Tag Archives: #LGBT

Vigils in memory of Michael Snee & Aidan Moffitt

A number of vigils in memory of Michael Snee & Aidan Moffitt will be held across the country in the coming days.
If more should be added, we will update this post with new info in the comments.
As of now, these are the vigils confirmed. Please check locally in case there are any changes.

Belfast: Friday, April 15, 6pm, City Hall
Cork: Monday, April 18, 6pm, Bishop Lacey Park
Carlow: Friday, April 15 , 6pm, Liberty Tree Fountain
Dublin: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Dáil Éireann
Galway, City: Saturday, April 16, 7pm, Eyre Square
Galway, Loughrea: Friday, April 15, 5 pm, The Long Point
Kerry, Tralee: Monday, April 18, 7pm, The Square
Kildare, Newbridge: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Liffey Linear Park
Killkenny: Friday, April 15, 6:30pm, Town Hall
Laois, Portlaoise: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Laois County Council Plaza
Leitrim, Carrick-on-Shannon: Monday, April 18, 6pm, Town Clock.
Limerick: Monday, April 18, 6pm, Arthur’s Quay
Louth, Drogheda: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Tholsel
Louth, Dundalk: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Town Square
Mayo, Ballina: Wednesday, April 20, 9pm, Tom Ruane Park
Sligo: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Town Hall
Tipperary, Clonmel: Friday, April 15, 7:30pm, Main Guard, O’Connell Street, Clonmel
Tyrone, Omagh: Friday, April 15, 7pm, Omagh Courthouse
Waterford: Friday, April 15, 6pm, John Roberts Square
Westmeath, Mullingar: Friday, April 15, 6pm, Mullingar Park
Wexford: Friday, April 15, 7pm, Wexford Quay
Wicklow, Arklow: Monday, April 18, 6pm, Arklow Bandstand
Wicklow, Blessington: Saturday, April 16, 6pm, The Square in Blessington
Wicklow, Bray: Friday, April 15, 5pm, Bray Bandstand

From https://gcn.ie/vigils-michael-snee-aidan-moffitt-across-ireland/

Gender Recognition Act and those who are 16.

This is a really good read on the issues with the Gender Recognition Act as it stands in relation to those aged 16 to 18.

https://www.irishlegal.com/article/stephen-kirwan-pitfalls-and-uncertainties-in-ireland-s-gender-recognition-laws

The current #GRA does allow for those who are 16+ to apply, but there are considerable hurdles.

What if the person who is 16+ is estranged from their parents?

What if they have the support of their parents, but can not afford to pay privately for the consultation and paperwork?

It means we have in place laws which say a person aged 16+ can consent to medical procedures and see medical professionals with out parent/guardian permission, but can’t apply for the #GRA

Why is #GRA important for a person who is 16+? I’ve had people say sure they can just wait until they are 18. Well firstly 16 is when we sit our first state exams, it is when our legal and public Id which we will use for our professional life starts.

It is just not possible to have your leaving cert results issued under a different name at a later date. Also for people are in non gender mixed schools, it’s frankly hellish and if the only other local option is also non mixed, school policy often won’t allow a transfer.

If 16+ were allowed to self ID the same way as 18+ are, then it removed the barriers which can take over 2 years anyway. It means they can sort out all the paper work to live authentically as themselves, and not have to always explain.

A person does not have to undergo surgery or hormones to apply for their gender to be acknowledges by the State under the #GRA
16+ plus can already legally consent to any surgery or treatment currently in our healthcare system, if they meet the criteria for it. Extending the #GRA to allow them to self ID will not change that.

What it will do is frankly save lives and save the quality of someones life. Given the high rate of young trans people ending their lives and the impact tranphobia can have on a person’s mental health, extending the #GRA fully to 16+ can only be a good thing.

What it will allow is for those who are 16+ to wear the school uniform which aligns with thier gender, where a school has gendered uniform policies. #GRA

Another failing of the #GRA is that it is very Binary. It does not take into account people who are #NonBinary, #Agender or #GenderFuild. Trans people are expected to fit into a very binary system of gender conformity and gender expression.

This mean that these trans people are left with out legal recognition under #GRA and often access to services. The trans healthcare we have also is stuck in this binary mode and those who discover they are non binary are considered to have dropped out or failed to transition.

Which means they don’t have access to the medication which adjusts their body to what is optimal for them. They face hurdles when it comes to work and don’t have the support they need. #GRA should include #NonBinary people and those who are 16+

I do my best to be an Ally, I am cis and I have trans people in my life. If you are a cis person who has genuine question, I am happy to answer them the best I can.

Thank you Pope Francis & the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church for your part in #repealthe8th.

Yes this post is entitled:
Thank you Pope Francis & the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church for your part in #repealthe8th.

Let me explain why.

See the thing is, the Roman Catholic Church last year changed its policy in relation to excommunication in relation to abortions. It used to be if you had an abortion or helped someone have one, you were automatically excommunicated, & need to see a bishop to reconcile with the Church.

In 2016 the RC Church had a year of extraordinary mercy, and down grade the level of sin, so you could see your local parish priest to be reconciled. So many people, mostly women did this, that they down graded abortion & helping in any way (money, info ect) to a matter for your parish priest permanently.

Which means having an abortions or being complicit in someone else having one, became the same level as ordinary Sin. This was a huge shift in attitudes which is rarely spoken about.

It made it easier for many mass attending Catholics, to #VoteYes. I have devote Catholics in my life, the conversations around this have been fascinating.

And when the year was done the RC Pope (he is one of 3 popes) extended the terms permanently.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/as-year-of-mercy-ends-pope-extends-priests-ability-to-forgive-abortions

So your parish priest who’d you’d confess all your everyday sins to, could absolve you from your sin of abortion and reconcile you to the church. I am not Roman Catholic, but I know women who are, who use contraception, who have had abortions and this brought them ease and comfort.

I genuinely believe this helped us #repealthe8th, but I never saw it covered in our media, esp by religious correspondents, even when it happened, and it’s a seismic change.
Knowing this I had zero concerns in taking part in performances of The Renunciation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-SERRw4KcM

The Refrain in it was “People of Ireland, lift up your voices. We are all worthy of our right to choose”. And we did.
We #RepealedThe8th

So thank you Pope Francis & the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church for your part in #repealthe8th.

But honestly @Pontifex you are still wrong when it comes to LGB people & esp Trans people, protecting pedophiles, protecting abusers, wanting control of schools & hospitals & failing to make reparations. Maybe sort that before visiting.

Repeal is not just a Cis Women’s issue…

A lil bit about #repealthe8th not just being a woman’s issue.

Now more then ever I am glad I spoke up & worked to ensure that the Abortion Rights Campaign is trans/non binary and gender fliud inclusive . I helped write this in 2015

Men and the 8th Amendment

We live in a post gender recognition Ireland, I always mention this when speaking at events. It has even caused my opponents to edit their language & acknowledge this. This happened with Mrs Caroline Simmons of the Pro Life Campaign when we were speaker at a debate in NUIG.

I have been very, very fortunate to have people in my life who happen to be trans, who took the time to talk to me. To explain & at times correct me when I assumed or screwed up. I sure as hell don’t always get it right, I try. I know I fecked up already this year and me being not sober & it being 3am didn’t excuse it.

I have always tried to include non cis people when I talk about reproductive rights, because its the least I can do, to maybe make the world a lil less tough.

A while ago family member came out to me as not cis. They were figuring things out, they had professional help, I was the first family member they told. I was honoured

Recently they have come out to friends and family as being a bloke. I am so happy for him. He can get on with living his life as his real self.
I am very aware the the 8th still effects him, same as it does me, but accessing healthcare for him, especially if he should need to travel will be a bit more complicated. I still love him dearly that was never going to change, & he’s thanked me for being as inclusive as i have been & how some of the conversation I have had with extended family help him.

Being inclusive was always important to me, but now more then ever I am grateful for all the times I have said pregnant person or people who can become pregnant. And I am going to keep saying it, because it is important, esp when all of the mainstream messaging is currently women & girls.

The wonderful the Abortion Support Network https://www.asn.org.uk/is trans inclusive & supportive, they only care if a person needs help & if they can help them

At the #Marches4choice @freesafelegal have had trans people speaking, @freesafelegal also worked with @TENI_Tweets when formulating how to talk about abortion & not be utterly woman centric.

Yes the Abortion Rights Campaign got abuse from some ‘feminists’ for doing so, I have gotten it too, but now more then ever I am glad to be a ‘bad’ feminist saying pregnant people, cos now it’s close to home & family.

I don’t know of we will see any main stream campaign messages re non cis people, but I still support ye and wont stop saying pregnant people. We work to ensure we have enough Yes Votes on the 25th of May so that we Repeal the 8th Amendment for everyone so we can all access the healthcare we need.

An open letter to the organisers of the “We Need to Talk Tour” from a group of feminists in Ireland

I was honoured to take part in the discussions around drafting this and to sign it. Irish Feminism is doing it’s best to be intersection and we will not have anyone try tell us who our sisters are.

An open letter to the organisers of the “We Need to Talk Tour” from a group of feminists in Ireland

Paris is Burning

If you are a #dragrace fan then Child you need to watch Paris is Burning, educate yourself on the #herstory. if you have ever called someone a Legend or Legendary, well that started in the 70/80s with the Balls. hell if you want to see how much ‘gay’ Black lingo has moved into pop culture Paris is Burning is a fascinating watch.

Airbrushing Our Past – The true History of Dublin Pride starts here! (via http://northwestprideireland.com)

Airbrushing Our Past – The true History of Dublin Pride starts here!

By: Izzy Kamikaze

There’s a lot of talk today about Dublin Pride, which is great. It’s very exciting to see so many people engaging actively with the idea of what Pride is and what it should be! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Izzy and I have as good a claim as anyone to be one of the founders of Dublin Pride. (I say “as good a claim as anyone” because actually, some parts of the history are a little murky.)

I’ve been unhappy about some aspects of Dublin Pride for a long time, but I’ve kept my mouth shut for various reasons. Firstly, I feel about Dublin Pride the way a mother feels about her first-born child. I would forgive it almost anything. It is the best, the brightest and the most talented in the world! I would not harm a hair on its metaphorical head. I don’t say this in any proprietorial way. I’m sure that everyone who’s ever been involved feels the same way. I’m sure that everyone who’s ever taken their courage in their hands and walked in it for the first time feels the same way. We all love Dublin Pride!

Another reason I’ve kept quiet about objections is that I was afraid the backlash to any comment I might make might hurt my youngest child, the small-but-perfectly formed Northwest Pride, which since 2006 has been performing the miracle of bringing full-on Pride razzmatazz to the streets of the rural Northwest of Ireland – a miracle child, surely!

Two things have happened to make me change my mind. Firstly, northwest Pride decided (at a meeting I didn’t even attend) to write to Dublin Pride to protest about their registration process and the barriers it presents to participation. So, I guess my tiny baby is going to get some flak now, anyway – whether I hold my tongue or not! (And really, it can only be a positive thing for the community to positively engage about what we want our Pride to be. I guess I’m allowed to be part of that too!)

The other thing that’s happened is that the organisers of this year’s Dublin Pride have decided to market it as some kind of thirtieth anniversary shindig. By doing so, they have turned the spotlight on Dublin Pride’s history and the Irish LGBT community’s history. That’s a good thing. The only problem is they are using a lie to do it. For one thing, Dublin Pride is not 30 years old. The handful of very brave people who first publicly celebrated their Pride as long ago as 1979 (I make that 34 years!) are being written out of our history. That’s a grave injustice.

Also, although Dublin was So far as I know, the first city in Ireland to publicly celebrate Pride, it did not do so every year, for reasons that are historically important, which I hope to deal with in a later post. To call this Dublin Pride the 30th, makes it seem like Dublin has had more Pride parades than any other Irish city. Actually, that honour belongs to… Galway! Believe me, Galway, in the early days, was not an easy place to parade the streets with Pride. That’s another injustice right there!

But it is a 30th Anniversary year. It’s the 30th Anniversary of something very important that deserves to be remembered. I know, because I was there…

The Fairview Park March – NOT a Pride Parade!

The Fairview Park March happened in March 1983, the month I celebrated my 20th birthday. I’m proud to say that I was there and as a steward, wearing a pink armband. Pink was the “gay colour” in those far-off days before we ever heard of the rainbow flag!

Some of you are wondering “what the hell was the Fairview Pride March?” Here’s the story. A man called Declan Flynn had been horribly murdered in Fairview Park, a popular cruising area. His killers defence was that they were “cleaning up” their area, protecting their community from “perverts.” They got suspended sentences and walked free. After their release, the killers were reported to have held a victory march through the streets of Fairview…

The Dublin Gay Collective, a bunch of radical queers with which I’m proud to have been associated, decided to hold our own march, in protest at the court’s decision. And this march would not stay in the comparative safety of the city centre. It would go to Fairview Park, where this terrible crime was committed. It would walk through the streets of the North Inner City, where even today, no Pride Parade dares to go. The” perverts” would hold our heads up high and walk through the community these killers had supposedly protected from us, into the area where they had celebrated their great “victory” over us.

It was a very important moment. Some say it was “our Stonewall” and maybe they’re right. It was a scary and yet powerful thing to do. A couple of hundred people took part (I’ve never been much good at counting, once I run out of fingers and toes) and a lot of them, maybe even most of them, were straight. Most gay people were still too scared to march. It was a dangerous thing to do. A lot of the gay people who did take part felt the need for heavy disguise. You could lose your job (if you could even get a job.) You could get beaten up. Hey, you could even get killed – and now we had been told that your killers would probably walk free! There were a lot of scarves and pulled-up collars, a helluva lot of sunglasses for a cold spring day in Dublin!

The banner up the front said “Stop Violence against Gays and Women.” There was a lot of feminist involvement. This was the heyday of Irish feminism and the Abortion Referendum was rumbling in the background (wow- how Ireland has changed!)This was a bunch of queers and feminists and lefties marching for OUR right to life. There was no music, no laughter, no flamboyance. It was more like a funeral than a Pride Parade.

It was a great day, a milestone on the journey of a community that had finally had ENOUGH of this shit! It deserves to be remembered. But it should be remembered for what it actually was. The Fairview Park March was NOT a Pride Parade.

Continue reading