FROM THE TEAM
Welcome, dear reader, to our most special and beloved issue of the magazine - our annual Pride Edition.

TEAM GCN
It’s the Pride Issue, so this month we’ve asked what does Pride mean to you and why?

NXF: Dublin Pride Annual Political Debate - State Of The LGBT+ Nation 2019
The Dublin Pride Annual Political Debate, chaired by this author on behalf of the National LGBT Federation, returns

In Memory of Sylva Tukul
On June 4, the LGBT+ community as well as residents of Direct Provision centres across the country were shocked by the news that Sylva Tukula, who passed away last August, was buried quietly in a graveyard in Galway without her loved ones being informed.

PRIDE ROUND UP!
With the theme Rainbow Revolution, Dublin Pride celebrations will kick off by the time of publication, but lets look at some of the amazing events due to take over the city for the duration of the Festival

FRONT MAN
Following the fitting announcement that the tireless LGBT+ rights activist and beloved artist Will St Leger will be the Grand Marshall at this year’s Dublin Pride, he told Peter Dunne of his love for his community and his determination to share the U=U message

Culture Club
Nostalgia is big money. Hence the never ending stream of reunions, reboots and remakes. We are inundated with options in the entertainment world and an established name will always catch our eye. And yet, in 2019, the return of the Spice Girls was a pop culture event worth getting excited about

ACT UP Dublin Irish AIDS Day
ACT UP Dublin released the following statement to coincide with Irish AIDS day on June 15

prideicons
Inspired by the theme of this year’s Dublin Pride - Rainbow Revolution - we highlight some of the Irish LGBT+ activists, trailblazers and revolutionaries who made our queer community what it is today

POSITIVE VOICES
Thomas Strong is a member of ACT UP Dublin and a lecturer in Anthropology at Maynooth University. As a person living with HIV, he knows about the dangers of stigma and the need for U=U to be shared. Interview by Peter Dunne

3 Dollar Bill
New York City is known as probably one of the queerest cities in the world - it’s the city where the Stonewall riots took place, aſt er all. But what might surprise you about the Big Apple’s queer scene is that the biggest LGBT+ bar in the city is owned and run by a woman from County Kerry. Brian Dillon caught up with Brenda Breathnach to hear all about it

POWER CUT
A trip to the barbershop is, for many people, a simple functional exchange that we take for granted. But, as Chris O’Donnell writes, for many trans and non-binary people and others across the queer spectrum, it can be an occasion of real distress and danger

Pride in the Family
In honour of Pride month, David Monaghan meets LGBT+ people who have LGBT+ siblings to see how their experiences correlate with the expected narratives of growing up LGBT+. Photos provided by the fabulous families

the artist speaks
During April, the drag collective Glitter HOLE made national news when their Drag Story Time event for children was cancelled by DLR Libraries following a flood of homophobic comments. Here, their founder Beth Hayden talks art and inspiration with fellow artist Brian Teeling who also captured all the fab photos

Cover to Cover
As part of Pride celebrations, we wanted to give the LGBT+ community the opportunity to have their art featured on the cover of GCN’s biggest issue of the year. We held an art competition inviting creators to respond to the theme of Pride and what it meant to them

Mapping Pride
Pride is many things to diff erent people. It is at once a political protest at unfinished business… a streetrave...a family day out...a chance to catch up with friends (and even ex-lovers). It is a necessary corrective to oſt en drab street life and pervasive heteronormativity

Why Pride?
With Dublin Pride on its way, some of the amazing team behind this year’s Festival look back on their own first Pride memories and explain why the event is just as important today as it ever was

Pride isn’t just a celebration, it’s a lifeline — it’s a message that says that you’re not alone
Youth Work Ireland recognises, for LGBT+ young people in rural areas, a connection to your queer family is not just important, it’s essential. For that reason, they have organised #GiveTheGiſtofPride -an initiative to bring young people from rural areas to Dublin Pride so they can take part in that special day. Some of the amazing young folk involved shared their stories with Peter Dunne

going back to the roots
This Pride season, Dublin will play host to Trans Pride for the second time. Isidora Durán Stewart speaks to two of its organisers about the reasons for its creation and their aims for its future

Deciding To Start A Family With Fertility Treatment
Starting a family is a really big milestone, and it’s essential to have a supportive team. We have helped hundreds of women and couples become parents with the use of donor sperm at Waterstone Clinic

A Beginning
The roots of Pride are in protest. Here Jade Wilson remembers her own beginnings in activism and protest – canvassing to Repeal the Eighth Amendment

FOUL FILTHY STINKING MUCK
Over its 50+ year history, Project Arts Centre has proven to be a worthy ally in the fight for LGBT+ liberation.Today, it continues to use its platform as an artist-led organisation to give the community a voice by hosting events and presenting queer performance in a way that no other theatre or arts centre in the country has. Hannah Tiernan elaborates. Images courtesy of the National Library Of Ireland

My Pageant Fantasy
Being crowned Mr Gay Ireland and going on to represent our country in Mr Gay World, it’s been a whirlwind adventure for Guilherme Souza. He shares his adventure with GCN

Days of Our Lives
Planning an important life event, such as a Wedding Ceremony, a Wedding Blessing, Vow Renewals, Naming Ceremony (to welcome your new arrival) or a Celebration of Life Ceremony (Funeral) to celebrate the life of a loved one, requires dedicated professionals who understand your needs

Stonewall Before & After
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Dublin Pride Grand Marshal Will St Leger hears from fellow activist Bruce Coleman about growing up as a closeted gay man in America and the impact the uprising had on him

Community of Interests
As all you avid readers already know, the C in GCN stands for community. In a trojan piece of work, Samantha McCaffrey contacted every location where our magazine is delivered, speaking to the myriad voices who make up our LGBT+ family and its allies. Here, those diverse groups share their stories, highlighting the array of people and places GCN reaches

who? what? when? where? why?
GCN is not just a magazine. We are a conversation. We are a siren. We are a call out. We are a message around the island. Samantha McCaffrey speaks to the community. Images by Neave Alouf

gen
Visual representations of the distribution of GCN through the country.

The Community Foundation for Ireland
The Community Foundation for Ireland has been providing grants since

Samaritans at Dublin Pride
Samaritan volunteers from across Ireland are getting festival ready as

Our Stories On Screen
Fans of queer cinema should check out the Galway Film

Making An Exhibition
Be sure to get yourself down to The Red Room

LGBT AA Pride Meet
We all love Pride and the vast array of fun

Sports News
On Sunday July 7, (the middle Sunday of Wimbledon) Stratford

Try with Pride
On June 8 and 9, hundreds of rugby fans and supporters took over DCU as part of the Union Cup 2019 - Europe’s biggest LGBT+ rugby tournament. Emily Glen met with the renowned referee Nigel Owens and discussed being LGBT+ in sport

Activists Reunited
On June 5, the IGRM (Irish Gay Rights Movement) met in a Dublin Pub for their 45 year anniversary reunion. Co-founder of the group, Clem Clancy, shared the story of their beginnings in 1974 and their battle for gay rights. Photo by Kieron Gillen