COMING TOGETHER IN TRYING TIMES

As you are reading this edition of GCN magazine, you might be aware that it is published by the National LGBT Federation, or NXF for short. NXF is an Irish charity and is one of the oldest extant LGBTQ+ activist groups in the world. Some of us have been campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights for many years, even decades, so we have seen the tremendous advances—in Ireland and elsewhere—in the fight for equality. Throughout that fight, many of us warned that the hard-won advances, in marriage equality, employment rights, equal treatment, and public acceptance, could be easily stripped away by a hostile political force.

For many young Irish people who have grown up in the 21st century and only witnessed a steady (if at times frustratingly slow) improvement in LGBTQ+ rights, warnings of the potential loss of such rights might well have seemed alarmist, but unfortunately, we are seeing those predictions come true.

Across Europe, there have been repeated attempts by Hungary, Bulgaria, Netherlands (yes, Netherlands!) and other EU member states to restrict queer visibility, to row back on EU equal treatment directives, and to move the rights agenda backwards. Of course, the situation in countries such as Russia has been dire for years, and we are seeing Trump and his cronies copy the worst excesses of these other haters. For those of you who never anticipated such political hostility, it must be a frightening time. We are fortunate in Ireland that our latest coalition government includes some allies, but we must be everwatchful for signs of political change. Last year’s elections included some candidates spouting ignorant, misleading anti-trans rhetoric, and we know that we have enemies as well as friends in the Oireachtas.

In these difficult times, there is a greater need than ever for solidarity, both within Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community and with other marginalised and oppressed groups. Each and every member of our communities must understand that the haters and extremists will seek to isolate and fragment us, making us weaker and encouraging others to bully us.

One very effective way of showing solidarity is to support the activist groups which are fighting on your behalf. You may have a local organisation where you can give your time, enthusiasm and voice to help spread our message. GCN is Ireland’s only national LGBTQ+ magazine, so you can support the whole community by supporting the NXF and GCN through donations; anything you can do shows how important our community is and demonstrates our strength and solidarity. You can donate here: gcn.ie/support.

Finally, I would like to offer some words of support and encouragement; yes, things can look pretty bleak at the moment around the world, but here in Ireland, we are holding on to what we have achieved. Life for most LGBTQ+ people here is reasonably safe, and attitude surveys suggest that most of our neighbours are more bothered about many other things than our sexual orientation or our gender identity. Most Irish cities and some towns have LGBTQ+ support groups and social activities, and if you need help, it’s usually not very far away. I’m not saying that everything is great—healthcare for young trans people is a disgrace and violence against individuals within our community is too commonplace—but things have gotten better. Much better. Since those early days of gay and lesbian activism, we have gained a great deal; the challenge now is to hold onto our gains and keep fighting for more.