EILE Magazine – June 2014 (Vol.2, Issue 1)

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Magazine Vol. 2 Issue 1 – June 2014

Justin Utley Special

Gay Travel

Culture Breaks Inside:

California Dispatch | Fashion & Film | Dr Shay on Health

EILE Magazine | Who’s Who

Contributors Nick Bassett Originally from Bournemouth but now based in Auckland, New Zealand, Nick is the creator of Chart Shaker, a daily music blog.

Lucia Chappelle Lucia Chappelle is the Associate Producer of “This Way Out” and Social Justice Minister at Founders Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles.

Scott De Buitléir Scott is the creator of EILE Magazine and is a writer and broadcaster from Dublin.

He also hosts The Cosmo, RTÉ’s LGBT radio show, every Wednesday at 10pm.

Mark Graham Mark is from Port Laoise and is a graduate of English from University College Dublin, who has produced several fashion shows for charity.

Dr. Shay Keating Shay has his clinic at the Harold’s Cross Surgery in south Dublin and is a specialist in Genitourinary Medicine at St. James’ Hospital, Dublin.

Lisa Reynolds Originally from County Meath, Lisa is a fashion industry student living in Bray, County Wicklow.

Gareth Russell Gareth is an author and historian from Belfast, who studied History at the University of Oxford. He is currently working on a history of the British Monarchy.

Frances Winston Frances Winston is EILE’s resident film buff, and has contributed to many publications such as The Irish Independent and Irish Tatler.

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EILE Magazine | Welcome

Highlights June 2014 Justin Utley – P.6 We chat with the Justin about his experience of ex-gay therapy and how songwriting helped his coming out

Gay Travel Packages – P.20 Professor Andrew Lear intends to make LGBT history available for tourists

California Dispatch – P.26 Lucia Chappelle on why it’s time to leave the Planation mindset behind

Film Reviews – P.30 Frances Winston looks at the highlyanticipated Maleficent and The Edge of Tomorrow

Dublin Pride Special with Supplement of Events – P.53 All you need to know about Ireland’s biggest LGBT Pride festival with our 10page feature

Volume 2, Issue 01 Editor-in-Chief: Scott De Buitléir Features Editor: MKB Contributors: Nick Bassett, MKB, Lucia Chappelle, Mark Graham, Shay Keating, Lisa Reynolds, Gareth Russell, Frances Winston NB: All images in this publication are either under Creative Commons licence, or used with permission. Any queries can be made via eile.ie/contact Special Thanks to MKB for all her hard work, dedication and support.

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

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…and much more!

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EILE Magazine | Editor’s Letter

Contents 6-

Justin Utley

Pride & Progress

10 - Grace Kelly 12 -

LGBT News Round-Up

14 -

Menswear

20 -

Gay Travel

26 - California Dispatch 30 -

Film Reviews

32 -

Music Reviews

34 -

History: Edward II

50 -

Sexual Health

53-64 - Dublin Pride Special

This month officially kicks off Ireland’s Pride festival season, with Dublin Pride starting later this month, before we move onto Belfast, Cork, NorthWest Pride, Limerick and many others around this beautiful isle. It’s a chance for us to celebrate the progress made in terms of LGBT rights in Ireland – north and south – but also to recognise those who helped us get to where we are today.

Recently, the Republic of Ireland got an approval rating of 35% by ILGA-Europe, while the United Kingdom topped the charts. To think that there is still such a massive divide in terms of quality of life between two neighbouring countries is alarming. This should remind us that there is still a lot to do before the Irish LGBT community can enjoy full equality.

It is also why visibilty through Pride parades and other demonstrations is still important.

That said, there is much to be proud of, and more to be hopeful for in the future. The recent local elections in Ireland, north and south of the border, have brought along a new wave of openly gay and lesbian councillors. Many LGBT politicians now sit on local councils for Belfast, Wicklow, Kilkenny and in each of the four councils in the Dublin area.

This new generation join the openly gay TDs and Senators that are part of the current Oireachtas – quite amazing for a relatively small country. That alone is something to be proud of, and worth celebrating.

These are all great reasons to enjoy Pride this year, and maybe if we’re lucky, the sun will be out celebrating too.

Happy Pride.

Scott De Buitléir

Founder/Editor-in-Chief EILE Magazine – Dublin Pride LGBT Media Partner

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The voice that

galvinised a nation.

Join us for Dublin Pride Festival - June 14th - 29th 2014 Dublin welcomes you for the Pride Parade on 28 June 2014, the pinnacle of the two-week Pride Festival. After marching through the city's main streets, the parade will arrive at the scenic Merrion Square, one of Dublin's gems. Here, the Pride Village will cater for all your needs, providing you with entertainment, food, drink and zones for your family and friends, or the family you make as a couple.

The international Panti Bliss - the voice that galvanised a nation - from the Irish tradition that gave the world the meaning of boycott and monster rallies will take to the Main Stage. Joining her will be Dara MacGann from Britain's Got Talent and Darragh McGaclin from The Voice of Ireland. There will be a play area for the small kids and a fun fair for the ones too old for the sandbox. There will be dance music for the Latin soul and those too young for the bar. It's free for everyone to attend and it gives you that feeling as only Dublin can - a small community on a grand scale.

After Pride Village, when the sun goes down, move on to sample some of Dublin's eclectic, engaging and sheer electric gay venues.

Dublin Pride Parade Saturday June 28th Kindly supported by

www.dublinpride.ie

Interview | Justin Utley

Man on a Mission Justin Utley talks to Scott De BuitlĂŠir about gay rights and breaking the rules with a guitar

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Interview | Justin Utley

Meeting Justin Utley is like catching up with one of your closest friends, as his calm-butconfident energy puts you instantly at ease.

I met him in Dublin, a day after his flight from New York to start off his Irish & UK tour.

His musical beginnings are not like most other touring Americans who arrive to these shores. While he started writing his own music when he was still in junior high school, Justin’s religious upbringing would come to have a significant impact on his development.

As a child, Justin taught himself the guitar when his mother sent one to him while on his Mormon mission. “We’ll talk about that a little bit later I guess”, he jokes, aware that being gay and Mormon isn’t the easiest of combinations.

Olympics in Salt Lake City, where he grew up.

Shortly afterwards, however, he enrolled into an ‘ex-gay therapy’ programme, having been advised to do so by a Mormon bishop. Justin explains to me that he didn’t identify with the term ‘gay’ at that time, which was something of a vulnerability with the ex-gay ‘therapists’: “[They] call it ‘same-gender attraction’,” Justin adds, “like you have it, [like] it’s an illness”.

Justin goes on to explain that while the ex-gay movement aims to ‘repair’ what they consider a learned behaviour, the sessions were Justin’s first opportunity to – ironically – face the fact that he was gay.

“I felt like I could talk openly about what I was feeling and going through” Justin recalls.

The relief was short-lived, though, and eventually the damage the so-called ‘therapy’

“ …I started asking around some of the people in the group therapy; ‘so when does this change? […] One was like ‘I’ve been coming here for eight years, or ten years.’ ”

“[Playing the guitar] was against the rules,” Justin explains, “because my Mormon mission president at the time only wanted us to play the organ or the piano and play hymns only, maybe because the guitar lent itself to playing rock music.”

In spite of breaking the rules, the gift Justin’s mother sent him would set the Utah native on a path few could imagine. After releasing a few “religiously-based” albums, Justin was asked to perform at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter All photography in this interview by Ryan Bakerink

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Interview | Justin Utley caused, both to himself and his family, came to a head.

One of his (church-sponsored) therapists had made Justin believe, horrifically, that he had been molested as a child, but that that had been a repressed memory because it was so terrible.

“I actually came out to my family that that happened, not that I was gay. […] My father went on this pseudo-witchhunt to try to figure out who it could’ve been that did this to [his] son, when in reality… y’know, I had to own up to it and go, y’know, that never happened, I was just grasping for straws to try to find an explanation for what I was going through.” “…[but] a couple of years into it, I started asking around some of the people in the group therapy; ‘so when does this change? I mean, I’m doing all these listed, prescribed things to do to help me ‘change’ this, and it’s not working’. One [guy] was like ‘I’ve been coming here for eight years, or ten years.’

Slowly but surely, people started going on medication because [they thought being gay] was a mental disorder. […] A couple of years into it, I was like; “I can’t do this, this clearly isn’t working”.

a phase that he describes as “more honest”. Music clearly became the catalyst in Justin’s journey to discovering who he was, both as a man, and also in terms of accepting his sexuality.

that specific line; where it came from, but at the time I was just expressing how I was feeling. I didn’t even know that sometimes, even the answers to what [questions] I was having were in my own songs.”

As he left that darker period of his life, however, Justin flourished through his music, and by venturing down the path his talents would lead him. Having a stint in a regional run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, he went on to do shows in Los Angeles and Nashville, but it was in New York City that Justin found a refreshing attitude that he appreciated.

“In New York,” he explains jokingly, “they tell you: ‘yeah, you can give it a shot, and we can tell you if you suck!”

While his talent certainly “I don’t want to say ‘honest’” he shone through, Justin’s explains about his songwriting experience of homophobia “but [it was more] honest with wasn’t entirely over. He recalls myself, and my experiences a music agent in New York, were reflecting in my music, so warning him against discussing I started writing rock music. being gay, in fear that he would And then, I released a couple of become pidgeon-holed as a gay albums. Since then, I moved to artist.

New York City.”

“I kinda took that to It’s been a hell of a journey, heart,” Justin laments, he recalls, recognising that “and I was like, now I’m his songs became to a young just like the other five man what journal entries million people with a are to most teenagers: “I Ex-gay therapy has been guitar in this city, trying was listening to some of the outlawed in some states in the to play in Central Park music that I wrote during U.S. as well as internationally, and catch someone’s “and rightfully so,” Justin adds. those points in my life, and I attention… It wasn’t It was during that undoubtedly can absolutely, to the week, working.” know where I was and when turmoiled time, however, that I wrote that specific song, or Justin’s songwriting reached The agent’s concerns were 8 EILE Magazine

Interview | Justin Utley exactly what were keeping

“ I’ve been tying [music] with some activism, because […] I’m very passionate about what I went through, and some of that, no-one should have to go through. ” Justin from being discovered, though, and it wasn’t until Justin decided to explain the backstory behind his song, Goodbye Goodbye, that he really grabbbed the audience’s attention. After he performed the song at a gig in The Village in New York City, Justin mentioned his experience of ex-gay therapy, which the crowd thought at first was a joke. Once they realised he was telling the truth, something clicked. The venue’s owner approached Justin after that fateful gig, giving him advice that would be much more valuable than that of Justin’s agent. “Your music’s great” Justin remembers hearing from the venue-owner, “but you just connected with every single person in that crowd”.

He has played for Icona Pop in Washington, D.C. and Margaret Cho in Los Angeles, as well as at the launch of Stockholm Pride and more recently, the launch of this year’s Dublin Pride.

“I’ve been tying it with some activism” Justin replies, when I ask him where the music has led him “because I feel like the music is part of my journey, and I’m very passionate about what I went through, and some of that, no-one should have to go through”.

Indeed, Justin practises what he preaches. His activism has led him to appear on CNN’s Faces of Faith show,

while Equality Utah invited him to speak about LGBT discrimination, on the Senate floor of the Utah State Capital, as currently, people can still be fired or evicted for being gay.

“I experienced some of that while I was in Utah, it’s actually one of the reasons I moved – I just couldn’t be part of it anymore. […] It just reaffirms; it’s not just about the music, it’s about the message.

At one point I wanted to win a Grammy, now I just wanna change the world!”

He may well have already started his new mission.

For more on Justin Utley, visit www. justinutley.com

Since then, Justin hasn’t looked back, although he’s so busy that he wouldn’t have a chance to, even if he tried.

All photography in this interview by Ryan Bakerink

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Fashion | Grace Kelly

That Dress!

Lisa Reynolds on Grace Kelly’s iconic wedding gown Grace Kelly was a huge fashion icon of her generation, and continues to influence fashion to this day, although she died tragically in 1982.

She starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window and Dial M For Murder, but abandoned her successful film

career to marry Prince Rainer III of Monaco on the 19th of April 1956.

Her wedding dress for the huge filmed occasion (watched by approximately 30 million people) was designed by designer Helen Rose, who worked for MGM. Due to the fact that Kelly was friends with designer Edith Head, Head assumed that she was going to be the designer asked to create the muchanticipated gown, but it was Helen Rose who got the go-ahead.

The gown was a present to Kelly from the MGM studio. It had a high-neck and long sleeves. The torso was fitted, and the skirt was billowing. Many fabrics were used in its construction - silk net, silk taffeta, tulle, peau de soie and Brussels rose point lace, which was 125 -years-old. She also wore a Juliet cap, which had jewels of orange blossoms and seed pearls. The veil was created from tulle, and was said to be 90 yards long.

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Fashion | Grace Events | PrideKelly Run

The dress’ structure was a bodice, attached under-bodice and skirt, and there were also two petticoats, one was an attached foundation. Kelly also wore matching shoes (by David Evins of New York) and carried a prayer book, which was encrusted with pearls and lace.

She had a bouquet of Lilies of the Valley. Another MGM employee, Virginia Darcy, was Kelly’s hairstylist on the day.

The cost of the material and manufacturing of the gown was said to be US$7266.68.

The Kelly wedding gown is still inspiring today. Kate Middleton’s wedding dress,

when she married Prince William on April 29th 2011, at St. Nicholas Cathedral, was reportedly also influenced by Kelly’s dress.

Grace Kelly’s wedding dress is held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. EILE Magazine 11

News | Round-Up

LGBT Monthly News Roun Ireland Joins 120 Countries in Celebrating IDAHOT

Ireland was one of the over 120 countries which celebrated IDAHOT yesterday, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

A video, produced by Kay Cairns, shows various Irish people’s definitions of what transphobia and homophobia are, and how they can affect LGBT people.

Meanwhile, BeLonG To teamed up with Irish drag queen Panti to talk about freedom of expression for LGBT people, both at home in Ireland and abroad. The commemorations in Ireland were part of IDAHOT’s ninth year, the largest single event raising awareness of LGBT discrimination around the world.

U.S. President Barack Obama released a statement from the White House to mark IDAHOT this year, stating that people “should have the opportunity to 12 EILE Magazine

reach their fullest potential, and that no one should face violence or discrimination — no matter who they are or whom they love”: This year, the United States celebrates the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. In doing so, we reflect on lessons learned from our own civil rights struggles and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the human rights of all people are universally protected.

Top Celebrities Auction Used Cameras for MIX NYC

At a time when, tragically, we are seeing increased efforts to criminalize or oppress LGBT persons, we call on partners everywhere to join us in defending the equal rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters, and in ensuring they are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Elsewhere, various prominent figures in other countries also marked the IDAHOT. The President of Costa Rica raised the rainbow flag outside the Presidential house last Friday, while the Prime Minister of Malta has affirmed for IDAHOT, there is “no such thing as à la carte equality”. Meanwhile, the embassies of the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and the United States raised the rainbow flag in various countries to commemorate the day. (eile.ie / May 18)

Over 150 celebrities – from actors to musicians and writers to performers – are currently auctioning off used disposable cameras as part of the MIX NYC #NakedEye Camera Benefit.

The Naked Eye benefit features some of the biggest names in entertainment and the arts, including James Franco, Joseph

News | Round-Up

nd-Up Gordon-Levitt, Frankie J. Alvarez, Julie Bowen, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and many more. The disposable cameras donated by each of the celebrities are ‘naked’, meaning that the undeveloped negatives are included, which will give a unique insight into the lives of each donor.

Proceeds from the auction will benefit MIX NYC, the non-profit organisation behind New York’s longestrunning LGBTQ film festival.

The festival has been something of a launching pad for many well-known gay filmmakers and artists, such as Gus Van Sant, Todd Haynes, Jennie Livingston and many others. MIX NYC was also sponsor of the Oscar-nominated documentary from 2012, How to Survive a Plague.

Conchita Wurst Wins Eurovision 2014 for Austria

The wonderful and powerful Conchita Wurst won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest last night with Rise Like A Phoenix, representing Austria.

To bid on the cameras, simply visit mixnyc.org/ nakedeye.

“This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom,” said Conchita, who was clearly shocked and moved as she won last night’s Grand Finale with 290 points, with the Netherlands and Sweden coming second and third respectively.

(eile.ie / May 17)

The crowd at the event in

Copenhagen was rooting for Austria’s 25-year-old drag queen entrant, although tensions were high as the crowd’s booing could easily be heard any time a country gave a high vote to Russia. The crowd’s reaction would appear to have been due to Russia’s anti-gay laws, as well as recent events with the Ukraine.

Russia, Ukraine and Belarus had all petitioned Eurovision to edit out Austrian entrant Conchita Wurst from this year’s competition, as the presence of a drag queen in the contest had been branded by the Russians as “inapplicable” to their way of life. Despite the Eurovision’s notoriety for being so gay-friendly (watch last year’s interval act in Malmö, Sweden) Russia announced its disapproval for this year’s Austrian entrant in a petition which had reportedly been signed by thousands.

Nevertheless, Conchita’s victory this year means that the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Austria next year, most likely in Vienna. (eile.ie / May 11)

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Style | Menswear

Pushing One Step Further Mark Graham on the continuing print craze It’s no exaggeration to say colour and print have dominated every aspect of menswear over recent seasons, and Spring/ Summer 2014 is no exception.

We’ve seen patterns such as checks, stripes and florals applied to everything from shirts and tees to blazers and accessories; with the modern gent now much more open to donning a bold statement piece that marks him out from the crowd.

This season designers are looking to push the concept of prints one step further, applying a wide range of motifs to trousers. Undoubtedly, this is a trend for brave and confident men – so are you ready to step outside your comfort zone? The pay-off could potentially be huge…

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Printed trousers were prominent across all global fashion weeks, coming in a number of guises. Marrying

statement legwear with SS14′s hottest print - florals - AMI and Tom Ford favoured bright, tropical-inspired motifs in

Style | Menswear

vivid shades of green, yellow, red, blue and purple. Showing exactly how the everyday male should approach this daring aesthetic, both designers anchored their legwear with muted, monochrome garments in order to let the trousers – and, in AMI’s case, shorts – take centre stage.

Collections by Valentino and Gucci went down a slightly edgier floral route, with both brands electing to use a palette of grey, silver and black for an altogether more Gothic feel.

These muted tones ensured the patterns were subtler, which is likely to appeal to a wider audience.

Multiple forms of animal print were popular within designer

collections, with Michael Bastian featuring leopard print trousers in shades of grey/blue and dusky pink/red, while Saint Laurent included a black and white zebra print pair.

Other common motifs included bold oversized check patterns from Vivienne Westwood and Comme Des Garçons, and statement stripes from AMI. Vivienne Westwood also featured an interesting pair of tailored trousers with grey and orange vertical stripe detailing, which were extremely wearable and would make a superb addition to any smart-casual wardrobe.

Elsewhere, camouflage print shows no sign of relenting, with AMI applying a traditional brown and green version to

a pair of slim-cut trousers, while Valentino offered a more contemporary navy and purple take. Valentino followed this up by applying an interesting oriental-style motif – complete with subtle scenes of trees and wildlife in red and blue – to a pair of beige trousers.

Last but not least, we have to mention the bizarre print that Michael Bastian opened his show with – the designer applied an all-over pineapple motif to a striking pair of white trousers. Insanely fruity, they epitomised the summer season by adding a sense of fun and frolic to the collection.

Although the application of prints to trousers has been highly publicised by the EILE Magazine 15

Style | Menswear

fashion press, it’s fair to say that this is a trend that will most likely be approached with much trepidation. Going as far back as 2012, the general consensus was that prints and patterns were likely to be quite a hard-sell to the everyday male, and would

take a few seasons to really make their mark – yet all contributors agreed that modern men were certainly more willing to have fun with fashion than ever before.

pulling off bold statement pieces such as printed trousers or blazers.

adventurous trends tend to do – but the fact that it was so prevalent, across all major SS14 collections, means that designers definitely think there is a market out there for them.

The high street seems to

Without question, the printed trouser trend is one which will divide opinion – as most 16 EILE Magazine

Several seasons later and they have been proven

right, with patterns and prints now a firm fixture within the majority of contemporary wardrobes. Not only that, in the quest for individuality, the modern style-conscious gent seems to be more confident, comfortable and – most importantly – capable of

agree, as the wealth of printed trousers currently available on the market, combined with their prominence in SS14 brand lookbooks/campaigns, proves.

Music | Mister Ebby

Mister Ebby Mister Ebby is a pianist, songwriter, and composer from Galway. His upcoming release, “For Night Skies”, is a set of piano pieces which crossover with the music he writes for Off Beaten Path Dance Company.

In 2011, he released his debut album of songs, “Wires”, drawing on worldwide support for his crowdfunding campaign on Fundit.ie to become the first successful music project on the site. Since that album was released, he has played the Cork Jazz Festival, Galway Fringe Festival, and numerous other shows to support that record.

Mister Ebby will be performing in Belfast, Galway, Dublin and London over the coming months. He will be performing a mix of songs from his debut album, and new songs from his forthcoming second album, as well as some of the piano pieces he will be releasing this June.

For more details, visit misterebby.com

Upcoming Gigs: Belfast: The Green Room @ The Black Box

Sunday, June 8 Dublin: Bewley’s Café Theatre Saturday, June 14 Galway: Fringe Festival, July (dates tbc) London: Spice Of Life, Soho (W1D) September 14th.

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Sport | Michael Sam

Michael Sam Joins NFL Draft for St. Louis Rams The American football player, Michael Sam, has been selected in the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams, the firstever openly-gay player to achieve such a status.

“The moment my name was called was the single greatest moment of my life” Michael said in a statement after the announcement was made on Saturday.

Speaking with local media, he added that while he was aware that he may very 18 EILE Magazine

well become America’s first openly-gay NFL athlete, his sporting abilities are what should be most important.

“Can Michael Sam play football? Yes, I can,” he added, “and the St. Louis Rams know I can. I am going to give everything I’ve According to ESPN, the got to the St. Louis Rams University of Missouri player to help the Rams win a said: championship.”

“Let me tell you something, if we were playing the Vikings right now, I’d probably have three sacks the first game.

Since February and my big announcement, this has been a whole [lot of] speculation of the first openly gay football player, but you know what? It’s not about that. It’s about playing football.”

Last Saturday evening, President Barack Obama congratulated Michael with an official statement, released from the White House: “The President congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward in our Nation’s journey.

From the playing

Sport | Michael Sam

field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are.”

ESPN also reported that the St. Louis Rams have been progressive in their selection

process in the past.

In 1946, the Rams signed Kenny Washington, which the sports channel describes as “the first AfricanAmerican football player in the modern era of the NFL”.

Rams was celebrated with Michael’s friends, including 23 year-old boyfriend Vito Cammisano. (eile.ie / May 12)

The news of Michael being drafted by the St. Louis

Michael Sam with boyfriend, Vito Cammisano [Pic: Instagram]

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Travel | Gay Holidays

A

Wilde Holiday

Gay History for Gay Travellers Gay tourism may be a specialised field within the wider tourism industry, but it’s nothing if not lucrative.

According to a leading LGBT tourism trade organisation, the annual expenditure on LGBT tourism will have exceeded $200 billion by this year. The countries with the largest spending markets for LGBT tourism were the United States, with $56.5 billion, and Brazil, with $25.3 billion.

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Professor Andrew Lear, however, has found an interesting gap in that market, although some could refer to it as a fundamental flaw. While there are many gay tourism companies that appeal to the pink pound/ dollar/euro/etc., the city break packages available are rarely specifically ‘gay’.

Instead, the trips would be just the same as any other type of holiday package, possibly with a weak gesture of being gay-friendly.

“You go [on holiday] with a

group of gay guys,” Professor Lear exclaims, “and… that’s it! There’s nothing else.

What really strikes me, is you look at a gay tour of Greece, and [it] is a ‘straight’ tour of Greece, with gay people.”

At first, you may assume that such a set-up for holiday packages would be a good thing; surely if the gay community want equality, should they be treated differently to their straight counterparts? For as valid as that question is, Lear makes

Travel | Gay Holidays

a compelling case, and explains it with the possibly unlikely example of a gay travel destination: Dublin.

If a gay person were to visit Dublin, Professor Lear explains, it would be “a normal tour, “[…] and then they’d go to a gay bar in the evening. Did anybody ever mention to them […] the stories of Mícheál Mac Liammóir & Hilton Edwards, or Colm Tóibín or Roger Casement?”

“These [stories] aren’t known,” Lear bemoans, “and no-one’s telling them”.

Lear has a good point; despite the fact that the four names he mentions played their own pivotal role in Irish history, their tales are rarely told to Irish people, let alone tourists.

For that reason alone, one can understand why the professor – a classicist who has also worked in the tourism industry since the 1970s – decided to set up Oscar Wilde Tours, a gay tourism company which will incorporate LGBT history into their travel packages.

Based in New York City, the company’s first package looks at the life of their

namesake, the famous Irishborn writer, with a trip to Dublin, London and Paris, scheduled for October. I met Andrew during his press trip to Ireland in what was a successful campaign to promote ‘gay Ireland’ among the leading LGBT publications in North America, which has only raised the professor’s hopes for the success of his new venture.

While both Ireland and Britain have traditionally been “ignored by the gay travel industry”, he claims, it seems that Lear may be on the crest of a new wave of tourism that embraces all

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Travel | Gay Holidays

aspects of LGBT culture, not just the nightlife.

While his company is undoubtedly in its early days, Lear is proud when he tells me the reaction of his new customers, and the general public, is that they have been “astonished” that nothing like this has been done before, either in the United States (his target market, for now) or in Europe, the first destination for Oscar Wilde Tours.

If such a company is about to reveal the layers of gay history behind many cities in Europe – and hopefully across North America too – then the gay travel industry may have an interesting new addition.

Oscar Wilde Tours are now booking for their tour to Dublin, London and Paris, commencing October 4, 2014. For more information, visit oscarwildetours.com

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Ireland | Politics

Frances Fitzgerald TD Announced as New Irish Justice & Equality Minister It has been announced that Minister Frances Fitzgerald TD has been appointed the new Minister for Justice and Equality.

Minister Fitzgerald has already been a long time advocate of legislative reform and equality for LGBT people in Ireland, including in her previous role as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

The Minister’s new schedule is quite a busy one, and includes the Children & Family Relationships Bill, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014, and the ongoing preparations for the referendum on equal marriage next year.

Kieran Rose, chair of the Gay & Lesbian Equality Network, has warmly welcomed Minister Fitzgerald ‘s appointment:

“We look forward to working with her to achieve equality for lesbian and gay people in Ireland,” Rose said, “and in particular, on the Government priority issue of family law reform, on which so much work has already been done by the previous Minister and the Department of Justice and Equality”.

Minister Fitzgerald will be taking on her new role in light of Alan Shatter’s surprising resignation from his former role as Justice Minister, in light of recent controversies surrounding the Guerin Report. GLEN also paid tribute to the former Justice Minister, on his stepping down from office: “As Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter was instrumental in delivering very significant progress for lesbian and gay people across a broad range of areas, for which we

express our deep appreciation and thanks” said Rose. He stated: “Most recently he has led the development of the Children and Family Relationships Bill, which aims to ensure that children in all families will be treated equally, including children in lesbian and gay headed families. Former Minister Shatter can feel rightly proud of the role he has played in developing and advancing this legislation and on his track record of promoting equality, including for lesbian and gay people, both in opposition and in Government.”

Meanwhile, Charlie Flanagan TD has been named as the new Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in light of the cabinet reshuffle. (eile.ie / May 8) EILE Magazine 23

USA | LGBT Pride Month

U.S.: President Obama Announces June LGBT Pride Month In what is steadily on the way to becoming a new American tradition, President Barack Obama has officially announced June to be LGBT Pride Month across the United States.

The Presidential Proclamation on LGBT Pride Month – which can be read in full below – was announced by the White House yesterday, on the eve of the state of Illinois beginning to issue marriage licences for same-sex couples. In this year’s Proclamation, President Obama noted the recent legal cases against bans on same-sex marriage in individual states. “…[A]s justice is delivered in the courtroom,” President Obama announced, “and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect — our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well.”

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It is not just those at the White House, however, who are recognising June as America’s LGBT Pride Month. The announcement was made last Friday that the U.S. National Parks Service will install markers at places of importance to LGBT history across the United States. At an event at the iconic Stonewall Inn, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said that it was “part of the job of the National Parks Service” to tell the stories of LGBT people.

According to Karen Matthews of the Associated Press: The park service is convening a panel of 18 scholars who will be charged with exploring the LGBT movement’s story in areas such as law, religion, media, civil rights and the arts. The committee will identify relevant sites and its

USA | LGBT Pride Month work will be used to evaluate them for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, designation as National Historic Landmarks or consideration as national monuments.

The scholars’ study, which is expected to be completed by 2016, is being financed with “As progress spreads from State to State, as justice is delivered in the courtroom, and as more of our fellow Americans are treated with dignity and respect — our Nation becomes not only more accepting, but more equal as well. During Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, we celebrate victories that have affirmed freedom and fairness, and we recommit ourselves to completing the work that remains.

“Last year, supporters of equality celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a key provision of the Defense of Marriage Act, a ruling which, at long last, gave loving, committed families the respect and legal protections they deserve. In keeping with this decision, my Administration is extending family and spousal benefits — from immigration benefits to military family benefits — to legally married same-sex couples.

“My Administration proudly stands alongside all those who fight for LGBT rights. Here at home, we have strengthened laws against violence toward LGBT Americans, taken action to prevent bullying and harassment, and prohibited discrimination in housing

$250,000 from the Gill Foundation, a major donor to gay civil rights causes.

Below is the full statement from President Barack Obama regarding this year’s LGBT Pride Month:

and hospitals. Despite this progress, LGBT workers in too many States can be fired just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; I continue to call on the Congress to correct this injustice by passing the Employment NonDiscrimination Act. And in the years ahead, we will remain dedicated to addressing health disparities within the LGBT community by implementing the Affordable Care Act and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy — which focuses on improving care while decreasing HIV transmission rates among communities most at risk.

“Our commitment to advancing equality for the LGBT community extends far beyond our borders. In many places around the globe, LGBT people face persecution, arrest, or even state-sponsored execution.

This is unacceptable. The United States calls on every nation to join us in defending the universal human rights of our LGBT brothers and sisters.

out, as well as the allies who supported them along the way. Following their example, let each of us speak for tolerance, justice, and dignity — because if hearts and minds continue to change over time, laws will too.

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2014 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

“IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.”

– Barack Obama.

“This month, as we mark 45 years since the patrons of the Stonewall Inn defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement, let us honor every brave leader who stood up, sat in, and came EILE Magazine 25

California Dispatch

Californi

Leave the Pl

Bulow Plantation Ruins, Flagler Beach, FL

Lucia Chappelle on the insidious plantation mentality, still alive and well in some strata of society Hey, have you heard?

You can leave the plantation now!

It was two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation, June 19, 1865, before the slaves in Texas got that message, an event that is commemorated

by African Americans with the Juneteenth Celebration. The news has apparently not yet reached Donald Sterling, the owner of one of Los Angeles’ National Basketball Association teams, the Clippers.

What started as a homegrown Southern California scandal quickly blew up into the national headlines, when a recording of a racially charged, private 26 EILE Magazine

conversation between the 80year-old Sterling and his 30year-old paramour (the exact nature of their expensive gift laden relationship has been left vague) V. Stiviano, was released to the press. The married Sterling harshly chastised Stiviano for Instagram pictures of her with black people, including the much-beloved basketball icon, AIDS activist, inner-city business development tycoon and philanthropist Ervin “Magic” Johnson. (In a later “apology tour” interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Sterling stooped to AIDS-shaming Johnson in defense of his own character). It didn’t end there.

Stivano asked Sterling: “Do you

know that you have a whole team that’s black, that plays for you?”

Sterling replied in astonishment, “You just, do I know? I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses.

Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have—Who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?”

Sterling’s plantation mentality had been exposed more than a few times over the years – in fact, “plantation” was exactly the word used by Hall of Famer, and former Clippers General Manager, Elgin Baylor, in a wrongful termination lawsuit against Sterling, that was ultimately

California Dispatch

ia Dispatch:

lantation dismissed in 2011. Baylor had alleged that Sterling told him he wanted a team “composed of ‘poor black boys from the South’ and a white head coach.” Sterling also paid the largest housing discrimination lawsuit in history, in a complaint that included the charge that he had refused to rent to blacks because he said they “smelled bad,” or to Latino men because they sat around smoking and drinking all day. It’s all gone pretty much overlooked … until now.

even President Obama decried Sterling’s rant. Perhaps even more decisively, the league’s brightest star, LeBron James, flatly said he wouldn’t play if Sterling wasn’t stripped of his ownership – and if LeBron wouldn’t play, it was clear nobody else would either.

NBA Commissioner Alan Silver acted quickly to ban Sterling from the league for life, and is moving to have the other owners vote to force Sterling to sell the Clippers.

This plantation is closed.

Another California plantationNow the outrage volcano has busting just a few weeks earlier erupted, with lava flowing from was greeted with far more the basketball ambivalence. Tech world all the way to pioneer Brendan the White House.

Eich resigned The Clippers his nine-day old It may be organization position as CEO of harder shuffled around San Francisco-based with equivocations, Mozilla Corporation to see the while the players after revelations plantation themselves staged about his anti-LGBT a dignified preaffiliations became for the playoff game a clear liability. trees when demonstration, It wasn’t only his by coming out $1000 contribution Massa is with their exercise to the Proposition benevolent. uniforms inside8 campaign to ban out to hide team marriage equality insignia, and in the state. Eich’s throwing them on far-right leanings the floor center extend back as far court. Their brother players did as the early 90s, when he was the shouting for them. a supporter of the virulently homophobic Republican Sacramento Mayor Kevin presidential hopeful Pat Johnson, a retired threeRobertson. time All Star, did much of the speaking for a coalition of past But, even though LGBT and present NBA’ers, elected organizations did not officially officials and community leaders; take part in the avalanche of

“

”

bad PR that engulfed Eich, there was no small amount of breast-beating around his departure. His defenders (LGBT and not) cited his many accomplishments, including the creation of JavaScript, and the foundation of the open-source promoting Mozilla Foundation.

By all accounts, Eich is known for running a non-discriminatory workplace. To me, it brought to mind Thomas Jefferson; a man of great accomplishments - innovator, philosopher, author of American independence, owner of slaves.

It may be harder to see the plantation for the trees when Massa is benevolent. Current Clippers players hadn’t experienced direct discrimination – that they know of – from Sterling either. Were Eich’s wolfish private politics any more excusable because they was clothed in the sheep’s clothing of public tolerance? Or was it just that a homophobic plantation still doesn’t seem as irrational as an ethnic one?

If there’s any truth behind either of those questions, it’s time to leave the plantation. First, it’s time to insist that even tacit support of an oppressive system doesn’t become permissible as long as you don’t personally do any of the oppressing yourself.

Second, it’s well past time to stop accepting homophobia as a difference of opinion, tolerable as long as it remains in the closet. As the gridlock-plagued presidency EILE Magazine 27

California Dispatch of Barack Obama certainly attests, winning civil rights or even political power will never be sufficient, as long as hate drives a significant portion of society.

There’s more to leaving the plantation than rejecting Massa’s twisted mindset. We have our own plantation mentality to deal with, and it shows the most in our internalized self-loathing, and our difficulties maintaining enduring alliances with other former captives, after being divided and conquered for so long.

Leaving the plantation requires the understanding that building those alliances isn’t about numbers, it’s about principle, it’s about realizing that the problem is with the plantation, not with the other people trapped in it with you, or those whom you perceive to be less successful than you at escaping.

Leaving the plantation also requires the discovery that no matter who you are, whether you think you’re owned by somebody or not, you just might wake up one morning and find out you’re on a plantation. That’s what happened to the Clippers and their NBA colleagues, that’s what blindsided the employees and partners of Mozilla, and that’s what’s happening to Hollywood’s élite, engaged in the latest highpowered boycott.

A raft of glamorous events like the Night Before Oscars Party have checked out of the Beverly Hills Hotel, and its posh Polo Lounge has been described as a ghost town. Now owned by Sultan Hassnal Bokiah of Brunei, the venerable, century-old landmark has become the local focus for global human rights outcry over 28 EILE Magazine

that country’s institution of a Sharia-inspired penal code.

The Feminist Majority Foundation struck the first blow, relocating its May 5th Global Women’s Rights Awards gala, co-chaired by comedian Jay Leno, and his activist wife Mavis, and hosting instead a rally across the street calling for a boycott. Queer press readers are certainly aware of the “death by stoning” penalty for homosexuality in Brunei’s new law, but its provisions altogether will likely have a worse impact on women.

Speakers like Leno, LA Gay & Lesbian Center CEO Lorri Jean, and long-time lesbian feminist activist Robin Tyler didn’t play favorites when it came to potential victims of the law.

United Farm Workers co-founder Delores Huerta was also on hand for the rally, which coincidently fell on the Mexican American celebration of Cinco de Mayo. The “Stop The Sultan” campaign is building those plantation-busting alliances.

Predictably Christopher Cowdray, the CEO of the Dorchester Collection, of which the Beverly Hills Hotel is a part, pleaded that his establishment’s LGBTpositive policies – and the fact that one of the richest men in the world wouldn’t miss the income anyway – should make it an unfair target for the protests. He argued that a boycott would only hurt the employees. Similarly, the Beverly Hills City Council voted to condemn the situation in Brunei, but discouraged a boycott of such a stalwart local business (although they asked the Sultan to sell the hotel to resolve the conflict) that would hurt the community … and of course the poor, innocent workers. Smell Jefferson anyone?

Turns out those put upon hotel workers were there ahead of the pack, and they’d be surprised at how much Cowdray cared for their welfare. UNITE HERE Local 11 has been locked in a feud with the Beverly Hills Hotel since the 90s, and has been trying to use Brunei’s previous, already draconian anti-LGBT/antiwoman laws to take a bite out of the company’s business for over a year.

It took Brunei’s new step backwards in time, and the influx of A-list allies like Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Sharon Osbourne, Richard Branson, Clive Davis and Stephen Fry to light a fire under the boycott. The union is now working with campaign organizers to set up a workers’ relief fund to help the employees while the action continues.

Like with the NBA stars versus Sterling, there’s nothing like the sight of the rich saying “No” to the uber-wealthy to shake up your notion of plantation politics.

So this month, as Juneteenth flows into the anniversary of Stonewall, survey your plantation … and leave it!

Lucia Chappelle is Associate Producer of This Way Out, and Social Justice Minister at Founders Metropolitan Community Church in Los Angeles.

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.

Reviews | Frances Winston

Maleficent Directed by: Robert Stromberg Starring: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton Although I write for a living, I am struggling to find words to articulate how excited everyone I know in the community seems to be about this film.

The LGBT community has long loved all things Disney, so this live action version of the classic Sleeping Beauty, told from the side of the titular super villain, has been eagerly awaited. Angelina Jolie is even more uber-cheekboned than usual in the title role of the vamp, who was responsible for cursing Sleeping Beauty, in the classic animated tale.

However, this version gives the story a whole new spin, and all is not as you think you knew.

Having been betrayed by Stefan (Copley – surely one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood) so that he can become king, evil fairy Maleficent vows revenge. She surrounds the kingdom with a wall of thorns, and when she learns that he and his wife have had a daughter Aurora (played by Fanning as she gets older) she curses the infant to prick her finger on a spinning wheel, before the sun sets on her 16th birthday. This will cause her to fall into a deep sleep, that only true love’s 30 EILE Magazine

kiss can wake her from. Fearful for his child’s life, Stefan sends her away with three pixies, whom he orders to raise her until the deadline for the curse has passed, in the hopes of averting it.

So far so traditional. However, this is Maleficent’s story, so here we get to see how she amused herself, for the 16-years until the curse was implemented. She watches over the “beast”, ensuring no harm comes to her, before her revenge is exacted.

However, the angelic child slowly begins to win over the vindictive sorceress, and as the day of reckoning beckons, Maleficent begins to rethink her curse.

This looks simply magnificent.

Everything, including Jolie, is larger than life, and the colour palette is stunning and used to great effect. The story puts an interesting spin on the tale, which should keep both old and new fans alike happy.

Jolie is well cast in the lead – not just because of her striking resemblance to the character, but also because she manages to show the softness and hurt beneath her gruff exterior. Her daughter, Vivienne, makes a brief appearance as the young Aurora, and shows early signs of following in her famous parents footsteps.

Copley is fantastic as the tortured

Stefan, who is driven to the brink of madness by the fate that hangs over him. He is a super actor and really deserves more mainstream roles.

All the rest of the supporting cast do an admirable job, and Fanning is suitably ethereal as Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. However, this is Jolie’s film, and she makes the most of it, completely stealing the show and looking stunning throughout.

Some of the CGI is a bit on the dodgy side, but I can forgive that when the rest of the movie is so epic.

Everything is done on a huge scale, and Stromberg has done a great job creating the world of the film. It is a bit slow to get going, and dips a bit when Aurora is living with the pixies, but on the whole the pacing is good and it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

This is the kind of film that can be enjoyed by both young and old, and should leave everyone with a case of the warm and fuzzies. The community will most certainly love it, and I imagine we will be seeing plenty of people dressing up as Maleficent over Pride weekend.

In cinemas now

Reviews | Frances Winston

Frances Winston on Movies Directed by: Doug Liman Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton I must admit that I am not the biggest fan of Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. I appreciate that many of you reading this won’t agree with me, if the excitement of the community regarding his recent visit to Ireland is anything to go by.

However, while he plays the role of movie star well, I feel that his screen roles have left a lot to be desired in recent years, although his movies make millions of dollars without exception. In spite of myself, this movie made me warm to him somewhat though.

Of course, this could be influenced by the clever script, which was in part penned by playwright Jez Butterworth, and also by a revelatory performance from Emily Blunt, who proves she can play more than just simpering high class totty.

The story is a Groundhog Day style affair set in the near future, on an earth that is under attack from an alien race. Cruise plays William

Cage, a Major in the US Army, who is inexperienced in combat.

When he finds himself deployed to the battlefield, he is killed after a few minutes, but suddenly, and inexplicably, finds himself waking up at the point in which his day started.

Reliving the battle over and over again, he manages to survive longer each time, in order to connect with Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt) whom he believes can help him. Learning that he must keep reliving the day, until he can track down and kill the alien’s controlling force, the pair work together with Cage, constantly resetting the day until they get it right.

This is surprisingly good, given the amount of repetition a premise like this requires. They do prolong the idea a bit, but it doesn’t become unbearable, since Cage progresses further each day. Cruise makes a worthy action hero as Cage, and manages to convey the tedium of reliving each day well. However, Blunt is the revelation here, playing possibly the most kick ass female character since Lara Croft Tomb Raider. I expect her to garner

plenty more fans in the Lesbian and Bi community following her turn here. Best known for a series of rather twee roles, she really proves herself, and holds her own against superstar Cruise.

The script is quite intelligent given the underlying idea, and rarely descends into the cheesefest that these kinds of movies often do. However, there are parts of the story that are rather overcomplicated. Meanwhile, the CGI is effective and never looks out of place. You find yourself rooting for the heroes, as should be the case with all good action movies, and once it gets going the pace doesn’t let up until the very end.

In a season dominated by blockbusters, this movie deservedly earns its place, and takes the audience on a rip-roaring ride to the finish line. It is slightly too long, but that is a minor complaint, and is worth checking out just to sit slack jawed as Emily Blunt sheds her girlie image once and for all.

Ladies will love her in this, and guys will want her abs!

In cinemas now

The Edge of Tomorrow EILE Magazine 31

Music | Nick’s Picks

Nick’s Picks: Music Reviews by Nick Bassett As we head in to June, you can prepare yourself for a busy month of new album releases, with Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Rey, Jennifer Lopez, Clean Bandit and Example, all amongst those preparing to launch their latest LPs ahead of the rest of the Summer crowd. But what about the artists debuting superb new music who aren’t grabbing all of the radio airplay? Listen to five firm favourites from my current playlist, which you will hopefully find more than deserving of your attention.

Machineheart – Snow Seasonally, this latest release from Los Angeles-based five piece Machineheart is a little off-kilter, but who cares when the output is this polished? Snow arrives off the back of the group’s previous two Soundcloud releases Circles and Another Me and further bolsters their position as one of my favourite new acts to emerge this year. Highlighting their ability to effortlessly weave sumptuous pop melodies with lead singer Stevie Scott’s stirring, nuanced vocals, this online buzz track bodes well for an upcoming debut set of expertly crafted material.

Seinabo Sey – Hard Time Seinabo Sey’s latest single Hard Time was produced by Magnus Lidehall, the man at the helm of the the Swedish songstress’ impressive 2013 debut Younger and fellow Swede Mapei’s lauded Don’t Wait (which itself gets an official UK release later this month).

Looping percussion and propelling hand claps provide the back drop for Sey’s soulful, spectral vocals, colliding to create another atmospheric and sonically rewarding offering from one of Stockholm’s most exciting new artists.

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Music | Nick’s Picks Magic Man – Out of Mind Boston’s latest up-and-comers Magic Man last month marked the announcement of their first studio set Before The Waves with the arrival of another sun-kissed musical delight in the shape of the free US preorder track Out of Mind.

Frontman Alex Caplow’s luminous and affirming vocals have never sounded better than they do here, drenched in a sea of mounting, swirling, synth-soaked electronics and keys, and coming together to create a tidal wave of excellent, feel-good pop. If you like this, check out their debut EP You Are Here over on their official Soundcloud page.

Say Lou Lou – Everything We Touch Everything We Touch is another intoxicating cocktail of clear cut vocals and dreamy synthpop from Swedish-Australian sisters Miranda and Elektra Kilbey who make up Say Lou Lou. Set for release on 1 June, the track serves as the follow up to the duo’s Julian and Better In The DarkEPs which earned them a well-deserved nod on the long list for the BBC’s Sound of 2014 at the start of the year.

Vaults – Premonition You may remember London-based newcomers Vaults from last year, after the trio received online plaudits for their beautifully brooding debut Cry No More which was premiered on their Soundcloud page back in September. The mysterious three piece last month premiered their long-awaited follow up Premonitions; a pulsating, blend of textured downbeat, electronica, exquisite strings and mesmerising vocals that is equally as trance-inducing as its predecessor.

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History | Edward II

The Real Braveheart Edward II, cinematic homophobia and the truth behind a medieval king’s great love affair

by Gareth Russell With the possible exception of “Gone with the Wind”, it is tough to think of a movie that has so irrevocably altered the viewing public’s image of a past era as successfully as “Braveheart”, Mel Gibson’s 1995 take on the life of William Wallace.

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The film contained lurid propaganda birthed by antiaristocratic diatribes from the French Revolution, which claimed that medieval aristocrats had enjoyed the droit de seigneur, the right to deflower their female tenants.

Such a myth, and that’s what it is, betrays not just a woeful misunderstanding of the aristocracy’s position in the

Middle Ages, but also hugely underestimates the cult of sexual chastity promoted by the medieval Christian church in all of its enormous and unprecedented cultural power. The church would have reacted with apoplectic fury to the notion of the droit de seigneur, and as the era’s communal obsession with easing one’s passage through Purgatory shows, such fury

History | Edward II

would not have been taken lightly by any strata of society.

From the slew of inaccuracies, and stirring music, arose the old debate of the merits and limits of dramatic licence; so staggering were “Braveheart’s” that no one seemed to notice what was arguably its most pernicious distortion – that of Edward II, Longshanks’ son and heir, played here by “Ballykissangel’s” Peter Hanly, as a limp, blubbering, effeminate mess.

Edward II was, from what we can tell, probably gay, although he did his duty to England by fathering four children with his radiant French bride Isabella (played in the movie

by Sophie Marceau, despite the fact the real Isabella was still a child and living in Paris when Wallace was executed).

The old chestnut, that Edward was not the biological father of his children, has been convincingly disproved by Kathryn Warner, a wonderful authority on Edward’s life, and Ian Mortimer, the biographer of both Edward’s son and the aristocrat popularly reputed to be the boy’s father.

under the guise of an historical portrayal. And it’s a popular view.

Eleanor Harman’s recent account of royal adulteries, “Sex with the Queen,” imagines how difficult it must have been for his wife to have ‘known only the smooth girlish hands of Edward upon her’.

But that quote tells us far more about entrenched and unwarranted prejudices than it does about Edward II. As his courtiers would no doubt have despairingly pointed out, the real Edward’s passion for rowing, swimming, thatching roofs, shoeing horses, working in a smith’s and digging ditches were likely to have produced hands that were anything other than smooth or girlish, more

like calloused and rough to the touch.

Like his father, Edward II was tall and physically robust; a palace servant wrote that he had ‘a fine figure of a handsome man’, while a knight whose father fought in Edward’s army wrote that ‘physically he was one of the strongest men in the realm’.

A contemporary chronicler described “Braveheart’s” pathetic cuckold-prince as ‘fair of body and great of strength’.

Arguably his greatest romance was one that ended in the brutal murder of his alleged lover, Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall. The upwardly mobile son of a knight from Gascony, Gaveston came to

“Braveheart’s” portrayal of a pathetic Edward, who was totally ill-equipped to succeed his fearsome father in the kingly vocation, is a worrying one, not just because it does the real Edward a disservice, but because it also allows old stereotypes to reign (if you’ll pardon the pun) unchecked

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History | Edward II

court as a teenager, where he quickly attracted royal favour for being, as one servant put it, ‘graceful and agile in body, sharp witted, refined in manners ... [and] well versed in military matters’. Edward, still heir to the throne at this point, was smitten. In fact, madly in love. The same observer recalled later, ‘I do not remember to have heard that one man so loved another.’

When he became king in 1307, Edward II could not do enough for his favourite, but Gaveston’s closeness to the sovereign enraged the other earls, and as the bluebloods closed rank, Gaveston’s arrogance and cutting sense of humour became a liability.

In 1312, he was kidnapped from Deddington in Oxfordshire, marched to a nearby hillside and executed.

His death, constituting effectively a rebellion against Edward’s increasingly autocratic rule, plunged the King into a hysteria of grief, from which I don’t think he ever fully recovered. For a year after the murder, every Augustinian abbey in England and Ireland was ordered to say a daily Mass for the repose of Gaveston’s soul.

Edward II’s reign ended in ignominy fifteen years later, when he was overthrown at his wife’s behest, although strangely she never seems to have minded Gaveston very much. It was Edward’s drift towards unaccountable 36 EILE Magazine

autocracy, attempts to turn the clock back to the years before Magna Carta, and above all his cancerous hatred of the earls ( particularly those who had brought about Piers Gaveston’s hideous death) which pushed Isabella into a rebellion, and brought down the King from his throne. After that, he simply vanished, presumed murdered.

It was Christopher Marlowe who, four centuries ago, came much closer in an even more inaccurate play, “Edward II,” to doing this complex and flawed monarch and his glamorous and magnificently terrifying wife to life.

Derek Jarman’s use of the story, to craft an allegory of homophobia in the dying years of Thatcherite Britain, had much to work with, and the recent National Theatre revival starring Josh Heffernan, Vanessa Kirby and Kyle Soller gave us what “Braveheart” seemed so unwilling to deliver – a king who happened to be both gay and strong, kind to his inferiors but revolted by fellow members of the élite, and the victim both of truly terrible luck and some ghastly political decisions.

Gareth Russell is an author and historian from Belfast, who studied History at the University of Oxford.

UK | Education

Archbishop of Canterbury to Implement Anti-Homophobic Bullying Measures in CoE Schools

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rev. Justin Welby, has announced the introduction of new measures to counteract homophobic bullying in schools run by the Church of England, calling such behaviour “anathema” to Christian practice.

i

Writing for the newspaper, Justin Welby acknowledged that despite recent progress, “homophobic bullying is still widespread” in British schools.

With almost a million British children enrolled into schools run by the Church of England, the issue of homophobic bullying is one that the Church cannot “wring our hands over”, Welby said.

“No school can proudly

claim to be a safe, loving an institution,” Welby added, “while members of its community are suffering and being made unhappy through bullying”. The Archbishop also wrote that schools needed to adapt their teaching to reflect the introduction of equal marriage to England & Wales: “Last summer the Church made a public commitment to support church schools in eradicating homophobic stereotyping and bullying.

After a huge amount of work over the past nine months, today we are launching new guidance for our schools on challenging homophobic bullying, called: Valuing All God’s Children”.

The Archibishop also wrote that by recognising the “profound damage done by words and actions alike”, the guidance will urge schools to

take a zero-tolerance approach to homophobic language or behaviour, “which is absolutely anathema to Christian practice”, Welby states.

“Church schools are built on the conviction that every child is created, loved and called into fullness of life by God. This new guidance aims to help schools shape their culture in the light of this reality, by ensuring they offer a safe and welcoming place for all God’s children. This is a task we are called as Christians to share, and I know it is one our schools already take immensely seriously.”

(eile.ie / May 14)

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Cyprus | LGBT Pride

Cyprus: First Pride Parade – Much To Be Proud Of! The Cypriot LGBT community had much to be proud of yesterday (31st) as their very first Pride parade, held in Nicosia, attracted thousands, not the hundreds the organisers had only dared to hope for.

Alecos Modinos, an LGBT rights activist, who was instrumental in having the anti-gay laws repealed in Cyprus, stated: “We hope Cyprus becomes a European Union member country that respects rights not only in words, but in deeds as well”.

Costas Gavrielides, President of ACCEPT LGBT Cyprus, was overwhelmed at the

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support the parade received, and felt this proved that Cyprus had “progressed much further than politicians say”. He also felt it was time the government changed the law to include Civil Partnership for the LGBT community in Cyprus.

The Pride festival organisers had announced that their intention was: To provide an annual opportunity to generate celebratory, cultural,

artistic and educational events which affirm the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex people and supporters through activities which promote unity, inclusion, and awareness of sexual and gender diversity.

Hopefully, this is the first of many such annual events for the Cypriot LGBT community.

MKB/Eile

Politics | LGBT Councillors

Local Elections Hail New Term of Irish Gay Politicians The recent local elections in Ireland – both in the Republic and Northern Ireland – have welcomed a new wave of openly gay and lesbian councillors, for Dublin, Belfast and Kilkenny.

European Court of Human Rights the previous year.

Dudgeon has been something of a pioneer in unionist politics for being one of the first openly-gay active members of the Ulster Unionist Party, which today allows a free vote on LGBT issues.

Belfast’s City Council saw the election of three new gay & lesbian Councillors, two of whom are unionist.

Both Julie Ann Corr of the Progressive Unionist Party, and Jeffrey Dudgeon of the Ulster Unionists, were elected to council, while Marie Ellen Campbell of Sinn Féin was also voted to represent her constituents – both gay and straight – at Belfast City Hall.

The mixture of a gay nationalist and two gay unionists to the council has already been welcomed by Sinn Féin LGBT, which has called to build “a positive alliance” between the three.

Ms Campbell summed up the surprise boost in LGBT representatives in Belfast City Council with a simple tweet, showing that Northern Irish politics is advancing with regards to diversity:

While Jeffrey Dudgeon is not exactly a stranger to Northern Irish politics, he is certainly more celebrated amongst the region’s LGBT community for decriminalising homosexuality there in 1983, thanks to his case against the state at the 40 EILE Magazine

Meanwhile, south of the border, many openly-gay candidates were elected to councils, mostly for the Dublin area. Sinn Féin’s Fintan Warfield was elected to South Dublin County Council, while

the same party’s Chris Curran was elected to Dún LaoghaireRathdown County Council, and Janice Boylan (who is not gay, but sits on Sinn Féin’s LGBT group board) and Emma Murphy were both elected to Dublin City Council. In Fingal, former Lord Mayor and Independent candidate, Cian O’Callaghan, was elected to Fingal County Council, and the Green Party’s Roderic O’Gorman also won a seat.

Outside of the capital, Fianna Fáil’s Patrick McKee won his election campaign for Kilkenny County Council, making him one of the party’s few openlygay representatives.

– Clarification: A previous version of this post implied that Janice Boylan is gay.

EILE was contacted by Sinn Féin to help us clarify that while she is not gay, Ms Boylan does sit on the board of Sinn Féin’s LGBT group.

Spain | LGBT Retirement

West End Eurovision (in aid of HIV/AIDS) Goes Out With A Bang This year’s final West End Eurovision in London controversially ended in a tie – with two West End shows taking the ultimate honours for the first time in its history.

The celebrity-studded event returned to the Dominion Theatre for its 7th and final year in support of The Make A Difference (MAD) Trust.

The audience, participating show judges and celebrity judges, including Graham Norton, were torn between the cast of Les Miserables’ rendition of Flying The Flag by 2007 UK Eurovision entry Scooch, and Mamma Mia!’s cleverly executed performance of Abba’s Waterloo.

Featuring over 200 performers from award-winning London shows, West End Eurovision is one of the biggest and most exciting late night events in the West End and, as always,

the event was a phenomenal success.

The Make A Difference Trust revealed the event raised in excess of £66,000, enabling them to continue expanding their support network to those living with and affected by HIV. The event was also memorable for 3 speeches from Charlie Hardwick , Val Pollard in Emmerdale, whose character has recently been diagnosed HIV positive, Harriet Thorpe, currently rehearsing at the National Theatre and from award winning director, Andrew Keates, during which he announced he was HIV positive.

Chairman of The Make A Difference Trust, David Pendlebury said: “We are so grateful for the continued support of the theatre industry; so many people giving their talent and their time to Make A

Difference. We would also like to thank Andrew for a lesson in being positive about being HIV positive. It highlights the importance to getting tested and proves we’re all in this together.”

The Book of Mormon won the Best Ident award, sponsored by the Technical Theatre Awards with their hilarious take on ‘The Real Housewives’ series and the Creative Award went to Mamma Mia! for their West End mash up of Waterloo. This year’s Champions Trophy was sponsored by Haagen Dazs.

The MAD Trust works with the British entertainment industry and its audiences to raise funds to offer care and support to people living with HIV, AIDS and other chronic illnesses, who are unable to work and are facing hardship. 33 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, and globally, everyday 7,000 men, women or children contract HIV.

EILE Magazine 41

42 EILE Magazine

USA | Politics

USA | Pennsylvania

US: Pennsylvania Governor Not To Appeal Equal Marriage Ban Strike-Down The Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett, said yesterday that he will not appeal a federal judge’s ruling that the equal marriage ban in the state be struck down.

The governor felt that any appeal would be unlikely to succeed, and that he should “follow the laws as interpreted by the courts, and make a judgment as to the likelihood of a successful appeal”.

“I have thoroughly reviewed Judge Jones’ opinion in the Whitewood case. Given the high legal threshold set forth

by Judge Jones in this case, the case is extremely unlikely to succeed on appeal. Therefore, after review of the opinion and on the advice of my Commonwealth legal team, 44 EILE Magazine

I have decided not to appeal Judge Jones’ decision”.

However, he pointed out that this decision did not go along with his personal beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“Throughout the debate on this important and meaningful issue, I have maintained that Commonwealth officials and agencies would follow the provisions of Pennsylvania’s marriage law unless or until a court says otherwise. The court has spoken, and I will ensure that my administration follows the provisions of Judge Jones’ order with respect for all parties”.

He added: “It is my hope that as the important issue of same-sex relationships continues to be

addressed in our society, that all involved be treated with respect.”

Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign, felt the governor “did the right thing in not standing in the way of thousands of loving couple’s ability to make lifelong commitments to each other through marriage”.

Judge John Jones stated that the ban was unconstitutional, and should be thrown “on the ash-heap of history”.

This ruling makes Pennsylvania the 19th state to allow same-sex marriage, one day after Oregon became the 18th state. This now means that over 40% of Americans live in a state where equal marriage is legal.

MKB/Eile - May 22, 2014

USA | Oregon

Oregon Strikes Down Marriage Equality Ban U.S. District Judge, Michael McShane, has struck down the American state of Oregon’s ban on same-sex marriage, much to the celebration of thousands of LGBT Oregonians and their supporters.

Judge McShane gave a compassionate speech in his ruling yesterday, noting that while a ‘large number’ of Oregonians may be against the idea of extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, the social acceptance of homophobia has led to “an environment of cruelty, violence, and self-loathing”.

“Generations of Americans, my own included,” explained McShane, “were raised in a world in which homosexuality was believed to be a moral perversion, a mental disorder, or a mortal sin.”

“I remember that one of the more popular playground games of my childhood was called “smear the queer”

and it was played with great zeal and without a moment’s thought to today’ s political correctness. On a darker level, that same worldview led to an environment of cruelty, violence, and selfloathing. […] Even today I am reminded of the legacy that we have bequeathed today’ s generation when my son looks dismissively at the sweater I bought him for Christmas and, with a roll of his eyes, says ‘dad … that is so gay.’”

In supporting the four gay couples, whose case against the State of Oregon led them to McShane, the District Judge made the announcement that he was “struck more by our similarities than our differences”.

“I believe that if we can look for a moment past gender and sexuality, we can see in these plaintiffs nothing more or less than our own families.

Families who we would expect our Constitution to protect, if not exalt, in equal measure.

With discernment we see not

shadows lurking in closets or the stereotypes of what was once believed; rather, we see families committed to the common purpose of love, devotion, and service to the greater community.”

Judge McShane also referred to those who are currently against the notion of extending marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples, and those who “…suggest we are going down a slippery slope that will have no moral boundaries.”

“To those who truly harbor such fears,” McShane concluded, “I can only say this: Let us look less to the sky to see what might fall; rather, let us look to each other … and rise”. (eile.ie / May 20)

EILE Magazine 45

Sport | Homophobia

Homophobia In Sport To Be Measured Internationally For The First Time The first international study on homophobia in sport is set to shine a light on how often gay, lesbian and bisexual people face discrimination on and off the playing field.

The study, called “Out on the Fields,� has been launched in the lead-up to the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) 46 EILE Magazine

on May 17. Sporting culture is often considered one of the last places in Western society where discrimination based on sexuality is still common.

The study will look at the prevalence and forms of homophobia in Ireland, the UK and other countries, among athletes and fans, and allow researchers to compare sporting culture in the UK with other Western countries such as the United States and

Australia. It is being conducted pro-bono by international sports market research firm Repucom, in partnership with academics at six international universities and a range of other organisations.

Welsh Rugby legend Gareth Thomas, who came out in 2009, is one of many wellknown gay and lesbian athletes encouraging people to take part:

Sport | Homophobia “Many athletes around the world fear they won’t be accepted by their teammates and others if they are honest about their sexuality. I was one of those athletes and I wish, at the time, I understood how many other people were experiencing the same thing.”

“We need to change sporting culture so that sexuality is no longer an issue and sport is welcoming and accepting to everyone. I strongly encourage people to participate in this study and share their stories, good or bad, so that we can gain a better understanding of the experiences of athletes around the world,” said Thomas.

The study will focus primarily on comparing the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, USA and New Zealand, however, people from any country can participate, regardless of their sexuality. This will help researchers understand the differences of perspective around homophobia between GLBT and ‘straight’ people.

will help us move beyond the stories and anecdotes we hear and help us collect some hard, international numbers around the experiences of same-sex attracted athletes,” says Professor Ian Rivers, from London’s Brunel University, one of seven international experts involved.

“We’ll also be able to compare […] Englishspeaking countries [with each other] to see how well we are addressing this issue. The goal is to ensure that sports are welcoming and inclusive to everyone, whether watching or playing, regardless of sexuality.”

The international study was initiated by organisers of the Bingham Cup Sydney 2014, the world cup of gay rugby. They approached the world’s leading experts on homophobia in sport who have donated their time pro bono, because of the need for such research. The experts are from Brunel University (London), Pennsylvania The study will look at questions State University, University including: of Massachusetts, Laval University and University What forms of homophobia of Winnipeg (Canada) and athletes/fans witness or Victoria University (Australia). experience, and how often?

– How many athletes stay in Previous research has been the closet and why? based primarily on mostly Which sporting environments local or national qualitative are seen as the most unsafe/ studies, while this is the first unwelcoming for LGBT people large scale quantitative study. (including athletes and fans)?

The results will be collated and “There has been a lot of analysed by Repucom, and discussion about homophobia then reviewed by the team of in sport, particularly in the past academics, with a final report year. This historic research released prior to the Bingham

Cup tournament at the end of August this year.

Andrew Purchas is an openly gay rugby player who has played in the USA and Australia, and is President of the Bingham Cup Sydney 2014.

He said: “I am often asked by media, governments and others about the prevalence of homophobia in sports, such as insults and abuse, particularly in very masculine team sports such as American football, or rugby. Anecdotally, we know that homophobia is unfortunately very common and is the reason for people stopping playing and being involved in sport.”

“Sport has been left behind by most others aspects of western society if dealing with homophobia. However we don’t know how wide spread the problem is since there has been very little large-scale research on the issue. We want to ensure homophobia in sport no longer remains hidden or ignored and sports become inclusive and welcoming for all, whether playing amateur or professional or participating as a spectator or official.”

Those interested in participating are asked to visit outonthefields.com to take a short survey. The study is open to everyone regardless of sexuality. (eile.ie / May 15)

EILE Magazine 47

Ireland | Trans Rights

Gender Recognition Scheme Debated at Dáil Éireann The Gender Recognition Scheme was debated earlier this afternoon in Dáil Éireann , making it a historic occasion for the trans rights movement in Ireland.

urgency.”

to equality.”

There were many important contributions from cross-party TDs to yesterday’s historic debate.

During the debate, the issues of the proposed age criterion, single requirement and medical evidence were discussed in depth. The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, also explicitly stated that intersex persons would be included in the scope of the legislation and that there was strong support for the introduction of guidelines in schools to support young trans people.

Fianna Fáil’s Willie O’Dea addressed the issue of recognition for young trans people:

Deputy Crowe also holds the distinction of being the first TD to use the term ‘cisgender’ (someone who is non-transgender) in Dáil Éireann.

Speaking after the debate today, TENI Chief Executive Broden Giambrone said, “This was an important moment in the history of trans rights in Ireland, and it is certainly something to be celebrated. We welcome the Minister’s initiative in bringing the Committee’s report before the Dáil and her commitment to bringing the matter to Cabinet in the near future.”

“Now is the time to make the real changes,” Giambrone continued, “changes which will have a full and affirming effect on the lives of trans people and their families in Ireland. The Cabinet will have the opportunity to propose key changes to the legislation that will improve and benefit the lives of trans people. This is a matter of 48 EILE Magazine

“As the proposal stands at the moment there is an absolute exclusion on somebody from applying for a gender recognition certificate until they reach the age of 18. Now it seems to me, quite honestly, that appears to fly in the face of the evidence [...]

In the real world you’re going to have a huge gap between the time that people realise that their birth gender doesn’t reflect reality and we’re all aware of the difficulties that those people can encounter as a result of that, as a result of the fact that they’re in legal limbo.”

Speaking on the issue of the proposed single requirement that would force happily married trans people to divorce, Sean Crowe TD (Sinn Féin) stated: “Trans people who are married or have families are entitled to the same protection as everyone else, and for a state that holds the institution of marriage in such high regard, it is a bizarre approach to effectively force divorce on people who may not want it. It violates people’s rights

Meanwhile, John Halligan TD (Independent) called on the Government to carefully reconsider the proposed medical evidence requirement which would require a letter from a treating physician. Arguing for the removal of this criteria, Deputy Halligan stated, “This should not exclusively be in the preserve of the medical community.”

Finally, John Lyons TD (Labour) stated that there was room for improvement of the draft legislation and noted that legal gender recognition was integral in allowing trans people to play a full role in society. Encouraging the Minister to move the legislation forward, he stated, “Maybe it’s time for us to be the piece of legislation that other countries look to.” (eile.ie / May 10)

USA | U.S. Army

U.S. Military Dinner Honours Gay & Lesbian Families A senior Pentagon leader has paid homage to the rights and contributions of LGBTheaded families in a speech at the American Military Partner Association’s National Gala Dinner recently.

Rosemary Freitas Williams, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy, made note of the U.S. Department of Defense’s efforts to become more inclusive and accepting towards LGBT soldiers and their families.

“Our military will no longer be deprived of the talents and skills of patriotic Americans,” Williams said, “just because they happen to be gay or lesbian. And now, we can say of our military spouses and partners, ‘Welcome aboard’”.

“Throughout our nation’s history,” she said, “the Department of Defense has led social change and continues to

foster an environment of respect for every service member and civilian professional”.

Williams also announced that the Dept. of Defense has implemented numerous initiatives, in order to ensure that service members have full access to benefits.

“Since not all local laws are equal when it comes to marriage,” Williams explained, “we’ve modified the department’s leave policy to allow service members, regardless of their sexual orientation, to be authorized administrative absence so they may travel to the nearest jurisdiction to be legally married.”

Among those participating in that national conversation is AMPA Community Hero Award recipient Tracy Johnson.

Johnson is an Iraq War veteran and Army widow whose partner, Donna, was killed in Afghanistan in 2012. Johnson received delayed notification of Donna’s death because at that time the primary “next-of-kin” were Donna’s parents.

Johnson had applied for VA survivor benefits, but Title 38 had prevented the VA from recognizing her as a surviving spouse despite the Defense of Marriage Act decision.

However, “after the review of the case, the Department of Veterans Affairs has decided to retroactively recognize me,” Johnson said over applause.

Johnson emphasized that there is still more work to be done, but said the decision is an important step forward toward the goal of achieving equal treatment for all military families.

“My AMPA family was there for me when the unthinkable happened and continue to be there for me and others as we serve,” she said.

Hat tip: A. Lyle / American Forces Press Service (eile.ie / May 19)

EILE Magazine 49

Health | Dr Shay

Vaccinating Against Hepatitis A & B Dr Shay Keating explains how vaccinations against Hepatitis A and B work Vaccination refers to the administration of antigenic or foreign material, the vaccine to stimulate an individual’s immune system to develop immunity to a pathological organism, commonly viruses. It is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases, and widespread vaccination is largely responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox.

Mass vaccination has also resulted in a huge reduction in the world health burden of diseases such as polio, measles and tetanus. Most vaccines are given by injection into the muscle, as they are not reliably absorbed through the intestines if swallowed.

In a sexually transmitted infection context, vaccination against hepatitis is routine in high risk cohorts, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). Currently we have only a vaccine against hepatitis A and B. There is no effective vaccine generally available against hepatitis C. In hepatitis A vaccination, the vaccine is a ‘dead’ virus, a virus 50 EILE Magazine

that has been inactivated with formaldehyde. When the vaccine is given to the person, the body thinks it has been exposed to the ‘real’ virus and makes antibodies against it. When real exposure to hepatitis A occurs, the body will have the antibodies already made and infection is aborted.

The vaccination schedule for hepatitis A is 2 injections six months apart. The vast majority responds to this schedule, and no blood test is required to see if the body has made enough antibodies. As well as vaccinating high risk groups against sexually acquired hepatitis A, travelers to areas in the world where hepatitis A is endemic are offered vaccination.

With hepatitis B, the vaccine does not contain the virus. It contains a part of the virus, the surface antigen. When injected into the body, an antibody to the surface antigen, called the surface antibody is made. Three vaccines are administered. At the elected (start) date, one month later and at six months.

Not everyone responds to this standard schedule, and we routinely check antibody levels 2 months after completion of the vaccine administration. The level of antibodies is reported by the laboratory in milli international units per millilitre of blood

(mIU/ml blood). If the level is greater than 100 mIU/ml, this is an adequate response and no further action is required. In the future, when exposure to the real hepatitis B virus occurs, the immune system with its immune memory recognises the surface antigen of the virus, and with its antibodies to this surface antigen, kills the virus.

If the vaccination response is between 10mIU/ml and 100 mIU/ ml, this is a poor response, and a booster vaccine if recommended.

No further action is then needed.

If, however, the level is less than 10 mIU/ml the person is a non responder. Factors that might predict a non responder are age over forty, increased body mass, male sex and immunodeficiency: advanced HIV disease or long term steroid use.

Body mass or fatness of the arms is important. The needle used to inject the vaccine needs to get into the muscle. If the length of the needle is 2.5 centimetres and the fat thickness is 3 centimetres, the injection is into the tissue under the skin and not the muscle. Most non responders will respond to a course of double dose vaccine, one into each arm at each occasion, usually three at monthly intervals.

It is crucial that all persons who have been vaccinated have a blood test performed, to ensure

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Dr Shay Keating Continued…

that they have had an adequate response.

Hepatitis B infection is a very serious disease. Worldwide, 2 billion (1 in 3) have been exposed to the virus, and 350 million are believed to have chronic hepatitis B, some of whom develop liver cirrhosis, and in some cases liver cancer if not treated.

Hepatitis B is not currently curable, but with improving medications, viral replication can be halted in some. Prevention is better than cure. If you fall into a high risk group for hepatitis, such as MSM, it is imperative that you are vaccinated to prevent infection in you and potentially your sex partners.

Dr. James (Shay) N. Keating, BA Mod, MB, PhD. MRCP, Dip GUM, Dip Occ Med., has his clinic at the Harold’s Cross Surgery, Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W, and is a Specialist in Genitourinary Medicine, at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.

Contact stdclinic.ie Phone: 01497 0022 or +353 87 234 5551

For daily news and information for the LGBT community, visit

www.EILE.ie

52 EILE Magazine

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Feature | Dublin Pride

54 EILE Magazine

Feature | Dublin Pride

Parade Day Info The annual Pride Parade is the centerpiece of the twoweek Dublin Pride Festival, which will take place on Saturday, June 28, from 1.45pm onwards.

Nearly all of Ireland’s LGBT community groups, along with businesses, political parties and civic groups, will rally at Parnell Square in Dublin city centre, before marching through the city’s meandering streets.

Alongside these groups will be individuals, families, friends and LGBT allies, who are free to join in the parade at any point along its way. Dublin’s parade is one of the last European Pride parades to remain open to all, with no barriers erected. This reflects Dublin Pride’s open and inclusive ethos – we welcome everyone to march with us – to celebrate and to be proud.

The parade is a unique blend of everything for which Pride stands. To some it’s a political march, to show the authorities that the fight for equality remains ongoing, that same-sex marriage is not yet a reality and that employment discrimination still exists. To others, it’s a sign of solidarity, to show our LGBT brothers and sisters in countries where they face state-sanctioned discrimination that we stand with them, or to those at home still in the closet, that there is a vibrant community here ready to embrace them. To some, it’s just a gay old day out, a chance to sample LGBT culture, to enjoy the music and

dancing, and to make new friends and forge new experiences.

This year’s Parade Grand Marshal is Colm O’Gorman, director of Amnesty International Ireland.

O’Gorman was chosen as Grand Marshal because of his long standing work on human rights, and in a year where the Dublin government will debate the Family and Relationships Bill for LGBT people, he is a shining example of the modern family.

His eloquent words in the media on the upcoming marriage equality referendum make him a perfect spokesperson for the LGBT community.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity to lead this year’s Pride Parade, it’s a great honour to have been chosen to be Grand Marshal”, he adds.

We believe nearly 36,000 people will march in the parade, the highest number ever and 6,000 up on the 2013 event – a 20% increase. People from all four corners of the land descend upon Dublin on Parade Day – we certainly hope you will be one of those among the crowd. We hope you will join the largest Pride Parade on the island of Ireland and the second-largest annual parade overall (only St Patrick’s Day draws more marchers!)

The Parade’s route will see it end at Pride Village, a open area set up with a stage, speakers, bars, food stalls, and fun fair. Enjoy a drink and watch the acts and

speeches on stage or the big screen and enjoy a bite to eat with music piped in. There will be a variety of food stalls, with gourmet food also available – there’s something to suit everyone’s taste.

The fun fair is for the children (and for the inner child in every grown-up). You can have a go on the traditional carnival rides or try your luck at some of the games to win prizes. Representatives from LGBT community groups will set up camp in the ‘Community Zone’, giving Parade participants a chance to chat to them and get information on their activities and how to assist them in their campaigns, work and services.

Information on Dublin City Dublin is a vibrant and friendly city that welcomes LGBT visitors and friends from around the world. Many hotels, bars and restaurants are proudly flying the rainbow colours as they prepare for the Dublin Pride Festival.

Dublin City Council are proudly decorating the River Liffey with rainbow flags and warmly invite you to come celebrate the Dublin Pride Festival this year.

Dublin has numerous amenities, whether you’re just visiting for the Parade, the weekend, or the full two weeks of the festival. Below are some places to eat and drink in Dublin. We are happy to say they are all Pride supporters!

EILE Magazine 55

Feature | Dublin Pride Bars/Clubs The George (Gay bar and club) 89 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2 The George is not just any bar or any gay bar. It is the first port of call for young gay people in Dublin, it is the venue where gay and straight people mix together. www.thegeorge.ie The Front Lounge (Gay late bar) 33 Parliament St, Dublin 2 Established since the 1990’s and nestled in the heart of Dublin, the Front Lounge is that rare creature; a classic modern pub oozing an effortless chic. www. thefrontlounge.ie Pantibar (Gay bar) 8 Capel Street, Dublin 1 Run by the fabulous Queen Pandora “Panti” Bliss, who earned international acclaim earlier this year with her ‘Noble Call’ video, this bar is the best to start you night as you ramble through Dublin and enjoy the locals and the finest imports. www.pantibar. com Jack Nealons (pub bar) 165 Capel St., Dublin 1 Jack Nealons is a traditional Irish Pub resting in the heart of Dublin’s city centre. It not just where the teddy bears go to picnic, it’s one of Dublin’s oldest, most popular pubs. www. jacknealonspub.com Madigans (Cafe Bar) 19 O’Connell street, Dublin 1 It is a traditional Irish Pub, offering great food, live music and a cosy escape from the hustle and bustle of O’Connell Street.

Bar52, (Cafe Bar) 52 Middle Abbey Street, D1 Bar 52, is a relaxed spot with great atmosphere whether you’re 56 EILE Magazine

stopping for one or staying for the night. They’re centrally located just off of O’Connell Sreet, along. www.bar52.com Lost Society (night club), Powerscourt, South William Street, D2 Lost Society is situated in one of the finest 18th century town mansions in Dublin, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. In 2011 Lost Society won the award for the most Stylish Bar in Ireland with Licencing World. www. lostsociety.ie Lafayette Cafe Bar 22-25 Westmoreland St., D2 Lafayette Cafe Bar is a classy but casual and welcoming new bar for Dublin; where New York cool meets Paris chic. Complete with original contemporary wall. www. lafayettecafebar.ie The Garage Bar Essex Street East, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 The Garage Bar is situated in the hub of Temple Bar and is definitely one of a kind with 1930′s petrol pumps, tyres, car fronts, walls adorned with images of rock and roll icons and sawdusted floors.

Food/Restaurants LemonJelly Café Millennium Walkway, D1 Great food and a friendly atmosphere make lemon jelly not only a must-stop if you’re feeling peckish, but a place to relax, chat, people watch, and the service is simply fantastic.

KOH Restaurant (restaurant bar), Millennium Walkway, D1 Koh is both a Thai Restaurant and a chic Cocktail Lounge. www.koh. ie Brasserie Sixty6

66 S Great George’s St., D2 Brasserie Sixty6. Stylish & busy restaurant, right in the heart of Dublin. Great food & drink, fantastic surroundings, exciting atmosphere at reasonable prices. www.brasseriesixty6.com Bang Restaurant 11 Merrion Row, Dublin 2 The philosophy at Bang is simple: Great Quality Food at Affordable Prices in relaxed and informal surroundings. www. bangrestaurant.com Acapulco 7 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2 Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, an authentic, colourful and lively restaurant situated right in the heart of Dublin city centre. www. acapulco.ie Brasserie 7 Suite 238 Mary’s Abbey, D7 Brassiere7 is a bustling venue that attracts not just locals but also draws a diverse crowd of tourists and business clientele. www. brasserie7.com The Bakehouse 6 Bachelors Walk, D1 The Bakehouse is a Bakery and Eatery in the heart of Dublin city, located beside the ha’penny bridge. www.the-bakehouse.ie Carlo’s Restaurant 63/64 O’Connell Street, D1 An ambient gem of an eatery specialising in a delicious fusion of Irish, Italian, Mexican, BBQ & Morrocan Cuisine. Its highquality, reasonably priced food and friendly, attentive staff has made this restaurant a huge favourite with Dublin diners. www.cafecarlo.net There is plenty of accommodation in Dublin, from hostels,

Feature | Dublin Pride

guesthouses, B&Bs to hotels, apartments and student summer accommodation. We recommend you book early though, as Dublin Pride is anticipating a lot of visitors from outside the city!

If you decide to hang around after the Pride Festival finishes on Sunday 29th June, there are still plenty of things to do in and around Dublin, such as: Guinness Storehouse The Hugh Lane Gallery The James Joyce Museum Chester Beatty Library The National Art Gallery National History Museum Collins Barracks Museum Phoenix Park & Visitor Centre Botanic Gardens The National Library Glendalough National Park, Co. Wicklow Trinity College Dublin Bus Sightseeing Tour

For daily event updates, visit eile.ie

And much, much more!

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Dublin Pride | Event Listings

Dublin Pride: Event Listings Not sure what to do during this year’s festival? Don’t worry, here are the connunity events taking place. For more, visit dublinpride.ie!

Thursday, June 5 The Art of Boys & Girls Opening on June 5th this group show of 5 artists from around the country. The theme of the show is boys and girls, and all the artists have created work which defies gender and explores the male and female form.

7:00 pm Free event www. thefrontlounge.ie The Front Lounge, 33/34 Parliament St., Dublin 2.

Friday, June 13 Dublin L.G.B.T.Q. Pride Ltd A.G.M This is when the audited accounts for 2013 are presented to the member of the company for approval. There will also be motions to be voted on and Directors to be elected.

To become a member e-mail info@dublinpride.ie with your name and address.

7pm – Free www.dublinpride.ie Saturday, June 14

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Various Voices presents Singing in the City Various Voices, an international LGBT choral festival, presents free concerts by choirs from around the world.

This festival has events running at various locations across Dublin; for more details, visit variousvoices.ie Sunday, June 15 Walk for Greyhounds 2014 Grey Pride! The fourth annual Walk for Greyhounds will gather from midday, departing Merrion Square Park at 1.15 pm travelling through the city to promote Greyhounds as pets. Everybody is welcome with or without dogs of any breed. Please ensure all dogs are on leads.

12pm – Free www.grai.ie Merrion Square Park, Merrion Square, Dublin 2 Big Gay Sing Dublin Gloria, Dublin’s Lesbian and Gay Choir and The New York

City Gay Men’s Chorus in association with The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre are bringing the hugely successful Big Gay Sing to Dublin for one night only on Sunday June 15. Tickets at www. biggaysingdublin.com Starts 8pm Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 2.

Monday, June 16 Politics, Pride and Equality: The Debate A debate featuring spokespersons from all the main political parties covering the most pressing issues confronting the LGBT community in 2014, issues never so prominent in our social and political discourse.

5:30pm – Free Pearse Library, Pearse Street, Dublin 2 Tuesday, June 17 A Pride to Remember - An illustrated talk on the history of Dublin LGBT Pride Archivist and historian, Tonie

Dublin Pride | Event Listings Walsh charts the history of Dublin’s LGBT Pride festivals in words and pictures from 1974 to date. The highs and lows, the wonderful and bizarre are visited in this whistle-stop tour of Ireland’s most colourful and raucous political queer event.

6:30pm – Free www.facebook.com/ IQAadvisorygroup Dublin City Library, Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

Wednesday, June 18 Casement Debate Continued Jeff Dudgeon MBE will be debating whether or not the “Black Diaries” of Roger Casement are a British plot or the real deal. Have our personal views coloured Roger Casement sexuality and others in history?

6pm – Free Pearse Library, Pearse Street, Dublin 2 Feel Good About Yourself To end the stigma surrounding mental health problems, people need to talk and feel they can be open about mental health. Tweet #FGAY14 and join the conversation.

7pm – Free Online (Twitter) Géilí A tradition at every year’s Pride, it’s an exquisite culmination of Irish music and dance along with our very own Irish dancers and guest host.

Dust off your brogues and grab a partner, this is Céilí gay style!

See www.dublinpride.ie for more.

8:30pm – Free Pantibar, 8 Capel St, Dublin.

Thursday, June 19 Wilde Exhibition We’ve had some great photographers and graphic designers over the years, and this year is no different. We’re going to display some of that fine art work, so come along and see how the face of Pride has changed.

7pm – Free www.dublinpride.ie 4 Dame Lane, Dublin 2 Friday, June 20 Dublin Pride Run - Our City, Our Park, Our Run The fun run covers 5km and is a great summer fun run for everyone! You can jog, run, walk, or prance your away around our 5K course, we’ll have an amazing after party in the Polo Club for all runners and supporters.

7:30pm – €20 www.dublinfrontrunners.ie Phoenix Park, Acres Road, Dublin Electronic Beats An evening of Electronic Music with live performances from I <3 The Monster Hero and SJ&K. 7:30pm – Suggested donation of €5 www.outhouse.ie Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Pride Launch Party Celebrate the launch of the Dublin Pride Festival 2014

with a complimentary glass of wine for first 100 people.

8pm – Cover charge www.thegeorge.ie The George, 89 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2.

Saturday, June 21 Belonging: Irish Queer Youth Belonging: Irish Queer Youth is an exhibition of BeLonG To’s work to support LGBT youth and to change the face of Ireland. Photographs document young people in Pride events, campaigns to end homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools, advocacy work and portraits of young people themselves.

10am – Free www.belongto.org National Photographic Archive, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

God Loves Uganda - NXF Pride Screening With God Loves Uganda, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams (Music by Prudence) explores the role of the American Evangelical movement in fuelling Uganda.

This film is presented in association with National LGBT Federation and Dublin Pride 2014.

12pm – €7.60 (€6.90 discount for IFI Members) www.irishfilm.ie Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

Soap Box Sessions - Feel Good About Youself Series This session is a showcase event, highlighting LGBT EILE Magazine 59

Dublin Pride | Event Listings mental health issues through performances, testimonials and entertainment. Tea & coffee reception afterwards.

All welcome. MC’d by Ailbhe Smyth.

1pm – Free www.outhouse.ie Outhouse LGBT Community Resource Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Film Qlub Screening: Twice a Woman (Dir. George Sluizer, 1979) A forgotten classic with Bibi Anderson and Anthony Perkins. Film Qlub offers monthly screenings of LGBTQinterest films. Tickets at the door. Doors open at 14.00, Come early for free tea and coffee. More information: www.filmqlub.com 2:30pm – Day membership: 8 euro www.filmqlub.com The New Theatre, East Essex St., (through Connolly Books), Temple Bar, D2.

Societies Day at Outhouse Outhouse Societies Day gives people a chance to meet the wide variety of LGBT groups and Organisations within the community, a great opportunity to meet people and get involved.

4pm – Free www.outhouse.ie Outhouse LGBT Community Resource Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Newstalk 106-108 Since 2012 Newstalk 106-108’s Global Village presented by Dil Wickremasinghe has been officially part of the Dublin Pride Festival. The weekly

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social justice and mental health radio programme will air live from The Morgan Hotel - all are welcome. This event is sponsored by Microsoft Ireland.

6:30pm – Free www.newstalk. ie/globalvillage The Morgan Hotel Feeling Good: It An eclectic art and performance show conspiring to enlighten and excite. Trans artists and performers will showcase their talents and invigorate your mental Health.

Hosted by the Transgender Peer Support Group Dublin, in association with TENI and SeaChange.

7:30pm Free Venue unconfirmed, see www. teni.ie for details.

Sunday, June 22 Sports Day & Dog Show It’s Parade Day for ya pooch, or hit for home in our knock out rounders contest. We’ll have the guys from Prism introduce you to the different LGBT sports clubs. And the guys from the Husse Franchisee will show you how to look after your dog.

2pm – Free Soccer Pitches, Fairview Park, Dublin 3 Dublin’s First Equality Wedding Show Dublin’s Equality Wedding Show, taking place in The Morrison Hotel, will have 50 Equality Wedding Vendors showcasing their products & services. Lots of entertainment, colour & surprises and free

entry.

3pm – Free www.gayweddingsireland.ie Morrison Hotel, Lower Ormond Quay Dublin 1 BeLonG To Sunday BeLonG To Sunday will offer a facilitated workshop on mental health. This workshop will explore the ways in which these issues can affect young LGBT people, and offer suggestions on ways to deal with these challenges.

3pm – Free Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Outhouse Information session at Outhouse Café An information session available to all members of the LGBT community, their families and friends. Have a coffee and find out about the support services that are available to them from Outhouse staff. All welcome!

3pm – Free Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Tuesday, June 24 Film Screening: I Am Divine Presented in association with the GAZE International LGBT Film Festival.

6:30 pm – Price TBC www.gaze.ie Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Wednesday, June 25 Individuality Transgender Peer Group

Dublin Pride | Event Listings IndividualiTy is a social group for young trans people and those questioning their gender identity. It aims to provide a safe, positive and fun space where trans youth can relax, be themselves and make friends.

5:30pm – Free www.belongto.org Parliament House, 13 Parliament Street Dublin 2 Politics: How to win a referendum Winning a referendum is always a challenge, and it is one which we LGBT people and allies will face in 2015.

Join GLEN and a panel of politicians and political experts for analysis and Q&A to talk about what we can all do together to make that happen.

7pm – Free www.glen.ie Wood Quay Venue, Dublin City Council, Dublin 8 Love and Pride Acting Out present their now traditional show for Dublin Pride. A fabulous revue featuring songs and sketches celebrating our fabulous community. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll sing along!

7:30pm – €10 (€5 concession) www.facebook.com/ actingouttheatregroup Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Over 18’s LGBT peer group This group is for LGBT young people aged 18 - 23 from Dublin and surrounding areas, its a social space to come and make some new friends and have a bit of craic.

7:30pm – Free www.belongto.org

Parliament House, 13 Parliament St., Dublin 2 Thursday, June 26 The Ladybirds LBT women peer group The Ladybirds is a group for young Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgender women in Dublin aged 14 - 23 years of age, the group meets weekly on Thursdays.

6pm – Free www.belongto.org Parliament House, 13 Parliament Street Dublin 2 Diversity Champions: PRIDE Professional Networking Evening with Economist David McWilliams Workplace equality is a critical priority for LGBT people.

GLEN’s Diversity Champions Programme is working with companies to ensure they are LGBT inclusive. Join GLEN’s annual Diversity Champions Pride professional networking evening. This year we are joined by economist David McWilliams for a lively discussion on why the fortunes of Ireland’s economy and the LGBT community are inextricably linked. Followed by professional networking.

6:30pm – Free event www.diversitychampions.ie For further details please email events@glen.ie Love and Pride Acting Out present their now traditional show for Dublin Pride. A fabulous revue featuring songs and sketches celebrating our fabulous community. You’ll laugh, you’ll

cry, you’ll sing along!

7:30pm – €10 (€5 concession) www.facebook.com/ actingouttheatregroup Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Friday, June 27 Pride and The City Pride and the City is a music trail of acoustic performance delivered in partnership with First Music Contact and Waterways Ireland . The music trail will take in businesses on Grand Canal Dock, hosting acoustic performances from emerging Irish artists.

5pm – Free VARIOUS (See dublinpride.ie) Love and Pride Acting Out present their now traditional show for Dublin Pride. A fabulous revue featuring songs and sketches celebrating our fabulous community. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll sing along!

7:30pm – €10 (€5 concession) www.facebook.com/ actingouttheatregroup Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1.

Trans Pride Community Reception Trans Pride Community Reception, with Victoria Kolakowski, the first out trans trial judge in the US. Come celebrate our successes and hear some inspirational words in a semi-formal setting. Join us!

8pm – Free www.teni.ie Saturday, June 28 EILE Magazine 61

Dublin Pride | Event Listings

Alcohol Free Breakfast Open to LGBT young people between the age of 14yrs -23 yrs old.

11am – Free www.belongto.org Parliament House, 13 Parliament Street, Dublin 2 Champagne Breakfast at Outhouse Bubbles, beats and delicious breakfast fare from 11am. Get ready to march in the parade and raise a glass with us!

11am – Free www.outhouse.ie Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, 105 Capel St, Dublin 1 Dublin Pride Parade Come join us for the biggest Dublin Pride parade ever!

The parade starts assembling

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from 12pm at the Garden of Remembrance, and we start marching from 1:45pm sharp.

More details on the route will be available on our website.

1:45 pm – Free www.dublinpride.ie/parade Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin 1 Sunday, June 29 Brunch at Soulful Bistro Pride Brunch in Soulful Bistro.

All week discounted breakfast and pre and post parade brunch for all the fabulous people :) 9am – Free www.soulful.ie 46 Manor Street, D7 Ceremony of Love & Remembrance

After 40 years of LGBTQ rights movement in Ireland, we take the time to remember those who have passed away.

6pm – Free www.dublinpride.ie Oscar Wilde Statue, Merrion Sq Park, Dublin 2

IICKETS: 没15 AT THE DOOR 没10 ON DUBLINPRIDE.IE See website for more details

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20:30 FRI 27TH JUNE Button FactoRY TEMPLE BAR DUBLIN 2

Religion | Church of Ireland

Bishop of Cork: Church Has Caused ‘Deep Hurt and Tangible Damage’ to LGBT People The Bishop of Cork, the Right Rev. Dr. Paul Colton, has said that Christianity, including the Church of Ireland, “has caused deep hurt and tangible damage to gay and lesbian people” over the centuries.

The Rev. Dr Colton, the Church of Ireland’s Bishop for Cork, Cloyne and Ross, was Guest of Honour at this year’s Cork LGBT Awareness Week, where he spoke eloquently at its launch at Cork City Hall about the diversity of views within the church towards LGBT issues, and the graciousness of being invited to speak at such an event.

“Not gracious in the sense of courteous and kind,” Dr Colton explained, “but more in the religious sense of grace – your invitation to me is undeserved; it is an unmerited favour.”

“It is gracious because, whatever about my personal views and solidarity as an individual to gay and lesbian people, it is undeniable that I am part of a 64 EILE Magazine

religion, and indeed institution, that all too often, over the centuries, has caused deep hurt and tangible damage to gay and lesbian people.”

The Bishop of Cork, who has long been a supporter of the LGBT community, also said that there was a diversity within Christian churches when it came to LGBT issues, as well as noting that there is a diversity within the LGBT community in terms of religious belief. “[It] is very fundamental to underscore the diversity of humanity among LGBT people,” Dr Colton added, “some are religious: others are not. Some wrestle with the things of faith: others do not. Equally, although it does not always seem so to the outsider hearing official church pronouncements, there is diversity of outlook within churches on LGBT issues.”

The Bishop also encouraged those LGBT people who are religious to become actively involved with

the ongoing debate on LGBT issues in churches in Ireland, both Protestant and Catholic. Dr. Colton also asked LGBT people “not to give up on religion and religious institutions”.

“It is essential that your voices and experiences are heard and listened to.

More important, it is vital that you do not let people drive you away. The loving welcome and inclusion of you is not theirs to take away: that love, that inclusion, that welcome, that belonging are God’s gift – God’s grace – offered to you as much as to anyone else.”

The rainbow flag was also raised over Cork City Hall at the same event at which the Rev. Dr Colton spoke, a gift from Cork’s twin city of San Francisco.

Rev. Paul Colton’s speech can be read in full here. (eile.ie / 14 May)

USA | Idaho

US: Idaho Governor Is Denied Stay on Gay Marriage Ruling Idaho’s Governor, C.L. ‘Butch’ Otter, a Republican, has been denied a stay on the ruling that Idaho’s gay marriage ban is unconstitutional, by the federal judge who struck it down. Chief Magistrate Judge Candy Wagahoff Dale ruled that the ban was unconstitutional, as it violates couples’ equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.

The governor of Idaho, who yesterday sought a stay on the ruling while the decision is

appealed, said the ruling was ‘regrettable’, and has stated that he will petition a higher court in an attempt to keep the equal marriage ban in place.

In a press release dated 13th, in a reaction to the decision, Otter stated: “In 2006, the people of Idaho exercised their fundamental right, reaffirming that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. Today’s decision, while disappointing, is a small setback in a longterm battle that will end at the U.S. Supreme Court. I am firmly committed to upholding the will of the people and defending our Constitution.”

Judge Dale’s reasons for striking down the gay marriage ban were many, and included the statement: “Idaho’s Marriage Laws deny same-sex couples the economic, practical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of marriage, relegating each couple to a stigmatized, second-class status. Plaintiffs suffer these injuries not because they are unqualified to marry, start a family, or grow old together, but because of who they are and whom they love.”

MKB/Eile (May 15)

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Ukraine | Human Rights

UN Human Rights Monitors Find LGBT Targeted By Both Sides In Ukraine Conflict, AIDS/HIV Also Affected A recent report, dated 15th May, from the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine [HRMMU] watching the situation of minorities including LGBT people, stated that LGBT people were being targeted by both sides in the conflict.

The report states: “87. The [HRMMU] has received credible reports of ongoing reports of hate speech, harassment and hatemotivated violent attacks against LGBT persons, including organised attacks by groups specifically targeting LGBT persons, and limited investigations into such attacks by law enforcement officials or remedy for victims.

The issue of the protection of the rights of LGBT persons has repeatedly been misrepresented and used in a derogatory manner by political actors to discredit opponents.

The LGBT community is concerned that the political programmes of the two rightwing parties – Svoboda and

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Right Sector (leaders of both are running for the Presidency) – clearly state combating homosexuality as one of their goals.

Reportedly, the Communist Party of Ukraine has also made negative statements regarding sexual orientation.

The LGBT community in Kharkiv informed the HRMMU that they have been receiving threats from both radical rightwing groups and pro-Russian movements. Both sides are quite similar in their negative attitude towards LGBT and their use of hate speech”.

And in Crimea, the HRMMU has reported that enforced Russian policies have seen HIV/AIDS sufferers in the country badly affected: “124. As the legislation of the Russian Federation is being enforced on the territory of Crimea, at variance with the UN General Assembly resolution 68/262, this is creating difficulties for Crimean residents, as there are many differences with Ukrainian laws. One

particular example concerns the treatment now available to HIV/AIDS patients in Crimea. In Ukraine, people who use drugs have access to opioid substitution therapy (OST) as an integral part of the widespread implementation of harm reduction programmes.

These programmes are an essential element in controlling HIV/AIDS and other infectious disease among injecting drug users in Ukraine, as elsewhere in Eastern Europe. In 2013, the Ukrainian State Service for drug control reported that approximately 8,000 people in Crimea were infected with HIV/AIDS. As of 1 March, there were 806 people using OST in Crimea; as of 6 May, the OST programmes in Crimea stopped. The majority of former OST patients now face deterioration in their health condition due to the fact that this treatment has been curtailed. This raises serious concerns for HIV/ AIDS patients in particular, questioning how they may now access and gain quality healthcare treatment”.

MKB/Eile – May 23, 2014

Sports | Northern Ireland

Northern Irish Football Team Cliftonville in Solidarity with LGBT Fans The Northern Irish football club, Cliftonville, has recently made history in the region’s sporting history by supporting their LGBT fans.

In reaction to the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont voting against introducing equal marriage to the region, which would have brought it into line with the rest of the UK, the rainbow flag has been flown during all Cliftonville games, in support of the football club’s LGBT fans and to highlight homophobia both inside and outside of the sporting world.

Pedro Donald, a gay Cliftonville fan based in south Belfast, told The Guardian‘s Henry McDonald that the club’s decision to fly the rainbow flag showed that “people are being more forward thinking, being more

21st century, being more current,” which Donald felt was needed in football across Britain and Ireland.

“It used to be said in English football that it was more ‘men only’ even than the British Army,” Mr Donald said, “so Cliftonville have led the way and that is great. When I saw the flag I was surprised because it looks out of place at the stadium. But I think most people don’t bat an eyelid it’s there, which is great”.

“It has sent a signal to the gay community that [they] are welcome here.”

Fellow fan, Bryan Smyth, added that the idea came about after the news of Stormont’s decision on equal marriage broke, and he and his fellow fans were angry at the result.

wider society, some may be struggling to come to terms with their sexuality and being safely able to open up, it is seen as a visual symbol of support to our friends in the LGBT community”. (eile.ie / May 7)

“

It has sent a signal to the gay community that [they] are welcome here.

”

“Lots of young men attend Irish league games,” Smyth said, “no doubt just like EILE Magazine 67

Justin Utley

EILE Magazine