Opening up about how his story is fundamentally linked to GCN, Dave shared, “I have been a disability activist and LGBTQ+ activist most of my life. I first discovered my own community when I came across a copy of the then newspaper, Gay Community News, in the late 1980s on the stairway of a bookstore on College Green. It was a revelation to me that I had a community, and that we had our own publication with all kinds of content and the discovery of that blew my mind.
“I soon found my way to the offices of GCN in the Hirschfeld Centre in Temple Bar, where I truly found my community and learned what it really meant to be visible, to speak out against the hostility against us, and to strongly advocate for us all,” he continued.
Later in his life, Dave and his husband, Patrick Bracken, moved to Arklow with no intention of being activists in that small town. However, hearing stories of hate and hostility from the local community pushed them into action. “So we first created the Arklow LGBT Social Drop In Group in 2012 to provide a safe place for people to meet and be their true self, and we used to meet once a month for several years,” Dave shared.
“In 2014, Patrick and I created the first-ever Pride movement in the county, calling it Arklow Pride, and we had a festival in the first weekend in July, which we ended up paying for as we couldn’t get sponsorship. This was a huge success. So in 2015, we rebranded the movement into ‘Wicklow Pride’ and asked Senator David Norris to be our Patron, which he graciously agreed to.”
Pushing his activism even more, Dave proposed to Wicklow County Council in 2014 to create Ireland’s first-ever rainbow crossing. However, his proposal was declined. After a relentless media campaign, the first permanent rainbow crossing in the Republic of Ireland was finally installed in 2021. “Having a symbolic sign that said very loudly to young people afraid to come out, that their town acknowledges them, supports them, stands with them, and that there is a community they belong to—a visible sign in a prominent location 365 days a year—is a very powerful thing,” Dave said.
Years later, the LGBTQ+ community in Arklow is faced with a much more negative stance from Wicklow County Council about the “permanent” rainbow crossing: they are going to allow it to fade away instead of repainting and ensuring that it is, indeed, permanent. When questioned about this decision, the Council cited “legislation”.
“This is shocking,” Dave said. “There is no legal reason not to repaint and preserve the first permanent rainbow crossing in Ireland. Wicklow County Council’s actions send an awful message to young LGBTQ+ people, saying that ‘we don’t support you’, which is extremely dangerous and damaging.
“I am very concerned about this reversal of support for our community, and I won’t rest until we win this battle. I will not stand by and allow erasure of such a powerful symbol of hope, love and solidarity, especially when I know how important it is for our community.”
Speaking about his GALAS nomination for Person of the Year, Dave said: “The way I see it, is that this is not just about me, this is an acknowledgement and a show of support to stop the erasure of our community, to continue the battle to save the rainbow crossings and to stand up, speak out and fight back against discrimination, hate and hostility.”
As evidenced by all the community work he’s been involved in, activism has played a crucial role in Dave’s life. “For me, it’s about the constant fight for equality, not just for the ‘G’ in LGBTQIA+ because I am a gay man, but for every letter that represents our community. We must keep fighting, keep pushing forward, as the alternative is just not an option, in my view.”