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Welcome, dear reader, to the Pride edition of GCN!

It always feels amazing putting together our biggest issue of the year, and it’s no different in 2023. Expect to hear from a wealth of voices that exist within our community, as well as those of our allies, covering everything you need and want to know ahead of what promises to be a busy Pride season across the island.

This year may be your very first Pride, or you may be a Pride stalwart, but the season is always special. It’s a time for us to come together, to celebrate, and to remember. It’s a time to meet up with friends and family – some of whom we may not have seen since this time last year (or perhaps even longer – thanks Covid!). We get together to protest, dance, march, party and, most importantly, support.

If this is going to be your first Pride, have a ball! It might seem daunting, but we’ve all been in that place where we had to make the first step into a queer bar, event, or Pride parade. You might have just made Ireland your home or very recently come out. There’s no better time to make new friends, find your tribe and learn about the support and kinship the LGBTQ+ community can offer.

No matter where you are located, there are upcoming Pride events in almost every county, city, town and village. This year is an extra special one as we mark a year of queer milestones - 50 years of LGBTQ+ activism in Ireland, the 40th anniversary of the march to Fairview Park in Dublin, the 35th birthday of GCN, and 30 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland.

Despite those historic and momentous anniversaries marking leaps forward, for many, 2023 has been a tough one. We thought, as a nation, we had made great strides towards equality with the Marriage Equality and Repeal the Eighth referenda, but we are all very aware of the recent increases in physical and online attacks against our community.

The rise in bullying, hate speech, fear mongering, and downright lies about broad sections of our queer family has been apparent. There has been a concerted effort by a minority to sow seeds of disinformation against us - from the recent library protests and drag performance protests, to the unrelenting targeting of our trans siblings.

With all of that in mind, this issue of GCN is one built on solidarity within our community. That powerful cover photo of the inspirational Giulia Valentino taken by the amazing Hazel Coonagh is part of a huge feature made in collaboration with the Rowan Trust. It centres people from communities targeted by the far right, or folk working in groups that combat the same. It is a call for solidarity, for allyship, and it proves that united, we are unbeatable.

We’ve faced hardships in the past, and we overcame the hatred by sticking together, watching out for one another, and supporting the many strands that make up the fabric of our diverse LGBTQ+ tribe.

This Pride, remember how far we’ve come, celebrate it, but also don’t let that progress slip back. Whether you celebrate in the middle of a crowd or during a quiet personal moment, you are not alone. We are connected. Reach out for help, someone will answer. This Pride season, be a Proud Warrior.

Now! Dive into this bumper issue of GCN, we’ve got a glittering ton of quality queer content for your information, education and entertainment. Thank you, as always, for reading.

Much love and wishing you a happy, safe and fabulous Pride, 2023.

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The George
WWW.THEGEORGE.IE
From the Team
Welcome, dear reader, to the Pride edition of GCN!
The Galas Awards
Happy Pride from all of us on the NXF board! We hope that everyone has a joyful and safe Pride month.
Man2Man
Man2Man.ie
NXF at Dublin Pride 2023: A Year of Significance
The National LGBT Federation (NXF) is looking forward to once again participating in the Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride celebrations.
Inside SLM
Ireland’s first Sexual Liberation Movement started in the final months of 1973. As part of a new series, Ethan Moser interviews the people behind the SLM.
Man2Man
Man2Man.ie
Aiteach agus Gaelach
AerachAiteachGaelach (AAG) is a queer arts collective which operates through Irish. Ciara Ní É explains the similarities between Pride in our language and in our identities.
Disney
www.ifco.ie
Back to Our Roots
‘Pride is a Protest!’ isn’t just a sentence that’s printed on tote bags. As Swantje Mohrbeck describes, it’s a sentence to remind everyone that Pride is more than just the big happy party it sometimes appears to be.
Man2Man
Man2Man.ie
Preserving Our Stories
With the exciting upcoming digital launch of GCN’s archive - sharing our LGBTQ+ history with the public for the first time - Stefano Pappalardo describes his own journey alongside that project.
The Revival of Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre
“Following extensive consultations with our communities and stakeholders over six months in late 2022 and early ‘23, it is with great excitement I am sharing our new five-year plan for Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre,” says Oisín O’Reilly (he/him), CEO of Outhouse.
Dublin Pride
Pridehub.ie
A Liberating Party
As we mark the 40th anniversary of the Dublin Pride Parade and the 30th anniversary of decriminalisation, Tonie Walsh traces the evolution of Ireland’s largest and oldest LGBTQ+ Pride festival.
Man2Man Pep
Man2Man.ie
Better Out Than In
DublOUT is a stunning new photography exhibition by Dean O’Sullivan seeking to connect the LGBTQ+ community through our shared experiences. Dean kindly shared a taster of what to expect and explained why this was a project that needed to be made.
LGBTIreland
SuperValu
A Growing Legacy
In 2023, Belong To, the organisation supporting LGBTQ+ youth, leaves its teen years and turns 20. Iarf hlaith O’Connell celebrates the impact it has had on Irish society and shares their own experience with an iconic and beloved institution.
13 Years of Mother
The year was 2010, the last vestige of time in which, when the beat dropped in the club, there would be thousands of hands in the air simultaneously cutting through the laser lights instead of holding up little glowing bars to film it. It was the year Mother launched.
Uncharted
Back in the distant 2015, sub-prime lender AmigoLoans commissioned a study about the most important milestones people hope to achieve in life and at what age they expect to do so. Beatrice Fanucci noticed a marked difference between what are considered ‘big life moments’ for the queer community and our straight counterparts.
Sinn Fein
GCN
gcn.ie/become-gcn-supporter
Absolut
drinkaware.ie
Mother X Absolut
drinkaware.ie
Pride Body
There is never a good year to be fat, but even by the usual standards of societal fatphobia, 2023 has really taken the proverbial cake right out of our chubby hands with a healthy dose of fat-shaming “for our own good,” shares James O’Hagan.
Ireland's Decade of Hate
With its warm and welcoming culture, Ireland has long been seen as a beacon of tolerance and acceptance. Recent years, however, have been marked by a troubling rise in violent, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Charlie Hayward asks where it all went wrong.
Nassau STI Clinic
No Place Like Home
Fun Home, an acclaimed musical adaptation of the iconic graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, debuts shortly at Dublin’s Gate Theatre. Letícia Barbosa gets the lowdown from the creative team behind a riveting true story of coming out and long-hidden family secrets. Photo by Ros Kavanagh.
Heineken
drinkaware.ie
Rainbow Connection
Coming on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, The All Island LGBTQIA+ Forum was launched to improve north-south cooperation between Irish organisations. Keev Ní Bhaoill gets the lowdown from those involved on what is promising to be an inspiring team-up.
LGBTAAIreland
www.lgbtaaireland.com
Man2Man/LINC
Man2Man.ie
Outhouse
www.outhouse.ie
Success in Solidarity
Pride resonates with the echoes of our defiant history. It draws inspiration from the queer warriors that fought for our liberation. Their courage is a thread that weaves through the fabric of every Pride flag, reminding us that we too can ignite change.
The Galas
Galas.ie
Five Rivers Fostering
www.fiveriversfostering.ie
Outhouse Cafe
www.outhouse.ie
Maremoto
www.maremoto.studio
Outhouse
www.outhouse.ie
Gloria
More Than One Direction
On June 28, 2010, a 16 year-old boy from Mullingar walked onto the infamous X Factor stage in the hopes of landing his big break. When asked by Louis Walsh why he was auditioning, he said, “I’m here to be the best artist I can be”. Elliott Salmon shares how that is exactly what Niall Horan has done.
Piglet Wine Bar
www.facebook.com/pigletWinebar
GCN Shop
shop.gcn.ie
Steps to a Better Sex Life
We’re lucky to be part of a community where we are able to be more open about our sex and our sex lives than most of the population. Our sexual desires and preferences, after all, are largely what we have in common. Chris Rooke shares news of We-Consent - an important new campaign ensuring we have the best sex lives possible.
Queer Shelter
An adequate standard of living has become even more unattainable for many people across Ireland due to the ongoing housing crisis. Oisín Kenny explores the ways in which a growing lack of affordable housing harms the LGBTQ+ community by continuously restricting their access to vital support services, secure spaces, and each other.
WHITE CLAW
drinkaware.ie
Coverage of Decriminalisation
June 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of what is commonly referred to as ‘Decriminalisation’; essentially, the passing of the Sexual Offences Bill 1993. Han Tiernan looks back at the progression of the movement and how it was covered in the pages of GCN -Ireland’s national queer press.
Origins
www.originsfostercare.ie
Pride Vibes Radio
pridevibes.ie
Fighting Stigma One Test at a Time
Extraordinary community heroes are the backbone of MPOWER’s work. Brídín Ní Fhearraigh-Joyce speaks to the dedicated and understanding volunteers providing rapid HIV testing in LGBTQ+ spaces and hears why they do what they do.
Man2Man
Man2Man.ie
Man2Man Shigella
Man2Man.ie
Pride for All?
With the community about to come together for Pride celebrations across the country, Vic Kelly-Victor shares how accessibility to Pride shouldn’t be something special and what needs to be done to ensure inclusion for all.
Don't Ask - Don't Tell
While many may think that teachers in our country don’t face discrimination because of their identity, Primary Education Officer at Education Equality, Simon Lewis shares the reality of LGBTQ+ inclusivity in Irish primary schools.
The Greens
Fianna Fáil
INMO
www.inmo.ie
Broadlake
Social Democrats
Sinn Féin
Squirt
www.squirt.org
Man2Man
Man2Man.ie
Odyssey
www.odysseysocialcare.com
Best Mens Wear
Stand Together
35 years down the line, the Ireland I came out in now seems like an alien planet. It was a fiercely hostile place for women: the Eighth Amendment had just been inserted into the Constitution.
Fun Home
www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Mother Block Party
Fostering with Tusla: Our Journey
“It was worth going through all those hoops to be able to offer someone a safe and loving home.”
#United With Pride
A specially designed wrap for the BMW iX1 will take up residency at Dublin’s leading LGBTQ+ Party, during Dublin Pride this June.
Directory
Listings, organisations, supports
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