FROM THE TEAMWelcome, dear reader, to the February/March edition of GCN, and it’s a momentous one for yours truly!

AN INTRODUCTIONWay back in 1999, I was sitting with a friend in a queer bar in London. Two weeks previously, a nail bomb had gone off in the gay bar, the Admiral Duncan, killing three people.

How you present obviously affects how people perceive you, but more importantly, it can affect how you perceive yourself. Alice Linehan shares the impact a simple haircut had on her identity.Throughout most of my life, ‘butch’ had been a dirty word. Alice Linehan shares the impact a simple haircut had on her identity.

Inside SLMIreland’s Sexual Liberation Movement started as an undercover meeting between ten Trinity College students in the final months of 1973.

Over the last year, we embarked on a project to determine people’s attitudes to age and ageing in the queer community.What do people consider to be old? Have they thought about old age? Should there be specific supports for the LGBTQ+ community as we all age?

DirectoryListings, organisations, and supports.

DirectoryListings, organisations, and supports.

DeclanOn March 19, 1983, a large scale protest made its way to Fairview Park in outrage at the release of Declan Flynn’s killers. Considered the birth of the modern Dublin Pride movement, we mark the 40th anniversary of that march by reprinting a powerful article by Ger Philpott in GCN Issue 343

ICONSONLYIt would be rare to grow up in Ireland unaware of St Brigid. With this year being the first bank holiday in her honour, Alice Linehan does some digging on a saint who was more connected to the LGBTQ+ community than you may have thought

Lessons in LoveNot allowing society to dictate her life or how she loves, Nicole Lee shares how a queer platonic relationship has helped both her and her partner to grow.

PLEASURE THROUGH IMAGINATIONOverly regulated, often proscribed, constantly censured, sex has always been bound by taboos. Beatrice Fannucci peers into the freedom of erotic fantasies.

First Ireland >>> Then the WorldHIV activists Robbie Lawlor and (drag sensation) Veda Lady have become champions within the HIV community in Ireland. Brian Dillon spoke to the pair before they jetted off to World Pride in Sydney.

DOING IT FOR THEMSELVESAccording to lesbian activist Izzy Kamikaze, not finding your place within your own community has been an issue. But the recent rise of LGBTQ+ Women’s nights has suggested a potential for change.

Another Milestone BirthdayWith 2023 marking 35 years of existence for GCN, Tonie Walsh looks back at its early beginnings and celebrates the magazine’s part in the monumental progress LGBTQ+ people have made in Ireland.

Journey of SelfPradeep Mahadeshwar, co-founder of Queer Asian Pride Ireland (QAPI), details the experiences of a queer woman of Iranian descent who has made a life in Ireland.

Out of the ClosetTake it from someone who’s known he was gay since birth: clothing is a manifesto. With that in mind, Damian Kerlin spoke to designers on the links between queer people and fashion.

BLOODIED BEAUTYA stunning new documentary by Laura Poitras capturing the battle between Nan Goldin and the billionaire Sackler family who are widely blamed for sparking the opioid crisis has reached Irish screens. Han Tiernan takes a closer look at an unmissable work of art about the work of an artist

Next of KinFor many LGBTQ+ people, family in all its forms has been an issue both positive and negative. With big changes about to happen in Irish Family Law, there was no better time for Rita Wild to speak to Suzy Byrne

TRANS VISIBILITY NOWBeing visible to me means being seen and noticed, and the degree to which we trans people are seen in our communities is important.