MARTIN M

The remake of mean girls made me think back 20 years to the original movie when I had just entered my teens and started acting. I always thought I was fatter that everyone else. The truth is due to my industry most people where over 6 foot and I was 5 foot 10 Inches so their height made them look visually slimmer and I created a narrative in my head that didn’t exist. I was smoking 20 cigarettes a day, drinking and partying every night and living off iced coffees during the day. On top of this I was going to auditions regularly and thinking that I wasn’t good enough to get the roles. I auditioned for the role in Cherrybomb that went to Rupert Grint and the role in Twilight that went to Cameron Bright. The truth is these I was too good at talking myself in to spaces that weren’t right for me.

When the movie ended I decided to go round to Union Street to check out a couple of the bars and I observed people on the street who had drunk way too much and thought to myself I don’t connect with it anymore. In fact I don’t think I really ever did. I think I was spending my time in bars to try to escape pressures.

When Covid came round I was working in the hospital and gave up smoking as I was at a higher risk of coming into contact with Covid Patients. During this time I was saving money on cigarettes and alcohol and not socialising due to restrictions so I put on over a stone.

Next I started working on supporting the health and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community across Ireland putting on another stone through stress and lack of sleep and more launch parties and events.

March 3rd was the day that I realised that over the last 20 years I had developed lifestyles that suit others and benefit others when really I needed to be selfish and focus on myself. This was the day I quit Smoking and drinking for myself and no one else. However I have continued to put on weight since and being surrounded by LGBTQ+ Athletes can kind of make you feel low but truth is apart from one or two bad apples most of the LGBTQ+ Athletes I have met are lovely and supportive which is why I am now going to focus on weight loss by investing further in LGBTQ+ health and fitness.

I was 73kg when I was 27 and now June 2024 on my 33rd birthday I am 95.1kg. The average weight of a man in his 30s is 94.4kg so honestly I am not over worried and I have seen enough people at all sorts of weights to know that I have no interest in being skinny and unhappy. I just want to feel comfortable so my current aim is to get back to 82 KG over the next year at a target of 1 or 2 kg a month. Some might feel that’s not very much weight loss but I don’t have any shame in my weight or my body. Its pride month and people try to put shame on the LGBTQ+ community enough so I won’t accept shame. I am proud of my weight, it’s a reflection of what I have survived. I am proud to not be smoking and I am proud to not be drinking. I am proud to be announced as one of Belfast Lives 35 inspiring people under 35 for my community work across Ireland.

LET’S GET VISIBLE 2024!!!

This summer we want to see as many of you out and active as possible working on your mental and physical health, not only for your own benefit but the more people we get active, the more members of the community we reach and we really want to reach out to members of the community who are more rural are older to show that inclusive sports are for everybody. We kicked off Pride Month in Dublin with LGBTQ+ Softball and Ulster’s newest LGBTQ+ team “Queens of The North” who won the entire tournament and unveiled their first kit in what I have to call the most successful launch of any LGBTQ+ Sports team in Ulster if not UK and Ireland.

The softball was followed up by Sporting Prides inclusive women’s sports day on June 8th followed by their inclusive men’s sports day on June 15th with support from Ireland Lacrosse, Dublin Frontrunners, Emerald Warriors, Conscious Connections and Studioten photography. I decided to focus on Dublin sports days this year and give Belfast a break as we prepare to take Ulster’s LGBTQ+ Sports teams into their new era with support from Belfast’s first LGBTQ+ Lord Mayor, the Right Honourable Micky Murray who I had the pleasure of chatting to alongside representatives from the leading LGBTQ+ organisations.

What I am most excited about is our inclusive rounder’s recruitment day taking place at 7pm on June 25th 2024. For more information contact LGBTQ+ Inclusive Rounder’s on Instagram or myself on martin.murray@sportingpride.ie We look forward to Dublin Pride where we will be joined for the first time by some of Belfast Azlans and then meeting with representatives and stakeholders from Belfast LGBTQ+ Sports organisations on July 13th to workshop through the future of LGBTQ+ Inclusive sports in Belfast. I look forward to updating you all on what I get up to throughout Belfast Pride.