3 mins
FROM THE TEAM
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Welcome, dear reader, to the August/September edition of GCN, as we celebrate queer creativity. That glorious cover photo by the superbly talented Steven Peice, which captures creators of incredible LGBTQ+ shows in Dublin Fringe Festival, stands as testament to the ability of our community to make lasting art.
Ireland has always punched above its weight in the creative fields and it is so heartening that, in a time of continued repression of queer rights and the rise in hate speech and actions, artists have continued to flourish, inspire and empower. The Fringe is a perfect platform for radical ideas, experimentation and plain old fun. With that in mind, a feature inside sees the aforementioned creatives fill us in on what to expect. Race you to the box office.
Elsewhere in the magazine, we’ve been in the grip of World Cup fever as the Irish Women’s Team captured the nation’s hearts and carried them to the lands down under. However, while there have been some trails blazed along the way, the incredible story of Jackie McCarthy O’Brien shows how queer Irish athletes have been overcoming the odds for many years.
Iconic on Ireland’s kink scene, Geared celebrates its 10th anniversary and our intrepid reporter doubled up by taking some truly punk photos of attendees at their big Pride celebration.
Speaking of Pride, ever wondered if those organisations and businesses are true allies or merely capitalising on the Pink Euro during rainbow month? A confrontational piece inside asks the big questions.
Following an article we proudly published in our last issue discussing the lives of LGBTQ+ teachers in Irish schools, we turn now to look at the experiences of LGBTQ+ school children throughout the years, and wonder ‘has much changed for the better?’
Fancy a late-summer break? One brave reporter risked it all by looking at what Malta has to offer. Just kidding, she had a great time.
On a community level, we once again proudly platform and celebrate the thoughts, voices and viewpoints of our LGBTQ+ family through a series of thinkpieces.
There’s a terrific description of a continued journey of self-discovery and how it led to the writer coming out all over again. Folk from the aromantic and asexual communities share their own stories, dispelling myths and hopefully clearing up misconceptions along the way.
A young gay writer speaks charmingly about the power of finding like-minds in the world of reality TV fandom, while another piece looks at an instance of hate crime and chillingly describes that moment we have all likely experienced where a casually thrown out homophobic catcall on a night-time street has the potential to spin into violence.
GCN is always delighted to share the words and wisdom of community organisations going that extra mile to help us. Adam Shanley of the MPOWER program at HIV Ireland closes the issue by discussing the state of play for sexual health support in Ireland, while in our regular monthly column, we profile another founder of the Sexual Liberation Movement.
Now, back to art. From the Silence = Death design to the photos of Nan Goldin and the posters of the Guerilla Girls, art has always been a powerful form of activism. We remember one of Ireland’s greatest artists who used their platform to raise awareness for those who needed it. Shuhada’ Sadaqat, known professionally as Sinéad O’Connor, passed from this world on July 26. A true warrior and force of nature, O’Connor’s death has made a huge impact on us all. Her talent was unmatched and her spirit was a thing to be reckoned with. As is always the case, it is only after something is lost that many realise just how essential it was. A piece early in the magazine recognises O’Connor’s activism and shares imagery of the mural created in honour of her by Emmalene Blake. Rest in power, sister, there will never be another like you.
Thank you, as always, for reading.
Much love,