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FROM THE TEAM
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Welcome, dear reader, to the March edition of GCN. Now, at the very moment we are producing this gorgeous issue for you all, we are celebrating a wonderful milestone- our 34th year in Irish queer publishing. On February 10, 1988, we hit the streets as an eight-page newspaper that would go on to become the paper of record for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community. While many changes have taken place since that time, we still strive to educate, entertain, inform and connect our wonderful queer family, and we have no intention of going anywhere!
With that in mind, let’s chat about all the fantastic content coming your way in these very pages. You can expect a ton of content on the incredible Lesbian Lives Conference due to take place in Cork this March, including a trip down memory lane to where it all began alongside wonderful interviews with keynote speaker Susan Stryker and poet Julie Goo.
Members of Out in Kink fill us in on all we need to know about the world of kink, including advice on how you can get involved with their group. Filmmakers Shaun Dunne and Anna Rodgers dropped by to chat about How To Tell A Secret -their new film about disclosing your HIV status. We have a spicy and hilarious piece about the differences between porn and reality, as well as a chat with Paddy Smyth from the new inclusive clothing brand, Human Collective.
We talk to community members navigating the dating scene as neurodivergent people, while drag pioneer Dr Count Evil takes us on a trip to the wild side.
By now you’ll have seen the powerful image on the cover of this issue, a mural by the supremely talented artist Emmalene Blake. It confronts the harsh reality of the rise in Gender Based Violence in Ireland and the frustration of all women at the fact that to merely exist in this country is to struggle against a patriarchal system. The cover is a visual representation of the amazing activism happening on the island to tackle this serious issue and we have a vital series of interviews with marginalised members of our community who voice their own concerns over a system where those who are meant to protect are also sometimes a source of danger themselves. While suggestions are offered, all agree that this issue isn’t going to be solved anytime soon when structures have been in place for centuries that place the rights of women on a level of lower importance.
The theme of this year’s Lesbian Lives Conference is ‘Solidarity’, and while it might seem like a simple word it is anything but. Our communities must stand united in order to stand strong. Nothing can be achieved if we continue to ‘other’ or marginalise members of our family. It won’t be an easy fix, but it’s a beginning.
Much love ,