Event of the Year

Award Recipient

Different Families, Same Love

The recipient of this year’s category was Different Families - Same Love. Run by the INTO LGBT+ Teacher’s Union, the event took the form of a competition which challenged primary school teachers to be more inclusive and to confront homophobic and transphobic bullying. Competition entries included paintings, poems, plays and stories, with the overall winner a class from Hansfield Educate Together who created their dream Pride.

This ceremony marked the competition’s third successful year, and they have been honoured by the GALAS for their innovative and fun activism for children. The group were delighted to win the award, thanking INTO for all their support, and stating in their speech: “We want to support the teachers in primary schools, and we want to support the pupils as well.”

Nominees

Belfast Pride 2019

“Rights Now”, from the quote by US transgender activist Marsha P Johnson, was the theme for the 2019 Belfast Pride. The event was dedicated to the memory of journalist Lyra McKee, and focused on highlighting important issues for the community while also celebrating how far the community has come together.

The ten-day festival included events which focused on everything from theatre and sexual health clinics to craft workshops, and even included a family fun day. It culminated in a joyful parade on Pride Day, August 3. A resounding success: the festival was held shortly after the Westminster legislation passed, which lifted the ban on same-sex marriage and reproductive rights, giving the community an extra reason to celebrate and marking a landmark year in Northern Irish history.

Call It Out Campaign Event

Call It Out, which was an initiative of Transgender Equality Network Ireland and Hate and Hostility Research Group, aimed to target hate crimes and homophobic language among the general population. It worked mostly as a digital campaign, with YouTube videos and the Call It Out website providing information on how to recognise and report a homophobic, transphobic or biphobic crime. The campaign was launched in UL on May 20, 2019, by transgender Fair City actor Jack Murphy, Ellen Murray of TENI, former Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh, and television presenter Brendan Courtney. The campaign featured a study carried out by Hate and Hostility Research Group, and a short film by filmmaker Kate Dolan. At the live event held as part of the campaign, Ellen Murray asked both LGBT+ people and allies to challenge instances of homophobia in their everyday lives: “To the general public, we ask that you call out homophobia, biphobia and transphobia when you encounter them. To our LGBT+ community, we ask that you share your experiences with people you trust. Talk about it to find support.”

Dublin Pride 2019

Pride returned to the streets of Dublin for the 37th year running with the theme ‘Rainbow Revolution’. Aiming to commemorate the 50th year since the Stonewall uprising, the festival honoured the wide variety of progress made all across the community. With the Parade returning to O’Connell St in the heart of the city, it ended as usual in Merrion Square’s Pride Village. The city was an explosion of music, dancing and colour with the community and its allies celebrating another year of being under the rainbow banner.