2 mins
THE FIGHT CONTINUES
NXF — The Board — 2025
As the activist John Lewis once said, “A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few.”
Last month, I got into a funny habit of zooming into all the photos of the crowd in Dublin Castle, a sea of heads there to hear the results of the Marriage Referendum in 2015. I saw colleagues from the LGBTQ+ organisations I work with. I saw a pal I haven’t seen in two years.
Photos were captured at different stages. Some before the result, others at the actual moment of the result, with tears and hugs and cheers on show. It brought back memories of that day; the fear of the ‘No’ side winning eventually turning into pure joy when the news came through. Ireland had said ‘Yes’. But nostalgia only goes so far. It’s a bad place to get stuck.
Over the last few weeks, I have attended some panel discussions and anniversary celebrations, all wonderful events. I heard Una Mullaly talk about transphobia in journalism and how important it was that people knew the history of transphobia. I listened to Brian Sheehan talk about how people stepped up in the Marriage Equality campaign, came from nowhere and gave days, weeks and months of their time for free. And I heard that people were tired afterwards, were burnt out, had given what they could and stepped away to take care of themselves and recover.
All these stories shaped a picture of a community and a nation that came together for the sake of equality.
But something emerged for me that is just as powerful a feeling as what was experienced in 2015. We are in a place today where there are people who still need the support of the community. People who feel unheard, on the edges. They feel less than others.
With this in mind, the NXF is set to launch its new website, which will show our commitment to a new wave of activism. To help fight for trans rights, proper trans healthcare, combat misinformation and disinformation online and work towards stopping the rollback of rights for the LGBTQ+ community. We aim to grow a new ecosystem of activists, campaigners and volunteers, and to connect our community through our Activist Academy and Rainbow Summit. On our new website, we want to share our resources, guidance and tools that will help equip LGBTQ+ activists, campaigners and organisations with the knowledge needed to advance queer liberation.
As the activist John Lewis once said, “A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few.”
This Pride issue is full of incredible stories of anniversaries and celebrations. A huge congratulations to the GCN team on this wonderful edition. Here’s to moving forward, taking what we learned from 10 years ago, and using it to keep fighting the fight.