly like “Take Your Time.” It’s a very catchy tune that I know will be in my head when I wake up tomorrow morning.’

Ben is already getting a reputation as an exciting solo performer. His debut CD, TO LA, has an upbeat California vibe, and you can hear influences from Jack Johnson, Van Morrison, and Bruce Springsteen throughout.

However, with Ben it’s not just about the music, it’s also about giving back.

When he goes back to hometown Syracuse, he visits his old high school (West

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Ben Mauro on tour with Lionel Richie

Ben relaxes between shows by producing a music travel blog of his behind the scenes experiences

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Genesee HS) and college (Onondaga Community College where he studied classical guitar) to talk with students. Ben gives them advice on how to have longevity in the music business, and gives clinics to teach them the basics of music theory.

In 2014, Ben started the Ben Mauro Endowment for Music Education at West Genesee; over the next four years he will make a donation to the school’s music department. He wants every kid to have every advantage to be able to play if that is their passion.

And if all that isn’t enough to keep him busy, Ben is also the host of his own travel music show called “Let’s Go! With Ben Mauro.” During his downtime on tour, Ben explores the cities he’s in, and takes the viewer behind-the-scenes of the touring musician’s life, which he started to let his family know what it was like on tour.

Ben’s musical talents are now recognised by major instrument-makers in the music industry, and he is currently endorsed by: Gibson Guitars, Fender Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Mesa Boogie Amps, D’addario Guitar Strings, Hercules Guitar Stands and Dunlop Guitar Picks.

Not bad for a boy from Syracuse, NY, on his journey to LA!

- M. Butler To listen to or download Ben’s music, including FROM NY, go to: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ben-mauro/id265798269

Album Art for FROM NY

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Airi Mori

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Electronic/RnB artist, Airi Mori, has a lot to be excited about, as she has just released her latest single, City of Dreams, a haunting soaring vocal with electronic sounds, and ocean/seabird cries intermixed, leading to a very unusual mix of chillout and dance beats.

Japanese-born Airi Mori has been performing professionally since 2004, and now lives in Los Angeles. The pop-electronica/RnB artist has been likened to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion. I would add that she is not unlike Sara McLachlan, because of her original and etheral style of vocals, certainly on her latest single, City of Dreams.

Born and raised in Nagoya, Japan, Airi started singing American pop songs at age seven - long before ever learning to speak English.

She tells EILE that she has always loved music, and practised for up to six hours a day, for over fifteen years.

She moved to Los Angeles in 2013, and was soon acknowledged by other seasoned writers/ musicians, such as a Grammy winning songwriter, Allan Rich (who has written songs for Whitney Houston, Natalie Cole, and ‘NSYNC). She has said about that year: “For me, everything is a miracle”.

Airi shows us something of her philosophical attitude to music when she says that one of her great teachers, not mentioning who, made an inspiring remark: “The importance is not the note itself, but the intention behind it.”

Adding to her list of credits, Airi has danced in Japanese television commercials for major brands (Takarakuji and Parco), performed her own original material live before an audience of 3,000 people at a major music venue in Tokyo (Ebisu Garden Place), and has sung backup for Miki Howard at the famous Catalina Bar and Grille in Los Angeles.

She was also the only Japanese guest singer for a charity song “You Bring Me Back Tomorrow” for the A3M (Asians for Miracle Marrow Match) project, raising awareness for bone marrow donation, and performed in front of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2014.

Airi has been serious about learning all aspects of the music industry over the years, and graduated from the Independent Artist Program at the Musicians Institute in March, 2014, where she studied music, as well as song-writing, recording, and producing, among other Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

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Airi Mori Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

subjects.

Not content with that, to further her knowledge of audio-processing and mixing, she then enrolled in the Audio Engineering program at the Musicians Institute, where she got hands-on experience of working with Neve, which she loves working with, API which she has used to mix her own music, and SSL consoles, and was certified as a Pro Tools Operator Music.

When Airi graduated in March, 2015, she even received an award for her mixing and mastering project, selected from audioengineering students from all over the world.

The multi-talented Airi Mori is a singersongwriter, musician, producer and mixer of music, and has worked on her own and other artist’s projects

While still studying, she interned at the Lurssen Mastering Studio, where she helped with various projects including Foo Fighters, Chappie Soundtrack, Pitch Perfect 2 Soundtrack (2015), and Juanes.

Another of Airi’s singles, ‘Heartbeat’, is featured in top dance artist (who is her brother) Kento Mori’s DVD “1”, as its endroll song in 2015, where she also contributed to the Japanese sound used in the main section of the DVD. Airi continues working on her debut

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Photo: Yuri Hasegawa

“For me, everything is a miracle”

independent album, “Reason of Love”, which showcases her writing, producing, mixing and performing talents.

RnB, or, if you have eclectic musical tastes, listening to Airi will leave you pleasantly surprised!

An artist with a work ethic to match her great talent, Airi is one to watch if you like electronic/

You can listen to or download City of Dreams on iTunes at:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/city-of-dreams-single/ id1088594195

Album art for City of Dreams

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The Randomer Gerry Stembridge’s latest film crewed by students from Filmbase

Gerry Stembridge

Written by Gerry Stembridge (Scrap Saturday, About Adam, Ordinary Decent Criminal), The Randomer is a movie currently in pre-production, crewed by the 2016 class of Filmbase’s Masters in Digital Feature Film Production.

The film is a modern Irish comedy about sex, love and babies, and the Filmbase class have set out to reach a target of €15,000, on the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, to cover film production expenses such as equipment hire, catering, transportation and distribution. Principal photography will be starting in April, with a view to getting the finished film on the festival circuit this year.

The Randomer follows Meg, a free-spirited woman who enjoys the perfect life. She has a great job only minutes away from her city apartment, with trendy bars, cafés and nightlife on her doorstep.

Life without kids is a blast, until she starts to think the unthinkable: she wants a baby. Now it’s a race against time to find an uncomplicated man for just one night.

Making up somewhat for what is usually a scarcity of parts for ‘women of a certain age’, Meg is a really proactive character, and the diverse supporting roles, such as Meg’s lesbian neighbours, Roberta and Shirley, help truly represent a 21st century Ireland.

This year’s class is a melting pot of international emerging filmmakers, with students from

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Portugal, Sweden, Venezuela, Lebanon and the Netherlands, as well as Ireland. In keeping with Gerry Stembridge’s body of work, The Randomer promises to be a very interesting piece of cinema.

To read more about the project, you can visit the film’s website at: www.therandomermovie.com and follow @TheRandomerMov.

You still have time to make a contribution to The Randomer’s fundraising campaign, as they will receive any funding contributed after the deadline, so go to http://igg.me/at/therandomermovie to read more about the campaign’s perks, from digital downloads to movie stills and posters, and how you can have a hand in creating what’s building up to be one of the most talked about Irish movies this year.

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Justin Utley

For more information on Béar Féile 2016, or the Dublin Bears group and their events, visit:

Paul M

www. dublinbears.ie Twitter: @dubbears Don’t Miss: Ireland’s Biggest Bear Event – The Amazing Béar Féile 2016!

This year, Ireland’s Biggest bear event, Béar Féile 2016, from 31 March to 3 April, will feature Panti Bliss, Justin Utley, Kylie Goes GaGa, Mr Bear Ireland, Paul M, Lady Diamond Sitges, DJ Aggie, El Styra, Kristin Kapelli, DJ Corky, DJ Starlight, Bear Bingo and lots, lots more!

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Dublin LGBTQ Pride Announces REBEL REBEL Theme for 2016 Festival The popular LGBTQ event, Dublin Pride, returns 22-26 June, with this year’s theme being REBEL REBEL Over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend organisers of Dublin’s LGBTQ Pride announced the theme of this year’s festival. REBEL REBEL has been picked for the 2016 festival, which will see thousands of people coming to Dublin’s city centre to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

The REBEL REBEL theme gives a nod towards the 1916 Centenary, while also highlighting Glam Rock legend David Bowie, who released a song of the same title.

Jed Dowling, Festival Director for Dublin LGBTQ Pride, commented: ‘As we reflect on years gone by in Dublin and Ireland, we recognize many stories, movements, occasions and people, that have allowed us to reach the level of freedom that our LGBTQ community has today. REBEL REBEL allows us to look back and reflect upon what it means to be Irish and LGBTQ. We have a lot to celebrate and we want to see everyone’s rebellious side this June!’

The highlight of the festival is the Dublin Pride Parade which takes place on the 25th of June. The parade will start at the Garden of Remembrance in the heart of the city centre, and then winds through the streets of Dublin up to Merrion Square, where the main stage hosts performances and speeches. There will be fun for the whole family and plenty of entertainment on the day.

For more information contact https://www.facebook.com/DublinPride

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GASS is holding a fundraising night in Róisín Dubh, Lower Dominick Street, Galway, on Friday, 1st April, at 9 pm Entertainment on the night will be provided by DJ Betty, Elsie Cox, Kiki St Clair, Dusty Flaps, DJ Karo, Johnny Garvey, and Sean Roland Prizes galore and a raffle add to the fun!

All funds raised go towards the opening of their new LGBT centre ‘Teach Solais Resource Centre’, in Galway EILE Magazine 23

T h e X Fa c t o r D u b l i n C o n c e rt 2016 Lisa Reynolds enjoyed the XFactor Concert in Dublin recently, and gives us some highlights of the show The X Factor rolled into Dublin for its annual concert 24 EILE Magazine

at the 3Arena on the 20th February.

Taking to the

stage were eight of the acts from this year’s live shows.

Performers on the X Factor Tour 2016

Dublin X Factor Show 2016

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4th Impact

Highlights on the night included Seann Miley Moore’s performance of David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’ which was emotional following the death of David Bowie.

The crowd all raised their phones and lights in tribute to Bowie, which was a lovely moment.

Miley Moore’s voice is stunning, and vibrated around the arena magnificently on both this song, and his other solo of the night, Queen’s ‘The Show Must Go On’.

Further highlights included Anton Stephan’s solos of ‘One Sweet Day’, ‘Dance With My Father’ and in particular ‘I Am Changing’ which was simply beautiful.

Other out-standing moments included their group numbers ‘Downtown’, Lauren Murray’s performance of ‘You Don’t Own Me’, Reggie N Bollie’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful / Cheerleader’, Louisa Johnson’s ‘Billie Jean’ and Maison Noise’s ‘Men In Black’, as well as duets like Seann Miley Moore’s and 4th Impact’s mash-up of ‘Fancy / Rich Girl’, and Che Chesterman’s and Lauren Murray’s duet ‘Valerie’.

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Anton Stephans

Reggie N Bollie

Winning judge on X Factor Competition 2016 Rita Ora

Lauren Murray singing ‘You don’t own me’ on X Factor

Louisa Johnson

Seann Miley Moore

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Theatre: Aisling’s Seven (The Central Bank Heist) Written and directed by Cian Ó Ceallacháin - Cast: Susan Barrett, Stephen Gorman, Aisling Flynn A fast-paced comedy about a couple with a dream (and too many crime caper films) After a warm reception as part of Smock Allies Scene & Heard Festival, Aisling’s Seven returns in full form to Theatre Upstairs, Eden Quay, Dublin 1.

Ash and Dan, have a plan. They’re plotting a daring heist on Dublin’s own Central Bank. Armed with nothing but their wits and a crime caper film obsession, they hole themselves up at their base of operations (their flat in Ranelagh) to prepare every detail. (They’ve got their nicknames down and have at least one friend with a getaway car.)

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We’ve all seen the movies, will they make it to freedom with the cash in hand or will they go out like a bargain basement Bonny and Clyde?

They have the best laid plans. What could possibly go wrong?

From Underdog Theatre Productions Running 12 - 23 April Evening shows, Tuesday-Saturday at 7.00pm Matinees, Wednesday & Saturday at 1.00pm Previews 8-9 April Venue Theatre Upstairs, 10 Eden Quay, Dublin 1 Tickets €12/€10 concession Info@theatreupstairs.ie for more information regarding bookings.

Cast of Aisling’s Seven - Susan Barrett, Stephen Gorman, Aisling Flynn All photos: Killian Whyte

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Get in shape for Summer 2016 Brian Rochford writes on maintaining a simple exercise programme to lose weight We all want to get into shape for summer, but very often we think that there are short cuts to losing weight and looking good.

Extreme diet and workout programs put unnecessary strain on us physically and mentally. The good news is that you can lose weight and get into good shape the healthy way, by for instance, eating smaller meals, eating more fresh fruit and raw vegetables, and substituting one meal with a salad.

fruit, or bring some carrots with you to work, and nibble on these if you start to feel hungry.

We all agree on the importance of having a healthy lifestyle. We can subscribe to the notion that we can’t be lackadaisical about our health. Our hectic way of living can block us from participating in a regular exercise program, and find ourselves eating a diet that can be damaging to our physical, mental, and emotional health.

Try turning off the TV and going for a walk, try some on the spot running, or buy a cheap skipping rope, and return to your childhood by skipping for five minutes and building up to longer.

The last thing you want is to find yourself on an unhealthy fad type of diet, and an imbalanced over-exaggerated workout system, that can damage your body.If you join a gym, enlist the help of a trainer from the very start, and monitor how you feel.

Our overall health and wellbeing can be determined by our attitude to food. What we eat, and why we eat certain foods, can be responsible for the overall state of our physical body, and feelings of mental lethargy.

Research has shown that focusing on slow, steady, steps towards changing lifestyle habits is a better, and more productive, way of getting in good shape and maintaining excellent health. For instance, make sure you’re properly hydrated by drinking lots of water, which also flushes out the system, leaving you feeling more energetic. If you must reach for a snack, make it a piece of

It’s time to get motivated, and on your way to making the changes that will be of such benefit to your overall fitness health and energy.

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Getting started is the hard part, but remember it only takes about 30 days to develop a new habit. Start with a simple easy routine like stretching exercises and

a short run or jog, and as you start to see results you can make your program more challenging.

You could also take a short walk every day, at a time that is convenient for you. Get off the bus a few stops ahead of your usual one, or, if you like cycling, you could incorporate this into your daily routine. You could join a local exercise class, and have this as part of your ongoing health routine.

gym membership to get the look you desire.

Before spending out on equipment, it’s best to test your commitment to your present routine, and your new lifestyle habits.

Reduce weight and stay healthy by eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, also eat whole grains. Reduce your butter intake by taking in more good fats like olive oil. Use more herbs and spices, and reduce the amount of alcohol you consume.

In the beginning keep it simple, and don’t go to extremes, as it is easy to become discouraged. You could even do some stair climbing or if you are near a swimming pool you could try to get in a few laps once or twice a week.

When possible, try to be as physically active as possible, this will not only reduce weight, but it will build stamina and fitness.

It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on

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Northern Ireland: LGBT Group ‘LoveProudly’ Urges NI Citizens To Vote For ProLGBT Candidates Stephen Donnan, founder of LGBT activist group, LoveProudly, writes urging Northern Ireland’s citizens to vote for pro-LGBT candidates in the upcoming May 5 elections in Northern Ireland He says: “Marriage equality is a reality in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. It has been fought for and won with blood, sweat and tears in 32 EILE Magazine

the US, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium and even in South Africa and in the Pitcairn Islands. But not in Northern Ireland.

We are the same country that produced awesome bands like Snow Patrol and The Undertones and great actors like Liam Neeson and Kenneth Branagh. Game of Thrones is filmed here, as is The Fall. Great women like former Irish President Mary McAleese hail from here. Authors such as CS Lewis, sportsmen like George Best and Rory McIlroy but you know what we don’t have?

Marriage equality!

Same sex couples are still not equal under the law in

this country and we can’t get married in our own city. We can do that in Dublin, Glasgow or London but not in Belfast.

We pay taxes, we work, we are teachers, police officers, civil servants, doctors, nurses, chefs, ambulance drivers, mothers, fathers. Sons and daughters. We are society and yet we aren’t part of it.

We have a choice. There’s an election coming up for our local devolved parliament, the NI Assembly. It and the 108 MLAs elected to it have the sole authority over the marriage laws here. So far any attempt, no matter how small, to bring the matter to the floor has been defeated no less than five times.

We need to make a choice.

We can continue sniping from the side-lines and hoping for change or we can get involved and make that change happen.

We can’t do that without you and you can’t do that without us. We’re a team, all of us together, and on May 5th we

have the chance to make history and elect Pro-LGBT candidates who will stand up for our rights.

Just like the men and women at Stonewall, we have a responsibility to future generations to make our voices heard when the time comes.

History is made by those that show up. Don’t be left out of the story”.

He has also reminded people to register to vote in Northern Ireland: “REMEMBER! You MUST register to vote by April 18th or lose your chance to make a difference!”

Follow LoveProudly on twitter at: https://twitter.com/loveproudly2015

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Explore the Great White North Enjoy the splendour of Canada, the Great White North, this year with American Holidays.

Now firmly established as one of the most popular travel destinations among all North American tour destinations, Canada is a sight to behold.

American Holidays offer the best selection of travel options from self-drive tours, escorted tours, rail tours with VIA Rail, Rocky Mountaineer tours, Niagara Falls stopovers and Alaskan cruises, with a hand-picked selection of quality accommodation, day tours and transportation options that are sure to make your Canadian trip unforgettable.

The variety of cultures that can be found in the many cosmopolitan cities is second to none.

From the coastal city of Vancouver, framed by the Rockies, to Montreal, the second largest French speaking city in the world and onto Canada’s crown city Toronto, an iconic city famed worldwide for its culture and friendly atmosphere!

Choose from an amazing selection of tours to help you discover the Great White North with American Holidays, Possibilities Unlimited.

Take the 13 night Great Parks of the West Fly Drive from only €1915.

This unique travel package presents an exhilarating schedule which showcases the very finest national parks and breath-taking landscapes of the Canadian Rockies.

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Highlights include: Take a scenic drive through the picturesque surroundings of Glacier National Park Banff Take in the beauty of Banff and the surrounding area Drive to Jasper via the spectacular Icefields Parkway Take in the sights and surroundings of the mesmerising Whistler Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 13 nights’ accommodation, taxes and charges.

Take the 6 night Toronto and Niagara Falls Experience from only €855.

For those looking for a quick fix of the wonders of the greater Ontario region, look no further than this little gem, one of our highlights across the entire North American holiday package portfolio!

Highlights include: Soak up the splendour of downtown Toronto Take in the beauty of Niagara Falls Explore Boston, the cradle of American liberty Salem, the location of the infamous witch trials Charming harbor towns of Gloucester and Rockport Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 6 nights’ accommodation, taxes and charges.

Take the 7 nights Rocky Mountaineer Canadian Rockies Adventures from only €3349.

Thrill yourself with this amazing week-long action packed and unforgettable adventure through the Canadian Rockies. Visit some of the most idyllic mountain towns including

Canadian Rockies

Banff and Lake Louise, real cultural hubs.

Highlights include: Adventure into Banff and immerse yourself in sight seeing Take in the spectacular Bow Falls Explore beautiful Lake Louise Enjoy the true Canadian nightlife in Vancouver Explore the world famous Columbia Icefields Price includes: Return flights ex. Dublin, 7 nights’ accommodation, taxes and charges.

Banff

Call American Holidays to book on 01 673 3804 or call into their office just off Grafton Street - 18- 19 Duke Street, Dublin 2 where the expert staff will help you plan your holiday of a lifetime. For more information visit www. americanholidays.com.

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Quality LGBT News and Features – Produced from Los Angeles Available via podcast on our website (thiswayout.org) or on iTunes, and on 200+ Radio Stations Worldwide!

thiswayout.org | Twitter: @TWORadio Overnight Productions (Inc.)/”This Way Out” Post Office Box 1065 Los Angeles, CA 90078 U.S.A. EILE Magazine 37

Stop The Wheel - New Release on Little Gem Records

Little Gem is proud to present the debut single from Stop The Wheel - Shape Up From the forthcoming EP: Too Old For This Shit 2015 was an incredible year for me as a small label bringing extraordinary music to the world and I am very happy to present here the first Little gem release of 2016.

Stop The Wheel is the new project from Italian psychedelic avant-pop explorers Jennifer Gentle (Subpop) guitarist Francesco Candura.

Best described as “campfire R&B” or “weirdo folk”, Candura uses 4-track tape, acoustic guitar and the barest essentials (pitched voices) to create perfectly catchy post pop songs that sing on forever.

It’s R&B music played at a campfire. Sung by humans and aliens, in harmony.

Little Gem records has moved to a lovely new home at the basement of 18 Kildare street and is open daily from 12 - 6/8pm, stocking the best selection of independent music from all over the world on vinyl, cassette, compact disc, new formats + record players, tape decks, disc players, stereos, vintage instruments, zines, 2nd hand vinyl, coffee & collectables.

Available on limited edition Little Gem Player / Compact Disc / Cassette / iTunes / Spotify / All online retailers Friday May 20 2016 Preview Shape Up here: https://soundcloud.com/littlegemrecords/stop-the-wheel-shape-up Stop The Wheel - Shape Up Produced by Francesco Candura Mastered by Stephen Quinn

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Little Gem Records 18 Kildare Street Dublin 2 littlegemrecords@gmail.com www.littlegem.ie

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Frances Winston on Movies Directed by: Kirk Jones - Starring: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Andrea Martin, Ian Gomez, Elena Kampouris, Joey Fatone, Rita Wilson, John Stamos This sequel to the 2002 hit film clearly has a lot of moxy – why else would they pit themselves against the juggernaut that is Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Yes, for some bizarre reason best known to their distributors, they are releasing on the same day as the bigbudget superhero blockbuster.

Vardalos reprises her role as Toula Portokalos, or Toula Portokalos-Miller, as she is now, having married the nonGreek Ian (Sex and the City hunk Corbett) at the end of the last movie. They’ve taken some liberties with the timeline, as the couple now have a 17-year-old daughter Paris (Kampouris).

Having been the focus of her mother’s attention all her life, she is now getting set to head to college, and Toula must try and readjust to life with an empty nest, having neglected her marriage for the past few years. In the midst of

this, Toula’s parents discover that they were never actually properly married, and so the stage is set for the wedding of the title.

All the familiar characters from the original are back, and as madcap as ever. They may be older but they are no wiser – which is a bit of a problem.

The characters may have got older, got married and had children, but they don’t seem to have moved on emotionally.

Also, even though there are big life changes happening for several of the main players, the stakes never really seem high enough, and it all feels a bit underplayed.

Producer Rita Wilson and Fuller House star John Stamos play new characters that are completely redundant, as they set up one joke that you see coming a mile away, and then it doesn’t go anywhere. You could cut them out of the film it wouldn’t make any difference - and their inclusion reeks of cronyism and really slows the film down.

deeply affected by what you’ve seen.

The original spawned a shortlived TV show, My Big Fat Greek Life, and this would perhaps have been better done as a spin-off from that, than a big screen offering. Even if this was completely amazing, I am pretty sure it would get swallowed up by Batman v Superman, and perhaps that is the intention, as they can apportion blame to that film if they don’t get the bums on seats.

Unfortunately, the reality is that while not dreadful, there is nothing special or standout about this, and it is more of a DVD than a big screen watch.

In Cinemas March 25th!

The charm of the first movie is still here, and there are a lot of funny moments making for a very sweet almost saccharine film. It all just feels a bit ‘painted by numbers’. There is nothing standout about it, and while it will make you smile, you won’t leave the cinema

EILE Magazine 41

B AT M AN v S UPE R M AN

42 EILE Magazine

Frances Winston on Movies continued...

Directed by Zack Snyder - Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot To say that this is the mosthyped and anticipated movie of the year so far (yes, yes, I know it’s only March) is something of an understatement. Leading men Cavill and Affleck have been staring out at the public on everything, from buses to fast food packaging, and even Penney’s is stocking a clothing tie-in with the movie!

That said, my job is to review it so here goes. As is the case with all these films, it picks up after the events of the last movie – Cavill’s Superman debut, Man of Steel.

Bruce Wayne and many others are devastated by the destruction caused to Metroplolis, and many people are seeing Superman as a potential terrorist rather than a god. As one such vigilante conspires to bring down the Man of Steel through nefarious means, over in Gotham, Bruce Wayne instead resolves to use his alter ego, Batman, to destroy the alien threat to humanity.

Poor Cavill doesn’t get much of a chance to develop his character beyond what we saw in the last movie, as he is called on to do little but be square-jawed and heroic, while occasionally getting mushy with Lois Lane (Adams).

All eyes will be on Affleck, whose casting as Batman was greeted with some derision (Batfleck anyone?) and he will divide critics and audiences. His Bruce Wayne/Batman is not like previous incarnations (in fairness the source material for this film is from the limited-edition, Dark Knight Returns, comic book mini-

series, by Frank Miller rather than standard DC fare) and personally, I’m still not sure if I liked him in the role. I never really felt he captured the angst that famously drives Bruce Wayne.

Gal Gadot pops up as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, and is given very little to do until the closing sequence other than look pretty and mysterious. When we do finally get to see her in action, I have to say it was pretty disappointing. Although she was introduced as a precursor to the Justice League flick, and a standalone Wonder Woman movie, this film would have functioned fine without her. (She definitely doesn’t pass the sexy lamp test).

Throw in glimpses of fellow DC characters, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash, along with numerous big-name and award-winning actors in supporting roles that require them to do very little other than move the plot along, and a jittery and hyperactive Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, and this gets very confusing in parts.

But this movie isn’t about plot – it’s all about the action. From the off, there are big set pieces, and no opportunity to throw in a fight scene is wasted. Unfortunately, the actual David and Goliath moment (i.e. Batman v Superman) is a bit anticlimactic as at the end of the day Superman is blessed with otherworldly powers, while Batman is just a guy in a suit (an admittedly huge suit of armour that looks impossible to move in never mind fight!) who is going to have to resort to dirty tricks to win.

It is also incredibly short. The whole movie builds up to this, and then it’s over as the duo (literally) has a bigger problem to worry about, which forces them to work together. Of course, these scenes are spectacular, but there are so

many of them that they at times get in the way of any real plot development. It would also appear that they threw the entire budget at them, as in the closing scenes there is some pretty dodgy CGI, which there is no excuse for, unless they ran out of money.

If it sounds like I didn’t enjoy this movie you’re wrong. I did genuinely find it thrilling as the viewer is supposed to. But it also left me feeling unfulfilled.

Almost like when you decide to have a bit of everything off the dessert trolley, and so have no one standout flavour to savour. Yes it is extremely exciting, but it has no real heart. DC’s big screen sojourns are still in their infancy, but they could do with bringing some warmth to their movies, which Marvel do so well. After all, there is a reason why people love these comic books, and we should care about these heroes.

In trying to do too much, Snyder seems to have lost his focus, and what we get is at times a bit of a mess. Still thrilling and with some awesome scenes, it ultimately adds very little to any character’s story, and has a lot of excess material that could have been cut away.

At two and a half hours long, he could easily have shaved half an hour off, and made it tighter and more coherent. Obviously, it is still going to make millions at the box office, and rightly so, as this is the kind of movie that defines summer blockbuster. However, it is unlikely to be in anyone’s top ten superhero movies list, and in many ways it does itself a lot of disservice.

In cinemas March 25!

Poster: http://camw1n. deviantart.com/art/Batman-VSuperman-2016-Trinity-Poster-B558820322 EILE Magazine 43

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SING STREET

Frances Winston on Movies continued...

Directed by: John Carney – Starring: Ferdia WalshPeelo, Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor, Kelly Thornton, Don Wycherly Most teenagers dream of being in a band but never get around to doing anything about it. Not so the determined youngsters in this flick, who set up a pop group to impress a girl, and in doing so take a journey of selfdiscovery.

Set in 1980s Dublin, newcomer Ferdia Walsh-Peelo plays Cosmo, who is forced to leave his private school and transfer to Synge Street in Dublin’s inner city. Standing out like a sore thumb, he is incessantly bullied, but when he meets Raphina (Lucy Boynton) he discovers a new purpose in life.

Joining up with a motley crew of fellow wannabe pop stars, he sets about impressing the winsome beauty by asking her to appear in their video. As they develop musically, they also develop as people. Before long, the music is seeping into every aspect of their lives, as Cosmo tries to win the elusive Raphina’s heart while both deal with their own personal issues.

Director Carney has described this as semi-autobiographical, and indeed as a founding member of The Frames, he is well placed to tell a tale of music obsessed teens. His love for music really shines through, from the classic tracks of the era that pepper the movie to the original songs the band perform.

All of the young cast are sickeningly talented, and Walsh-Peelo takes to his leading man status like an old pro. The cast completely embrace their roles and the music videos they make, which offer an escapism from day to day drudgery, are some of the highlights of the film. Indeed the original songs are actually very good and ridiculously catchy. Although the older cast are all veterans their thunder is well and truly stolen here by these talented teens. For Irish audiences there is the added element of spotting all the landmarks scattered throughout the movie, and Carney has made Dublin look stunning throughout.

somewhat like the baby sibling of that movie. Ridiculously feel-good and upbeat, it is impossible to leave this film without a smile on your face.

Hopefully, it adds many more gongs to Carney’s ever-growing slew of awards. Expect to want to rewatch this again and again if only to hear the songs.

In Cinemas Now!

Dealing with coming of age stories can be tricky, but the script here rarely veers into cheesy territory, and when it does it swiftly navigates its way back out. Even the OTT ending will have you cheering for our heroes rather than sitting there thinking, “that would never happen!”

This has as much heart as The Commitments, and is EILE Magazine 45

Information and support for women who need someone to talk to

DLL – Phone: (01) 872 9911 (Callback facility available) 46 EILE Magazine

Liv Monaghan of Bird&Bass will be playing the Baiser Sale in Paris on 25 April at 7pm

BIRD&BASS Jazz LE LUNDI 25/04/2016 À 19H00 - BAISER SALE - PARIS 01 LE BAISER SALE JAZZ CLUB (10497050607) PRESENTE Sava Medan cbasse, Srdjan Ivanovic batterie, Liv Monaghan chant Le projet Bird&Bass a commencé en 2012. C’est un mélange de standards et de compositions de la chanteuse Irlandaise Liv Monaghan, organisé et dirigé par Sava Medan.

Le projet est inspiré par la nature. C’est une recherche des rythmes organiques et magiques dispersés entre mélodies et poésies.

Toujours en cours de développement et en quête d’exploration, nous avons le plaisir de travailler en trio avec Srdjan Ivanovic à la batterie.

EILE Magazine 47

Irish Short The Betrayal Announces Partnership With DCU - based EROSS & D-Light Studios Dublin Featured in the February issue of EILE Magazine, Irish short film, The Betrayal, an upcoming thriller on social and gender issues, has announced that it has two new partners: D-Light Studios Dublin, and DCU-based Sexuality Studies research group, EROSS. Headed by Dr Mel Duffy and

48 EILE Magazine

Mr Jean-Philippe Imbert, EROSS (Expressions, Research, Orientations: Sexuality Studies) is a research group based in DCU and aimed at investigating processes and variations in sexual cultures, sexual identities and gender-role formation.

“We operate in a cross-, inter-, and multi-disciplinary research cluster,” says Mr Imbert,“ and we welcome the inclusion of film media to contribute to sexual literacy, generate well being and advocate social justice.” Dr Duffy adds “The film allows us to take the artistic view of the writer and cinematographer and integrate them with their cultural, ethical, and social perception of sexuality, at personal and societal levels.”

D-Light Studios, owned by photographer Agata Stoinska, partnered with The Betrayal in the early stages of production.

Some of the film’s key scenes were shot there in February.

Stace Gill, D-Light Studios

manager said: “Here at D-Light Studios we have a very unique space, we have built a creative hub in a beautiful old woollen mill/ warehouse and we want to share it. Our primary function is as a film/photography location and our aim is to welcome as many creative projects to the space as possible. We are very happy to work with the amazing crew of women behind “The Betrayal”.

A project that creatively addresses the ever evolving social attitudes and issues concerning gender equality, fluidity and freedom is an easy partnership for us to make.”

“The endorsement of both our partners means a lot to us”, says Kamila Dydyna, the writer and co-director of The Betrayal. “There are many ways to help independent film, and it’s a huge recognition for me as a filmmaker to feel supported by people who have shown their commitment to the Arts.”

Mark McAuley as Mark Kane in The Betrayal

The Betrayal, featured recently in EILE Magazine, Her.ie and Headstuff.org,is in postproduction, and is slated for release on the Irish and international festival circuit in the early summer 2016. It’s Kamila Dydyna’s second film after the award-winning Testimony.

The Betrayal, a thriller/drama, was produced by Kamila Dydyna & Driftwood Doll Films (Eilis Abbott & Michael O’Dwyer) and directed by Natasha Waugh & Kamila Dydyna. Written by Kamila Dydyna. Director of Photography: Gosia Zur. It stars Miriam Devitt, Mark McAuley, Kamila Dydyna, Hilary Bowen-Walsh.

Sound Design: Nikki Moss.Executive Producer: Will Carter.

The film 30-minute film tells the story of Mark & Nel, whose marriage is on the rocks. As Nel starts questioning her feelings for her best friend Alice, Mark’s own issues unravel, changing all of their lives forever.

You can find out more about The Betrayal at: Website: http://thebetrayal.kamiladydyna.com/wp/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBetrayalShortFilm/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Betrayal_Film

EILE Magazine 49

Wildcard Distribution acquires ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ Film will have World Premiere at Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto Wildcard Distribution has acquired ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ which has just been officially selected for the prestigious Hot Docs film festival in Toronto.

The documentary will have its world premiere at the festival which is the largest documentary film festival in North America on May 3rd.

The Irish rights have been acquired from Content Media who are acting as international distributor and an Irish cinema release is scheduled for this summer.

Bobby Sands: 66 Days, directed by Brendan J Byrne, is a cinematic portrait of the Irish

Republican martyr’s epic 66day hunger strike that grabbed the world’s attention in the early 1980s. The premiere will coincide with Sands’ 35th anniversary, as he passed away on May 5th 1981.

prisoner. The film’s narrative spine is comprised of Sands’ own words, drawn from his hunger strike diary, a unique insight into the man and his beliefs as he embarked on his final journey.

Speaking about the project Byrne said: “Bobby Sands and the 1981 hunger strike is one of the few stories from the Northern Ireland conflict whose myriad threads weave together to give us the bigger picture, and I was intrigued to explore the life of someone who was prepared to die for their beliefs.”

Using eye-witness testimony, unseen archive, reconstructions and animation, this cinematic odyssey serves as both the definitive account of a self-created Irish martyr and a seismic moment in 20th century Irish history.

Sands famously led a hunger strike against conditions inside Northern Ireland’s notorious H Blocks that made him an international icon. Seeing himself as a soldier in a conflict, he died for the right to be recognised as a political

The film was produced by Trevor Birney and Brendan J Byrne for Fine Point Films / Cyprus Avenue Films with the Oscar winning filmmaker Alex Gibney a consulting producer.

Bobby Sands: 66 Days will receive its World Premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto on May 3rd 2016, 9pm EST in the TIFF Bell Lightbox.

Wildcard Distribution will be releasing the film in Irish cinemas this summer.

50 EILE Magazine

Left: Bobby Sands who was on hungerstrike for 66 days

The Queen of Ireland, the Conor Horgan film about Ireland’s LGBT activist and Drag Queen, Panti Bliss, (aka Rory O’Neill) has been nominated for the Feature Documentary Award at the IFTAs, with Mick Mahon nominated for editing. The film aired on Irish Television,on RTE NETWORK 2, 10PM, EASTER SUNDAY 27 March EILE Magazine 51

Netflix Release First Look Images for Orange Is The New Black Season 4 52 EILE Magazine

Netflix is releasing first look images from the fourth season of Orange Is the New Black, returning to Netflix on Friday, 17 June.

Season 4: Overrun with new inmates, and overseen by inexperienced guards, the prison undergoes an unprecedented culture war.

From Jenji Kohan, the creator of “Weeds”, Orange is the New Black is a thought-provoking, funny and evocative show about life in a women’s prison.

Based on the best-selling memoir

by Piper Kerman, the newest season of Orange delves into the racial and economic tensions that run rampant in the halls of Litchfield.

(Seasons 1-3 are now streaming)..

EILE Magazine 53

Launch of KnowNow – Ireland’s first free rapid HIV testing service for gay and bisexual men GLEN (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network) The Sexual Health Centre Cork,and GOSHH (Gender Orientation, Sexual Health and HIV) Limerick, today launch ‘KnowNow’ Ireland’s first national free rapid HIV testing programme. The testing is community based and will be provided by a team of community volunteers in a variety of nonclinical venues in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. In Dublin, this will include Pantibar, on Capel Street.

The latest HIV diagnosis figures show that HIV remains an issue of critical concern for gay and bisexual men. The figures for 2015 show that gay and bisexual men are the group most likely to acquire HIV in Ireland. There remains a clear need for gay and bisexual men to know their HIV status.

54 EILE Magazine

“KnowNow, the new rapid HIV testing pilot is an exciting and innovative new approach to enabling more people to know their HIV status. If people have HIV then the earlier they become aware of their status the better it will be for their long term health outcomes. In addition, most HIV is transmitted by people who are unaware that they have HIV, so early diagnosis can further reduce onward transmission rates” said Tiernan Brady, director of Gay HIV Strategies for GLEN. Gay HIV Strategies, an initiative of GLEN – the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network – focuses on developing effective HIV prevention and sexual health promotion.

Rory O’Neill (Ms Panti Bliss) helped launched the project highlighting the importance of making testing easier saying: “There is still far too much stigma around HIV and knowing your HIV status. As part of tackling

that stigma we need to provide opportunities to test for HIV that are convenient, affirmative and that are provided how, when and where is most appropriate for the people we are encouraging to test.

Pantibar are delighted to support the project and have testing take place in our bar” The funding for the project was announced by Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar TD, at the recent launch of Ireland’s first National Sexual Health Strategy.

Minister Leo Varadkar stated: “I really welcome the launch of this pilot service and I’m delighted that the Department of Health has provided €150,000 to support it. It means that Dublin now has its first ever free rapid HIV testing service. The one-year pilot will offer a mix of on-site testing in workplaces, bars and other hubs. This is a significant development in promoting safer sexual health in Dublin and the surrounding area,

Irish Minister For Health, Leo Varadkar

and compliments services already underway in Cork and Limerick.”

GOSHH will be providing the service in Limerick. Ann Mason, director of GOSHH said: “We are delighted to be part of the KnowNow campaign and look forward to working with our partners to provide community based rapid HIV tests which will be free of charge. At GOSHH one of our goals will be that everybody living in the Mid-West will get to know their HIV status and be aware of Sexual

Health services within their locality.”

Deirdre Seery, director of the Sexual Health Centre in Cork also welcomed the project: “We are delighted that we can now offer this rapid HIV test. It only takes a minute to know your HIV status. HIV is a preventable condition and this program will help us to reach our goal of zero new cases” Information on times and locations for testing is available from KnownowIE on facebook, and from

contacting GLEN, GOSSH or the Sexual Health Centre in Cork.

Details of venues and times of testing will be available on the KnowNow facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ KnowNowIE/ Further information on 2015 HIV figures: http://www.hpsc.ie/A-Z/ HIVSTIs/HIVandAIDS/ SurveillanceReports/ (eile.ie 30 March 2016) EILE Magazine 55

Ground-breaking Irish LGBTI Report Shows Higher Levels Of Self-harm And Attempted Suicide Among Young LGBTI People he LGBTIreland Report, launched today (22nd March) by Dr. Mary McAleese, details the findings of Ireland’s largest ever study of the mental health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Ireland. The study was funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention and undertaken by a team at Trinity College Dublin, led by Professor Agnes Higgins.

The report shows that a majority of LGBTI people aged 26 and over are doing well, report good self-esteem and are proud of their LGBTI identity. However, these positive findings are not shared across all age groups. The research found that LGBTI people still face considerable barriers to good mental health, including bullying at school, fear of rejection and discrimination, harassment

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and violence and negative attitudes and stereotypes.

Speaking at the launch were: · Dr. Mary McAleese Former President of Ireland · Professor Agnes Higgins Trinity College Dublin, lead author of the report · Susan Kenny National Office for Suicide Prevention · Odhrán Allen Director of Mental Health, GLEN · Dr. Carol-Anne O’Brien Director of Advocacy, BeLonG To Youth Services “Some of the findings of The LGBTIreland Report are harrowing, showing higher levels of self-harm and suicidal behaviour among LGBTI teenagers as well as worrying levels of severe and extremely severe stress, anxiety and depression. Being LGBTI in itself doesn’t increase the risk of poor mental health.

It’s the experience of being bullied, being rejected or being harassed because you are LGBTI that leads to higher levels of self-harm and attempted suicide” said Odhrán Allen, Director of Mental Health at GLEN. “The findings are stark. 56% of LGBTI 14 to 18 year olds had self-harmed, 70% had suicidal thoughts and 1 in 3 had attempted suicide” said Dr. Carol-Anne O’Brien, Director of Advocacy at BeLonG To. “Compared to the My World National Youth Mental Health Study, LGBTI young people in this study had 2 times the level of self-harm; 3 times the level of attempted suicide; 4 times the level of severe or extremely severe stress, anxiety and depression” continued Dr. O’Brien.

“This scholarly report is as essential and revealing as it is horrifying.

The ongoing damage is undeniable. That it involves so many young people is tragic. That it is

soluble is the good news” said former President of Ireland, Dr. Mary McAleese, speaking at the launch.

Professor Agnes Higgins of Trinity College Dublin, who led the research team, said “As well as differences across age groups The LGBTIreland Reportalso found differences among LGBTI people. The research reveals that there is a hierarchy of risk among LGBTI people, with intersex, transgender and bisexual people reporting poorer mental health outcomes compared to gay men and lesbian women.”

“This hierarchy of risk reflects the fact that more progress has been made on reducing homophobia in Ireland than biphobia and transphobia. This hierarchy of progress highlights the need for increased advocacy and support for bisexual, transgender and intersex people and to address the diversity of needs within the LGBTI community,” continued Professor Higgins.

Gerry Raleigh, Director of The National Office for Suicide Prevention(NOSP) said “The national suicide reduction strategy ‘Connecting For Life’ has identified the LGBTI community as a priority group for suicide prevention. The aim of the strategy is to reduce suicide and self-harm among the whole population and among priority groups by ten percent over the life time of the

strategy. The data within this study is critical in designing and evaluating evidence informed approaches to suicide prevention among this priority group.”

“It is important for LGBTI young people and their families to know they are not alone.

There are LGBTI youth and community services across the country. Schools, mental health services and other support agencies are being increasingly proactive about creating safe and supportive environments for the LGBTI people in their care. The report highlights the urgent need to accelerate this work. We look forward to working with these partners to achieve a better Ireland for LGBTI children to grow up in” said Dr. CarolAnne O’Brien.

across Irish society” concluded Odhrán Allen.

Copies of the Key Findings are here and the full report is here and are also available at www. glen.ie or www.belongto.org Support for LGBTI people and their families is available at www.lgbt.ie, the national LGBT helpline at 1890 929 539, www.teni.ie , www. yourmentalhealth.ieor www. lgbtmentalhealth.ie For a full list of LGBTI youth services around the country, see www.belongto.org (eile.ie 22 March 2016)

“The past continues to exert its negative legacy on many LGBTI lives. It is clear that stigma, rejection and discrimination are still a reality for many LGBTI people in Ireland. These unnecessary and preventable stresses that LGBTI children and teenagers still encounter as they grow up are reflected in the higher levels of self-harm and attempted suicide uncovered in the study. However, the progress achieved for Irish LGBTI people in 2015 gives us solid ground for the urgent work necessary in our schools, communities, workplaces and in our homes, to ensure that all LGBTI people are equal, safe, included and valued

EILE Magazine 57

Los Angeles LGBT Center’s “Hit the Wall” Wins Top Prize at L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards On Monday (14 March) the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s production of Ike Holter’s groundbreaking play Hit the Wall swept the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards with the top prize as Outstanding Production.

Performed from October 2015 – January 2016 with three extended runs at the Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center, the riveting production also won Outstanding Ensemble Performance, Outstanding Lead Performance (Matthew Hancock), Outstanding Featured Performance (Charlotte Gulezian), Outstanding Direction (Ken Sawyer), and Outstanding Lighting Design (Matt Richter).

Hit the Wall recreated New York City’s underground gay nightspot, The Stonewall Inn, 58 EILE Magazine

during the summer of 1969, when a routine police raid erupted into a fullscale riot, and ignited the modern LGBT rights movement.

pioneers in New York City who stood their ground and fought back against authority to gain visibility and equal rights. We owe our lives to them.”

Winners were announced at the Moss Theatre of New Roads School in Santa Monica.

Produced in partnership with Sixth Avenue, Hit the Wall featured a cast of 10, a live three-piece rock band, original music by Anna Waronker (singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (of The GoGo’s), and choreography. The Center’s Davidson/Valentini Theatre had been completely redesigned to make the production as immersive as possible, bringing audiences directly into the story and bringing the story to life.

“As I heard Ike Holter’s captivating script being read during a table read, I knew we could do something special with this beautiful play—and I was convinced that no other theatre in Los Angeles could do it justice than at the Los Angeles LGBT Center,” said Center Cultural Arts Director Jon Imparato.

“This production chronicles the birth of the modern LGBT rights movement. The Center is the world’s largest provider of programs and services for LGBT people because of LGBT

For more information about the Center’s Cultural Arts, visit lalgbtcenter.org/cultural_ education. (eile.ie 19 March 2016)

EILE Magazine 59

US: HRC – 60 Companies (Incl.

Sodexo and Apple) Launch Business Coalition For The Equality Act In the US last Thursday (10 March) the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced the launch of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act, a coalition of 60 major employers that have officially endorsed the bipartisan Equality Act. Since HRC joined with lawmakers and advocates last July to introduce the Equality Act in Congress, HRC has continued to build support from the business community. On Thursday last, Business Coalition for the Equality Act launched with 60 leading American companies.

With operations in all 50 states, headquarters spanning 22 states, and a combined $1.9 trillion in revenue, the companies that make up the coalition employ over 4.2 million people in the United

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States.

laws.

“These business leaders are showing true leadership and fighting to end a shameful status quo that leaves LGBT people at risk in a majority of states for being denied services or fired because of who they are or who they love,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.

The Equality Act provides clear, permanent and equal protections under federal law for all Americans in vital areas of life, like employment, access to public spaces, housing, credit, education, jury service, and federally funded programs.

“We’re proud of all these corporate leaders stepping forward to say that all Americans, including LGBT people, should be able to live free from fear of discrimination and have a fair chance to earn a living.”

A majority of states — 32 states in total — still lack fully inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBT people, and there are no explicit federal protections against discrimination. Introduced one month after the historic Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that ushered in nationwide marriage equality, the Equality Act would finally guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBT people under our existing civil rights

Members of HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Accenture Airbnb Inc. Amazon.com Inc. American Airlines American Eagle Outfitters Apple Inc. Best Buy Co. Inc. Biogen Boehringer Ingelheim USA Corp.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc. Brown-Forman Corp.

CA Technologies Inc. Caesars Entertainment Corp.

Capital One Financial Corp.

Cardinal Health Inc. Choice Hotels International Inc Corning Inc. CVS Health Corp.

Diageo North America

Dropbox Inc. EMC Corp.

Facebook Inc. Gap Inc. General Electric Co. General Mills Inc. Google Inc. Hewlett-Packard Co. Hilton Worldwide Inc. Hyatt Hotels Corp.

IBM Corp.

Intel Corp.

Johnson & Johnson Kellogg Co. Levi Strauss & Co. Marriott International Inc. MasterCard Inc. McGraw Hill Financial Microsoft Corp.

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Monsanto Co. Moody’s Corp.

Nike Inc. Oracle Corp.

Orbitz Worldwide Inc. PepsiCo Inc. Qualcomm Inc. Replacements Ltd. Salesforce Sodexo Inc. Symantec Corp.

T-Mobile USA Inc. Target Corp.

Tech Data Corp.

The Coca-Cola Company The Dow Chemical Co.

The Hershey Company Twitter Inc. Unilever WeddingWire Inc. The announcement came as dozens of grassroots supporters and advocates fan out across Capitol Hill to educate Members of Congress about the need to pass the Equality Act. 170 HRC members from 23 states and the District of Columbia visited with 151 offices to grow support for the Equality Act in Congress.

Discrimination is a real and persistent problem for too many LGBT Americans.

Nearly two-thirds of selfidentified LGBT Americans have reported experiencing discrimination in HRC’s polling — including people like Carter Brown, a transgender man who lost his job after he was outed as transgender by his colleagues.

Currently, 50 percent of LGBT Americans live in states where they are at risk of being fired, denied housing or refused service because of who they are or whom they love.

HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act launch comes after new polling released by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that nationally, support for a bill like the Equality Act topped 70 percent, which includes a majority of Democrats, Republicans and Independents. The groundbreaking report from PRRI included 42,000 interviews in 50 states and found support for the Equality Act in all 50 states.

Republican Senator Mark Kirk (IL) and Representative Bob Dold (IL) recently signed on as co-sponsors of the Equality Act, which was introduced last year by Senators Jeff Merkley (OR), Tammy Baldwin (WI) and Cory Booker (NJ); and Representatives David Cicilline (RI) and John Lewis (GA). (eile.ie 13 March 2016)

EILE Magazine 61

Maspalomas Gay P Wet & White

Amadores Beach Club – Thursday 12 May 2016 from 13:00 – 20:00 Wet & White at Amadores Beach Club was completely sold out last year! This year Wet & White promises to be even better with famous international DJs, elevated stage with LED screens, gogo dancers, an amazing sound system, and of course a gorgeous location with large pool next to the ocean!

Get ready as this year one of the biggest names within the gay community DJ scene will visit Gran Canaria between his gigs in Moscow and Sydney…Mickey Friedmann! Resident DJ of organisor ProGay is of course the amazing Sharon O´Love. Your host is probably the best DJs on Gran Canaria and plays at the popular Construction Bar; PK80! Soraya Vivian will give you a tremendous vocal performance. She has recorded many singles for Hed Kandi and Fierce Angel!

Tickets: http://www.gaypridemaspalomas.com/product/wet-white/

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Pride 2016 – Events T-Dance

Aqua Ocean Club – Friday 13 May from 13:00 – 20:00 Located right next to the Meloneras Beach and Atlantic Ocean you can enjoy an amazing day with top DJs, live performances, and gogo dancers!

Resident DJ of the T-Dance, Sharon O´Love, plays regularly at Hard On London, NY Club Munich and Funhouse Amsterdam. This will be the third time that T-Dance welcomes Luis del Villar, from Barcelona, who has his residence at Ocean Club Ibiza during summertime, and monthly at the Eclipse Bar in the world famous W Hotel, Barcelona. Local hero, PK80, will be host of DJs, and welcomes Soraya Vivian as the vocal superstar at T-Dance 2016! She will blow you away with her powerful voice, and her many hits.

http://www.gaypridemaspalomas.com/product/t-dance/ Get your Early Bird tickets with discount!

EILE Magazine 63

Indonesia: Proposal To Censor LGBT Speech Criticised The Indonesian government should reject a parliamentary committee proposal to censor media related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said in a letter to the Information and Communication Ministry. The proposal follows a spate of anti-LGBT rhetoric from senior government officials that discriminatory standards should be enshrined into law.

Indonesia’s LGBT community. Access to information about sexual orientation and gender identity is a basic right that the government should defend, not deny.”

“The proposed broad censorship of LGBT content marks a new low in the official assault on

One Japanese mobile messaging app company, LINE, honored the call by On March 3, 2016, Indonesia’s removing LGBT-themed Parliamentary Commission cellphone “stickers” from its for Defense, Foreign service. The company had

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said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director.

The Indonesian government should stop seeking to censor and silence the LGBT community, and Internet and mobile app companies should resist such government actions. The Internet has been a transformative space for human rights activists by offering sanctuary and access to crucial information for LGBT people.

Internet companies have a responsibility to defend their users’ rights to access information by rejecting government moves to undermine those rights.

Affairs and Information, or Commission I, recommended “measures for the [Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, or KPI] to tighten controls over broadcasting LGBT-related content, as well as sanctioning strict punishment for violation of LGBT content delivery”.

Specifically, Commission I recommended that the Information and Communication Ministry and KPI should close online sites that “promote and propagate” LGBT content and draft the necessary regulations to support its actions.

The ministry has publicly indicated its intent to comply with these recommendations.

On February 12, the ministry asked messaging app companies to remove content that does not “respect the culture and local wisdom of the country where they have large numbers of users.”

previously included images designed by Indonesia’s transgender community.

Commission endorsing censorship of LGBT-related content in public broadcasts.

the government stands up for universal rights against discrimination.”

On February 17, the ministry issued a broad ban on the social media website Tumblr for hosting content that included LGBT-related information. The ministry later stated that it would instead reach out to Tumblr and Yahoo!, which owns Tumblr, to ask it to “self-censor” banned content.

The Information and Communication Ministry should end these regressive developments, which violate the rights to freedom of expression and nondiscrimination under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The proposed actions are also contrary to article 28 of the Indonesian constitution.

(eile.ie 14 March 2016)

On February 23, the ministry announced guidelines barring broadcasters from showing men wearing “feminine dress” or speaking in a feminine manner. These directives coincide with statements by the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and Indonesian Broadcasting

“The Indonesian government should protect, not restrict, the public’s rights to free expression and access to information,” Kine said. “The communications ministry should loudly reject any proposal to censor LGBT information to signal that EILE Magazine 65

113 Trans People Now Legally Recognised in Ireland Since the commencement of the Gender Recognition Act, 113 Gender Recognition Certificates have been issued.

“Six months after the commencement of the Act we can see that trans people are availing of legal recognition,” said Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI) Chief Executive Broden Giambrone.

On September 4th 2015, Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton, T.D., signed the commencement order for the Gender Recognition Act, which ended Dr Lydia Foy’s long legal battle.

Trans people in Ireland were finally able to be legally recognised in their true gender.

Figures supplied by

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the General Register Office show that 71 Birth Certificates have been issued from the Gender Recognition Register since September 2015.

“Ireland is unique in that our legal recognition process is simple, straightforward and accessible. We are one of just six countries in the world that expressly allow trans people to self-determine their legal gender,” said Mr Giambrone.

“This has been a significant moment for the trans community in Ireland. We now exist in the eyes of the law.”

The Department of Social Protection reported that three Gender Recognition Certificates have been issued to persons aged 16/17.

“We know the process of attaining legal recognition for individuals under 18 years of age is quite difficult. However, we are heartened to know that three young people have been able to be formally recognised for who they are,” said Mr Giambrone.

The Gender Recognition Act includes a provision that requires the Government to conduct a two-year review of the operations of the Act. This will occur in 2017, and the Government must issue a report to the Oireachtas on the findings and conclusions.

TENI has convened an expert Working Group, and will advocate for the full and meaningful inclusion of young trans, intersex and non-binary persons during this review.

“The Gender Recognition Act was an incredible step forward, but it does not go

far enough. Young trans and intersex persons are not meaningfully included, nor are people with non-binary identities.

These exclusions must be addressed during the review process,� said Mr Giambrone. “Legislative change is incredibly important.

However, there is significant work that still needs to be done to combat discrimination and improve healthcare, education and

employment for trans people. Trans people and their families have considerable support needs and it is clear that we still need to raise awareness about our diverse experiences. There is still a lot of work to do to ensure all trans people are included in Irish society,� concluded Mr Giambrone.

the rights and equality of trans people and their families.

For more information, visit: www.teni.ie (eile.ie 12 March 2016)

TENI, Transgender Equality Network Ireland, seeks to improve conditions and advance

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INTERNATIONAL

Engage, Educate, Empower

CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL

15 May 2016 Unite to demand a sustainable HIV response

Design by Raīaele Teo (arteo71@hotmail.com)

Join communiƟes around the world in the largest grassroots movement to end the HIV epidemic

TO BECOME A COORDINATOR OR FIND A MEMORIAL NEAR YOU, VISIT:

www.candlelightmemorial.org hƩps://www.facebook.com/CandlelightMemorial Coordinated by the Global Network of People Living with HIV

GLOBAL NETWORK OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

Sunday 15th of May 2016 is the 33rd International AIDS Candlelight Memorial.

Registration is now open to organisations worldwide to raise HIV awareness and remember the friends and family lost to AIDS with this year’s theme “Engage, Educate, Empower”.

When the AIDS Candlelight Memorial was held first in 1983, no-one could have predicted the scale of the global HIV epidemic. With millions of lives lost and around 37 million people currently living with HIV, HIV remains a challenging reality. While for some people HIV has become a chronic disease, many others lack access to treatment and experience HIV-related stigma, discrimination and human rights violations on a daily basis.

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The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is held to remind people of the impact that HIV still has. The Memorial emphasizes the need for people living with and affected by HIV to work together in the response to HIV – to engage people, communities, governments and donors in ending the epidemic, to educate the current and next generation about HIV, treatment, prevention and care, and how it affects lives.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial is one of the world’s oldest and largest grassroots mobilisation campaigns for HIV awareness.

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial takes place every third Sunday in May. It is coordinated at the global level by the Global Network of People living with HIV (GNP+).

For more information, or to register, visit http://www.candlelightmemorial.org

Still from McDonalds video about Taiwanese boy coming out to his Dad

McDonalds Taiwan ‘Coming Out’ Ad Sparks Controversy with religious groups This is the McDonald’s video ad that has religious groups in Taiwan calling for a boycott on the fast-food chain.

It is about a boy coming out to his Dad, by writing on his McCafe coffee cup “I like boys”. The religious groups say that the ad promotes gay issues.

The ad shows the boy’s Dad, seemingly getting annoyed and walking off, but then coming back and writing on his own coffee cup “I accept that you like boys”. As the boy now becomes emotional because he’s happy, the ad ends with “Let there be more warmth in conversations”.

Although the religious groups are very vocal, the Taiwan Ministry of Justice conducted a survey which found that over 60% of those surveyed approved of same-sex marriage. The ad has been viewed 1,600,000 times.

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Design: Anthony Zagariko, exclusively for EILE Magazine

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LGBT Youth organisation ‘Comes Out’ with May 22nd as #BelongTotheFuture day On May 22nd 2015, the Marriage Equality Referendum changed what it meant to grow up LGBT in Ireland.

BeLonGTo told young people and their friends and families that it was safe to come out, that they #belongtothefuture.

Young people now feel confident to come out, and demand for services from BeLonGTo, has literally doubled since the referendum.

BeLonG To, the national LGBT

Youth Organisation, provides critical support services such as peer support, advocacy, schools outreach, and suicide and harm prevention. With the overwhelming new demand for these services, it is in urgent need of additional funding.

Yesterday’s launch of the LGBTIreland report showed that we still have much to change to make if we want young LGBTI people to grow up in a safe and supportive environment. We don’t want LGBTI people spending their 20s, 30s and 40s recovering from traumatic childhoods, and resulting mental health problems. We can wipe out

homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools and build young people’s resilience.

We can show the rest of the world once again how to make Ireland the best place in the world to grow up LGBTI. BeLonGTo is declaring May 22nd as #BeLongTothefuture day to fund these services that nurture and support Ireland’s young LGBT people.

For more, visit www.belongto.org (eile.ie 23 March 2016)

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NI: Transgender Woman Gives Speech At Stormont On Domestic Violence Transgender woman, Alicia Perry, gave a speech on domestic violence at Stormont on Saturday night last (5th March) to mark International Women’s Day. She feels very passionate about domestic abuse, and asks for your help to raise awareness of this very misunderstood issue.

Alicia says that in honour of her friend, Donna’s memory, who died in a domestic violence incident, she would like to do something to change the laws in Northern Ireland. She also says that the statistics would shock you.

As part of her speech, she quoted Lady Gaga: “Till it happens to you, you don’t know how it feels.

Till it happens to you, you won’t know, it won’t be real No, it won’t be real, you won’t know how it feels” She said in her speech that in 2013 she lost her friend to domestic violence: “Donna was 49 and found dead one evening in her apartment. It was no secret she was in

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and out of a domestic violent relationship with her boyfriend for 16 years. I had personally witnessed the impact of this anger on her face, on her heart and on her very soul. Her death was unexplained and as such remains that. I thought it was black and white, I told her to leave him many times and because she kept taking him back I distanced myself. I didn’t want to know anymore and I didn’t want to listen. I just didn’t ‘get it’.

The month before her death I began dating a man. He was my first since my transition and I fell in love at first sight. He was gorgeous, strong, kind, loving, considerate, all those things a girl wants in a man and more. I fell in love, he was my Prince Charming and my hopes began building for my Happy Ever After. He was really there for me when Donna died, held me in his arms while I cried sore for my dear friend; who really would have deserved her, Happy Ever After. A better friend I couldn’t have met. She was simply the best”.

However, Alicia states that her own dreams were crushed the next month when “….my Prince beat me repeatedly, in my bedroom, then out on the street in front of terrified neighbours. He broke bail to find me, told me it was the drink and steroids which seemed a valid reason so I forgave him and took him back. Why? Because I didn’t want to give

Transgender Woman Alicia Perry

up on my Happy Ever After and I believed my Prince when he said he was sorry”.

However, as things got worse, Alicia found the courage to walk away, and started to work for Women’s Aid in Northern Ireland.

She told the audience: “Many women are too frightened, too vulnerable, too damaged or just too confused because they feel they don’t have a choice.

Many women just don’t ‘get it’ yet, just like I’m sure many of you here tonight who have not been through it”.

She appealed to the Justice Minister and Health Minister of NI to fulfill a promise made in 2015 in relation to domestic abuse: “We owe it to the women, children and men of N.I. to strategically tackle this issue NOW and tonight I am reaching out to you all to offer my time and I will try help you to ‘get it’. I also demand, not request, the Justice Minister and the Health Minister to immediately sign off

on the Domestic Violence Strategy that was promised back in September 2015 before more women, children and men have to suffer.

I would like to see MARAC [Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference] do more in terms of strategic alliances, networking, communication, housing, social needs, etc. Meeting the women, men and children survivors might just help them to ‘get it’ too”.

Alicia Perry concluded in her speech at Stormont: “We owe it to the women, children and men of N. I. to help improve their chances of a Happy Ever After. It’s too late for my friend Donna but it’s not too late for them”. https://twitter.com/aliciavperry www.facebook.com/aliciavperry -MKB (eile.ie 7 March 2016)

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Australia: Senate Chamber

Australia: Call for marriage equality supporters to work together In Australia, advocates have called on supporters of marriage equality across all parties to work together to ensure legislation passes parliament in the wake of debate on the issue in the Senate yesterday.

“It is no longer enough for politicians simply to support marriage equality, they must be prepared to vote for it and they must work together to move it forward” said Rodney Croome, national director of Australian Marriage Equality.

A clear majority of senators have publicly declared their support for the reform but

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Government senators do not have a free vote, and the Labor and Green parties, and crossbench senators, have disagreed this week about when and how the issue is best dealt with.

“We call on the Government to allow a free vote and for supporters across all parties to put party politics aside and work together” said Croome.

Debate on a Greens’ marriage equality bill occurred yesterday morning, despite the Government continuing to refuse a free vote, and after a week of disagreement between Labor, Green and cross-bench senators about when and how debate should occur.

41 senators have publicly supported marriage equality. The Australian Senate has 76 members, with 39 making a majority. (eile.ie 18 March 2016)

Australia - Senate Will Vote On Thursday On Green’s Marriage Equality Bill In a move that could damage the Australian campaign for equal marriage if it is defeated, the Green Party have agreed that their Bill on marriage equality be brought forward, to be debated on Thursday next (17 March) mainly due to pressure from David Leyonhjelm, a Liberal Democrat, who wants to legalise equal marriage.

The Green Party says that Malcolm Turnbull should dump his plan for a plebiscite on marriage equality, following new research that shows it will cost the economy more than half a billion dollars.

However, if the Bill is passed,

the House of Representatives can still use their numbers to block the vote of the Senate, in order to hold a plebiscite on the matter after the election.

The Greens’ Robert Simms stated: “This matter has been debated in the community and the Parliament for years, it’s time for a vote”.

“Over the next 48 hours we hope Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will reconsider his position and finally grant his party a free vote so marriage equality can become a reality”.

Malcolm Turnbull has been heavily criticised for apparently doing a u-turn in his previous support for equal marriage, with opposition leader, Bill Shorten, saying the Prime Minister had retreated from his support of the issue, and that Australia should have legislated for marriage equality by now.

really be the nail in the coffin of this plebiscite plan. How can a prime minister who promised to get our national economy back on track proceed with such a flagrant waste of tax payer money?”

“The human cost of this plebiscite would also be enormous with the report showing the mental health of LGBTI Australians would also be adversely affected.

“Mr Turnbull should dump this costly and divisive plebiscite and provide his members with a free vote in the parliament.”

–MKB (eile.ie 15 March 2016)

Robert Simms of the Green Party also stated: “Today’s PwC report should

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New York Mayor, Bill De Blasio, as he announced that LGBT groups would be included in this year’s NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade (on 4 March)

After a 25-year no identifying ban, the NYC banners or LGBT community badges. have finally Grand Marshal this year for been allowed the 255th NYC St Patrick’s Day parade was former march in the Senator, George Mitchell, largest American who had played a major part in the peace process in St Patrick’s Northern Ireland in 1998, and Day parade, is regarded by the organisers under their own as a ‘unifying figure’. Parade Chairman and president of banner, in an Quinnipiac University, John event that has Lahey, who has been on the parade board for twenty been held since years, said that the organisers the 1760s. They wished to invoke “the lessons had previously of sacrifice and heroism, of love and tolerance embodied been allowed in the Irish spirit”. march, but with 76 EILE Magazine

NYC: At Last, LGBT Community March In 255th NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade

Chairman of the NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade, John Lahey, being interviewed on NBC 4 New York about this year’s inclusive parade Activists had been protesting since the 1990s, and one of those groups, The Lavender & Green Alliance, were delighted to be finally marching in a parade that had been closed to them for so many years.

Many prominent politicians had also boycotted the parade because of this exclusion, and New York’s Mayor, Democrat Bill De Blasio, had refused to march since 2014, agreeing to march this year because the parade organisers have included LGBT groups.

Lavender & Green Alliance thanking Ireland on hearing in September 2015 that the gay ban was to be lifted for the 2016 parade

De Blasio marched with the Lavender & Green Alliance LGBT group today, and said:

Lavender & Green Alliance, who marched in today’s NYC parade said:

“Today everyone is celebrating together. The city is at peace and unified”.

“I never thought I’d see the day when I could march up Fifth Avenue in the St Patrick’s Day Parade with my husband. When we started in 1991, after getting arrested so many times for protesting the parade, wow, what a moment this is”.

He also spoke before the parade at breakfast at Gracie Mansion saying that for “two decades and more, we had a blemish on our city”, but now, having worked together, he feels the whole city, including LGBT people, will be able to express their pride as Irish-Americans, LGBT Americans and New Yorkers.

Last year, the ban on gay groups in the Boston Parade had been lifted to include LGBT participation.

–MKB (eile.ie 17 March 2016)

Brendan Fay, of the Chairman of the NYC St Patrick’s Day Parade, John Lahey, on NBC 4 New York speaking about this year’s inclusive parade EILE Magazine 77

Former President of Ireland Mary McAleese Image: Council of Europe

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Mary McAleese to Launch Groundbreaking Irish LGBTI Mental Health Report The LGBTIreland Report details the findings of a national study of the mental health and well-being of 2,264 LGBTI people in Ireland.

Last year’s marriage referendum indicated the progress that has been made in Ireland over the last number of years for LGBTI people. This report shows that many LGBTI people, aged 26 and above, are doing well and report good self-esteem. However, the report shows that a very significant number of those 25 and under do not experience the same levels of positive mental health. Some of the report findings are harrowing, with elevated levels of suicidal behaviour and self-harm among LGBTI teenagers, as well as worrying levels of severe and extremely severe stress, anxiety and depression.

“This scholarly report is as essential and revealing as it is horrifying. The ongoing damage is undeniable. That it involves so many young people is tragic. That it is solvable is the good news,” said Dr. Mary McAleese.

Speakers at the launch will include: Mary McAleese; Professor Agnes Higgins, Trinity College Dublin, lead author of the report; Susan Kenny of the National Office for Suicide Prevention; Odhrán Allen, Director of Mental Health at GLEN, and Dr. Carol Anne O’Brien, Director of Advocacy at BeLonG To Youth Services.

The report was commissioned by GLEN and BeLonG To, funded by the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention and undertaken by Professor Agnes Higgins and her team at Trinity College Dublin.

The report will be launched on Tuesday, March 22, at 11am at the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street, Dublin. (eile.ie 17 March 2016)

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Raffi FreedmanGurspan Image: NCTE

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US - Transgender Person Appointed By President Obama To Primary Role A transgender person has been appointed to be primary LGBT liaison at the White House by President Obama.

Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, a Jewish native of Honduras, is the first transgender person to be appointed to the role.

The National Centre for Transgender Equality wrote on their facebook page: “Congratulations to NCTE’s former Racial & Economic Justice Policy Advisor, Raffi FreedmanGurspan on her exciting appointment as White House LGBT Liaison! Raffi made history last year as the first openly trans White House staffer, and is making history again as the first trans person to serve in this role. Please join us in congratulating Raffi! ” Executive director of NCTE, Mara Keisling, who was also Raffi’s former employer, felt that Raffi was the perfect person for the job:

“President Obama has said he wants his administration to look like America, and they have moved to include trans Americans. Raffi’s skills and personality make her the exact right person for this important job”.

For more on this story, go to: bzfd.it/1RjUDJl –MKB (eile.ie 16 March 2016)

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Tennessee: Bill Passed To Force Transgenders To Use Opposite Gender Facilities The Tennessee House Education Administration & Planning Subcommittee yesterday, unanimously on a voice vote, passed HB 2414 – an outrageous bill targeting transgender students in public elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as those in public universities.

The measure, which now moves to the full committee for consideration, seeks to force transgender students to use restrooms and other facilities inconsistent with their gender identity. A subcommittee 82 EILE Magazine

hearing is also scheduled today on companion legislation in the Senate.

Fair-minded Tennesseans; major national child welfare, medical, and education groups; the Tennessee Equality Project; and the Human Rights Campaign have been pleading with lawmakers to abandon the discriminatory measure.

The proposal is even more egregious than an appalling bill vetoed recently by Republican South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has expressed concern that the discriminatory, unconstitutional measure would compromise the state’s hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for its schools and universities.

His spokesperson also said the governor “trusts our teachers and local school boards to make necessary accommodations” for transgender students.

“Governor Haslam is exactly right: this vicious legislation would needlessly jeopardize millions in federal funding for Tennessee’s schools and universities, and would strip away the ability of local administrators and teachers to do the right thing for students in their communities,” said Sarah Warbelow, HRC’s Legal Director. “There are more than 10,000 transgender students in Tennessee–and they shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of a discriminatory law that will lead to even higher rates of harassment, bullying, and even suicide.”

As this bill is being considered by the full Education Administration and Planning Committee,

here’s what you should know: The legislation targets transgender students in public elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as those in public universities; The proposal puts Tennessee public schools and universities at risk of litigation and loss of critical federal funds by forcing them into an untenable position of choosing between state and federal law;

The Tennessee bill is even more egregious than the appalling legislation vetoed recently by South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard; Several major national child welfare, medical, and education groups have strongly condemned this type of discriminatory legislation that would further marginalize transgender students; It ties the hands of school administrators and teachers who would no longer have the flexibility they need to

find workable solutions in coordination with transgender students and their parents; and The bill is being pushed by anti-LGBT extremists from outside Tennessee and addresses no pressing issue concerning Tennessee’s school districts or universities.

More information on the legislation can be found here. (eile.ie 16 March 2016) EILE Magazine 83

GLEN: Smashing the double glass ceiling: sharing the untold success of lesbian, bisexual and trans women on International Women’s Day At a leadership event yesterday, hosted by Trinity College Dublin to mark International Women’s Day, GLEN (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network) celebrated the achievements of lesbian, bisexual and trans (LBT) leaders in business, academia and human rights.

Speakers at the event included: Prof. Linda Hogan, Vice Provost, Trinity College Dublin, Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall,UK, Vicky Godolphin, Head of Digital, Accenture Ireland, Denise Charlton, former 84 EILE Magazine

Director of Women’s Aid and former CEO of Immigrant Council Ireland, Prof. Martine Cuypers, Equality Committee, Trinity College Dublin, Sandra Irwin-Gowran, Director of Education Policy, GLEN. “Irish lesbian, bisexual and trans women are smashing the double glass ceiling of gender and sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. There is a growing number of visible lesbian, bisexual and trans women in leadership positions in business, academia, human rights and politics in Ireland. These role models are paving the way for LBT women to achieve their full potential in the workplace and in public life” said Margot Slattery, Cochair, GLEN, Country President Sodexo, Ireland and recently named the Top LGBT Executive in Ireland.

“In the centenary of 1916, sharing the untold achievements of LBT women in 2016 is as important as sharing the stories of women of 1916.

Leaders such as Katherine Zappone, the first openly lesbian woman to be elected to the Dáil, journalist Ursula Halligan, Cork footballer Valerie Mulcahy and author Emma Donoghue are role models for LBT women in modern Ireland” said Slattery.

Linda Hogan, Vice-Provost, Trinity College Dublin said: “We are proud of the advances that Ireland has made in relation to LGBT equality legislation, but recognise the need to build on this legislation to create an Ireland where nobody experiences the sting of inequality which women have felt for many decades.”

Lesbian, bisexual and trans

women can face challenges in the workplace based on their gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. Research by Trinity College Dublin found that 1/3 of lesbian women have experienced discrimination in the workplace. This is in stark contrast to just 1 in 10 of the general population who have faced discrimination at work. Further research shows 2 in 5 Irish trans people had experienced problems at work as a result of their trans identity or trans history.

“In the wake of marriage equality and gender recognition in Ireland, we know there is still significant

work to be done to create a culture that equally values and supports lesbian, bisexual, and trans women in the workplace, at home and at school in Ireland” said Slattery.

“Diversity and inclusion is a core value and part of Trinity College Dublin’s liberal tradition which has enriched the nature of our intellectual enquiry. We are proud to partner with GLEN to mark International Women’s Day” said Hogan.

business leaders, human rights activists, and academics join with Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall UK, the UK’s leading LGBT rights organisation, to discuss how to advance visibility and participation of LBT women of all levels in workplaces. (eile.ie 9 March 2016)

The event was part of GLEN’s Diversity Champions Network of Employers committed to LGBT inclusion in the workplace. This event saw EILE Magazine 85

Message from NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio About St Patrick’s Day Parade And The LGBT Community Message fromNew York Mayor Bill De Blasio:

by the Irish to fight for their rights. There’s no nationality that knows about fighting for justice like the Irish do.

“This week, for the first time ever, the entire Irish community will unite to take a first step, together, down Fifth Avenue on St. Patrick’s Day.

We remember too that when Irishmen and Irishwomen came to these shores, they were not welcome. They had to fight to become established in New York and in the United States, and they had to fight for fairness and equality.

This coming together is happening on an important anniversary. A hundred years ago, Ireland’s Easter Rising was a clarion call around the world. People were inspired

New York is the ultimate city of immigrants.

It is our nature to embrace and support all peoples.

This city is also the birthplace of LGBT rights.

Since 1999, the 2016 St. Pat’s for All Parade has proudly, unabashedly strutted down Skillman Ave. in Queens every year to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of the Irish LGBT community to New York City and the world.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate them. These are some of those who spent a quarter of a century advocating to bring us together.”

Left: Mark Sahre of Dignity NYC Photo: Michael Appleton 86 EILE Magazine

Our photo right shows Brendan Fay, founder of the Lavender and Green Alliance – Muintir Aerach na hÉireann.

Brendan said: “I look forward to crossing the historic threshold on Fifth Avenue with my brothers and sisters. It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for, and we’ll be on the avenue remembering and carrying in our hearts those who have gone before us and helped pave the way. The road to inclusion and equality rises to welcome and embrace us all.”

Photo to the left is Mark Sahre, systems analyst; member of Dignity New York

Above: Brendan Fay of the Lavender & Green Alliance – Photo: Michael Appleton

“The LBGT community has been excluded for so long. I know that they will be marching proudly and with dignity.”

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Information and support for women who need someone to talk to

DLL – Phone: (01) 872 9911 (Callback facility available) EILE Magazine 89

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Ben Mauro Photo by Wes Marsala

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