Smalltown Boy

FROM THE TEAM
Welcome, dear reader, to the December edition of

Dear Ireland: A Sincere Goodbye
Just one year ago many of you first

RELEASING YOUR TRUE SELF
If seven years ago someone had told Grace Bradshaw she would be writing an article for GCN she would never have believed it

WHEN SHAME PERMEATES A SEXUAL COMING OF AGE
Sexual shame is a beast of its own, describes Roni Deckard. It can manifest in a feeling of disgust at permitting our hand to invoke the mountainous pleasure our bodies are capable of. It can exist as a fear of deleted search histories or unspoken decisions not to mention what went down the previous night

Beyond Proud
Last month’s GCN cover star and participant in Gay Project’s Proud AF campaign, Pradeep Mahadeshwar talks about the impact of taking part and the realities of racism in Ireland

How Do I Look? Dating & Disability
My name is Adrian Colwell. I’m 33, an arts administrator and I live in Dublin. I run the life drawing class Drag and Draw and have an intense fear of mice. I have a disability. I watch A LOT of Frasier and am a big fan of Monica Lewinsky

WILDE ABOUT PRIDE
29 November - 11 December Winter Pride Hub

Smalltown Boy
Growing up queer in Kerry, designer Colin Horgan couldn’t have predicted his designs would be worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa and Little Mix, and go on to grace catwalks galore. Sharing some incredible looks from his new collection, Colin sat down with Alannah Murray to talk about his rural upbringing, the alter-ego inspiration for his fashion, and his advice for the next generation of queer talent

Regimented Discrimination
In 2017, President Donald Trump placed a ban on Transgender individuals serving in the US military and the whole world was in uproar at the controversial move. However, two years earlier, in 2015, an Irish Trans man suffered the same discrimination on our turf. He tells his story to Saoirse Schad

LIVING WITH
To commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1, but more importantly, to give visibility to and celebrate the diversity of People Living With HIV in this country, GCN have teamed up with HIV Ireland for a very special exhibition - Living

QUEER JOY
Growing up, Ethan Moser looked for solace and affirmation of identity through the LGBTQ+ characters in popular entertainment, but found so many of the depictions of queer lives were rooted in suffering and trauma. A change was long overdue

GCNnewvoices
We partnered with the inspiring BeLonG To Youth Services to platform the thoughts and opinions of some amazing young LGBTQ+ writers from across the country. Artist Clare Foley created beautiful bespoke artworks, illustrating each article and giving the series its own visual identity

Coming Home
Filling dancefloors and bringing people together with music for years, Elaine Mai has taken the next step by recently releasing her debut album, Home. In the middle of a wave of ecstatic reactions, Elaine spoke to Peter Dunne about making music during lockdown and the long awaited return to live shows.

GOOD VIBES
In light of this year’s World AIDS Day, Veda Lady and Robbie Lawlor shared with Keeva Boyle Darby their experiences as HIV activists, and their latest venture-the PozVibe Podcast

HIGHLIGHTING IRISH LGBTQ+ CREATIVES
I started making rugs during the first lockdown.