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In this edition
FROM THE TEAM
Welcome, dear reader, to the first issue of GCN for 2024.
Support GCN
GCN is a registered charity and has continuously operated on a not-for-profit basis.
A FLOURISHING OF QUEER HISTORIES?
The Institute of Historical Research in the University of London will host an online roundtable which will feature papers on Queer Irish History.
TINA KOLOS ORBAN
In memory of an inspiring activist, friend, and colleague.
Inside SLM
Over the course of the last year, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Ireland’s first Sexual Liberation Movement (SLM), Ethan Moser has been highlighting the movement’s founding members. Those involved have been profiled for the roles they played in moving Ireland towards LGBTQ+ equality.
EMIS2024
EMIS 2024 is the European Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men and trans people internet survey.
A Pocket Guide To Transitioning
The process of transitioning can be daunting, let alone finding the information on how to navigate it. As many know, most of the information is dispersed across multiple websites, forums, and resources, and can feel really overwhelming to source. Tiernan Arnup Egan shares info on a new pocket guide that will provide essential help.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SURVEY
This year, with the support of the Community Foundation of Ireland, we carried out a survey amongst our readership to get insights into what our community feels about aging and dying.
Royalty
When most people hear the word “drag ” one idea immediately comes to mind: a hyper glamorous drag queen sashaying across a stage with a huge wig and a tuck, but that’s only one genre of this incredibly artistic and genderbending world. Nicole Lee celebrates our amazing community of drag kings.
IN ON THE JOKE
Ireland is a nation of storytellers, and as everyone knows, the best stories are the funny ones. With that fact in mind, our queer community has been punching above its weight on the comedy scene for years. Sarah McKenna Barry caught up with some of the brightest mirth makers in the business to hear about their own journeys, and have some laughs in the process.
YES AND YES EVERY VOTE COUNTS
On March 8, the people of Ireland will be asked to vote on two referendums to change our constitution - the first refers to the definition of family under our constitution and the other concerns the role of women as caregivers in the home. If you’re anything like Ranae von Meding, perhaps these referendums have snuck up on you and you aren’t entirely sure what the changes might mean in practical terms were the referendums to pass.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
The upcoming referendum on March 8, 2024, will see a revision being proposed to Article 41.2, removing the outdated language in favour of a more progressive and equal definition of care. But how will this change the role of women in Irish society, and what impact, if any, will it have? Han Tiernan elaborates
Lovers & Other Strangers
While the release of a major film depicting and discussing queer lives is always an exciting event, there’s an extra thrill involved with Andrew Haigh’s excellent All of Us Strangers as it stars two of Ireland’s most exciting talents. Alice Linehan chatted with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal about their film, alongside the evolution of queer lives
GRIN & BEAR IT
With the upcoming 2024 Béar Féile, Ethan Moser takes a stroll through the woods of gay history and celebrates our beloved bears, before discovering all the festival has to offer.
STANDING UP TO THE FAR RIGHT
In recent times it has often felt like the shadow of far-right extremists has been looming over our communities. In Ireland, we can see it in the shocking riots that happened in Dublin late last year or the anti-LGBTQ+ library protests that have been going on. When we shift our gaze towards continental Europe and the wider world, it becomes obvious that there too the far-right is gaining ground. But, as Swantje Mohrbeck describes, everywhere where the far-right is advancing, there are also people standing up to defend our communities.
ASEXUAL & SEX POSITIVE
One of the main misconceptions about asexuality is that all asexual people want absolutely nothing to do with sex. While this is accurate for some asexual people, it couldn’t be further from the truth for many others. Beatrice Fanucci spoke to members of the community to get the facts.
Directory
Dublin & The East ACT UP Dublin Individuals
NO ONE SEES THEMSELVES IN US...
While the eyes of the world are fixed on the awful events currently taking place in Ukraine and in Palestine, there is another large-scale power struggle that is not nearly gaining as much attention. Beatrice Fanucci reports on the full-blown war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023, killing over 12,000 people and causing what the United Nations deemed the world’s largest human displacement crisis. This article contains distressing content.
PROTECT QUEER CULTURAL SPACES
Queer Spaces — Mother — Love Tempo The
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FROM THE TEAM

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Welcome, dear reader, to the first issue of GCN for 2024. Spring has sprung, the days are getting brighter and we enter a year full of new possibilities.

As the attention-grabbing cover designed by Dave Darcy suggests, in this issue we will spotlight the upcoming Irish referendums. On March 8, voters will have their say on two changes to the Constitution, one of which surrounds the definition of family, with the other concerning care and the role of women in the home. In these pages, you will find discussions on both, and we hope to see you at the polls very soon!

Sticking with politics, as June’s European elections edge closer, we look at the concerning rise of the far-right throughout the continent. With countries like Hungary, Italy and The Netherlands being ruled by conservative parties, one article considers the possibility of Ireland following suit and suggests how to prevent it.

Further afield, as the eyes of the world focus on the devastating events happening in both Palestine and Ukraine, to whom we send our solidarity, one war remains in the shadows. Since April 2023, over 12,000 people and counting have been killed in Sudan in what the UN has deemed the world’s largest human displacement crisis. While the entire nation’s population is in danger, women, girls and LGBTQ+ people are particularly vulnerable. We speak to Liberate Sudan to find out more. 

Another article amplifies the voices of members of the ace community, who debunk a huge misconception surrounding asexuality. While it is true that some asexual people want nothing to do with sex, this is not the case for others. We explore how it is possible to be both asexual and sex-positive, and the reasons why, outside of sexual attraction, a person may want to get physical.

Several other sub-groups of the LGBTQ+ community are platformed in this issue, including the drag kings taking the nation by storm and the fabulous folks at the helm of the the upcoming four-day Bear Féile. Additionally, as the state of the world can leave us feeling low, some of our favourite queer comedians prove why laughter is the best medicine.

We also speak to a couple of filmland’s hottest Irish hunks, Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal. As the pair promote their heart-wrenching new film, All of Us Strangers, they also discuss the evolution of queer lives, the importance of representation and the reality of falling romantically and platonically in love with colleagues.

As well as documenting the most pressing queer stories of today, we also travel back in time to continue our series profiling the founding members of Ireland’s Sexual Liberation Movement. In this issue, we celebrate Hugo McManus who was a trailblazer of LGBTQ+ rights and among the first openly gay people to appear in Irish media.

We also pay tribute to Tina Kolos Orban, who sadly passed away in early February. Tina was CEO of TENI (Trans Equality Network Ireland), and they were a tireless champion for trans rights and visibility both in Ireland and abroad. GCN extends our deepest condolences to our friends at TENI and all who knew Tina. Rest in Power.

As we bring this team letter to an end, we would like to send well wishes to all of our readers at a time when there is so much darkness in the world. Let us continue to raise our voices and fight against the inexcusable violence happening around the globe, and stand together in unity and solidarity.

Support GCN
GCN is a registered charity and has continuously operated on a not-for-profit basis.
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A FLOURISHING OF QUEER HISTORIES?
The Institute of Historical Research in the University of London will host an online roundtable which will feature papers on Queer Irish History.
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A FLOURISHING OF QUEER HISTORIES?
The Institute of Historical Research in the University of London will host an online roundtable which will feature papers on Queer Irish History.
Go to Next Article >
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FROM THE TEAM
Welcome, dear reader, to the first issue of GCN for 2024.
Support GCN
GCN is a registered charity and has continuously operated on a not-for-profit basis.
A FLOURISHING OF QUEER HISTORIES?
The Institute of Historical Research in the University of London will host an online roundtable which will feature papers on Queer Irish History.
TINA KOLOS ORBAN
In memory of an inspiring activist, friend, and colleague.
Inside SLM
Over the course of the last year, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of Ireland’s first Sexual Liberation Movement (SLM), Ethan Moser has been highlighting the movement’s founding members. Those involved have been profiled for the roles they played in moving Ireland towards LGBTQ+ equality.
EMIS2024
EMIS 2024 is the European Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men and trans people internet survey.
A Pocket Guide To Transitioning
The process of transitioning can be daunting, let alone finding the information on how to navigate it. As many know, most of the information is dispersed across multiple websites, forums, and resources, and can feel really overwhelming to source. Tiernan Arnup Egan shares info on a new pocket guide that will provide essential help.
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION SURVEY
This year, with the support of the Community Foundation of Ireland, we carried out a survey amongst our readership to get insights into what our community feels about aging and dying.
Royalty
When most people hear the word “drag ” one idea immediately comes to mind: a hyper glamorous drag queen sashaying across a stage with a huge wig and a tuck, but that’s only one genre of this incredibly artistic and genderbending world. Nicole Lee celebrates our amazing community of drag kings.
IN ON THE JOKE
Ireland is a nation of storytellers, and as everyone knows, the best stories are the funny ones. With that fact in mind, our queer community has been punching above its weight on the comedy scene for years. Sarah McKenna Barry caught up with some of the brightest mirth makers in the business to hear about their own journeys, and have some laughs in the process.
YES AND YES EVERY VOTE COUNTS
On March 8, the people of Ireland will be asked to vote on two referendums to change our constitution - the first refers to the definition of family under our constitution and the other concerns the role of women as caregivers in the home. If you’re anything like Ranae von Meding, perhaps these referendums have snuck up on you and you aren’t entirely sure what the changes might mean in practical terms were the referendums to pass.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
The upcoming referendum on March 8, 2024, will see a revision being proposed to Article 41.2, removing the outdated language in favour of a more progressive and equal definition of care. But how will this change the role of women in Irish society, and what impact, if any, will it have? Han Tiernan elaborates
Lovers & Other Strangers
While the release of a major film depicting and discussing queer lives is always an exciting event, there’s an extra thrill involved with Andrew Haigh’s excellent All of Us Strangers as it stars two of Ireland’s most exciting talents. Alice Linehan chatted with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal about their film, alongside the evolution of queer lives
GRIN & BEAR IT
With the upcoming 2024 Béar Féile, Ethan Moser takes a stroll through the woods of gay history and celebrates our beloved bears, before discovering all the festival has to offer.
STANDING UP TO THE FAR RIGHT
In recent times it has often felt like the shadow of far-right extremists has been looming over our communities. In Ireland, we can see it in the shocking riots that happened in Dublin late last year or the anti-LGBTQ+ library protests that have been going on. When we shift our gaze towards continental Europe and the wider world, it becomes obvious that there too the far-right is gaining ground. But, as Swantje Mohrbeck describes, everywhere where the far-right is advancing, there are also people standing up to defend our communities.
ASEXUAL & SEX POSITIVE
One of the main misconceptions about asexuality is that all asexual people want absolutely nothing to do with sex. While this is accurate for some asexual people, it couldn’t be further from the truth for many others. Beatrice Fanucci spoke to members of the community to get the facts.
Directory
Dublin & The East ACT UP Dublin Individuals
NO ONE SEES THEMSELVES IN US...
While the eyes of the world are fixed on the awful events currently taking place in Ukraine and in Palestine, there is another large-scale power struggle that is not nearly gaining as much attention. Beatrice Fanucci reports on the full-blown war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023, killing over 12,000 people and causing what the United Nations deemed the world’s largest human displacement crisis. This article contains distressing content.
PROTECT QUEER CULTURAL SPACES
Queer Spaces — Mother — Love Tempo The
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