Pride Magazine 2022

Pride Magazine 2022

Proudly supported by

62-63

FLAC LGBTQI+ Legal Clinic – Caroline Smith

67

Me and My Girl – Brendan Courtney

70-71

Our Story – Becoming a Family – John and Gonçalo

74-75

Let’s Get Physical – John Varian

78-79

Cork Rebels FC & LINC Rebels FC

82-83

Racket Rebels & LINC Drama

86-87

Proud To Be – Gwen Kennedy & Niall Jordan The Quay Co-op 40th Anniversary Celebration Get Around Guide and the New Cork Pride Parade Route

CONTENTS

90-91

94-95

5

A Message from An Taoiseach

7

A Message from the Lord Mayor

98

Out-Lit LGBT+ Inclusive Book Club

8

Meet the Team

99

LGBT+ Recommended Reading List

9

Chairperson’s Welcome

102-103 Changing the Game – Ali Donnelly 105 Sydney Queer Irish and World Pride 2023 106-107 Being Bi – Wyatt Walsh 110-111

10-11

Cork Pride Events Listings

17-18

KyivPride Interview – JP McCarthy & Lenny Emsonn Normalisation of Homophobia Must Never be Accepted – Martin Warde

20-21

The Importance of Allyship – Konrad Im 114-115 Cork Pride Artist-in-Residence – Stephen Doyle 118-119 Gaze on Tour – Greg Thorpe 124-125 The Equality of Law – Darren Fitzgerald 130-131 Queering the Archive – Orla Egan 136-137 Unfinished Business – Pádraig Rice 142-143 LGBT Activism in Hungary – Maria Kristófy & Dorottya Rédai 148-149 Coming Out of the Wrong Closet – Grace Ní Dhonnachú 160-161 Supports and Resources

24-25

Ban Conversion Therapy – Alan Edge

29-30

East Meets West – Pavel Subrt & Ludo Swinnen Work With Pride Diversity and Inclusion Conference

Proud sponsors of

32-33

36-39

Work With Pride Professional Business Network – Meet the Committee

42-43

Coming Out in the Workplace is Not the Same for Everybody – Damien O’Halloran

46-47

The Prides of Ireland

50-51

Coming Out, Letting People In – Aaron O’Sullivan

54-55

EuroPride – Steve Taylor

58-59

LINC: Proud To Be…

A MESSAGE FROM AN TAOISEACH I want to wish you all a happy 2022 Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival and to congratulate the organisers and volunteers for organising such an extensive programme this year. I know that not being able to hold full in person physical events was a loss that was keenly felt by the LGBT+ community in 2020 and 2021. Pride has always sought to bring people together. The festival is important for many reasons. Above all, it promotes the dignity and quality of LGBTI+ people, and improves the visibility of the LGBT+ community in Ireland and beyond. This year’s theme is “Proud to be ….” As Taoiseach and as a Government, we continue to work to improve the lives of LGBT+ people through strategies that promote inclusion and target discrimination. Keeping LGBT+ community safe has come in to sharp focus in the last number of months. It is vital that members of minority and vulnerable groups such as LGBTI+ are supported in Ireland so that they can feel safe and “Proud to be ….” As a Government we will soon publish a new Hate Crime Bill, we have also commissioned research which is a fundamental step towards the banning of conversion therapy. I know we have more to do but we have come a long as a country in our journey to achieve full inclusivity and equality. Over the past 17years, Cork Pride has grown in popularity to become one of Ireland’s biggest public events, yet it has never lost that community focus or sense of hope and belonging.

#CORKPRIDE2022 SHOW YOUR SUPPORT

HUGE THANKS TO: An Taoiseach Micheal Martin; Lord Mayor Cllr Deirdre Forde; all the team at the Gay Project; all the team at LINC; all the team at the Sexual Health Centre; Denise Coleman and all the team An Garda Siochana Anglesea Street; Kieran O Connell, Rebecca Landry, and all the team at Cork City Council; Enda O’Halloran and all the team at Cork County Council; David Brown and all the team at Port of Cork; Karen O Donoghue, Joe Dermody and all team at the Irish Examiner; Dave McCardle, Colm O Sullivan, Stevie Grainger, and all the team at Red FM; Justin Cronin, Kieran Rigby, Shane O’Brien and the team at Coolgrey; Peter O’Toole; Maurice Supple; Anton Cullen;; Daragh Kelly; Mark Kenny; Cathal Deavy, Robbie McKeown, Aoife Dilworth and the team at Tesco; Will Organ, Clodagh Thompson, and the team at PepsiCo; Sarah-Jane Willoughby and the team at Ibec; Niall Donnelly and the team at Gilead; Sé Sweeney-McCabe and the team at Meta; Ozren Čolović, Morgan O’Brien, and the team at Johnson and Johnson; Niamh Ryan and the team at Accenture; Gerald O Riordan, Louise Dorgan and the team at Pfizer; Micheal Barry and the team at Apple; Flaminia Curti and the team at Johnson Controls; Anca Titu and the team at VMware; JP McCarthy and the team at Amazon; Amy O’Shaughnessy the team at Energia; Don Crowley and the team at MTU; Avril Hutch and the team at UCC; John Byrne, Helmie Säll Fuglerud and the team at Salesforce; Paula McDonnell and the team at Qualcomm; Maria Barry and the team at EY; Garrett O Keeffe and Vincent Phelan at Solarwinds; David O Meara and the team at Merck; John Goulding and all the team at Workvivo; Ciaran Austin, Martin Ryan, Eleanor Moore, Triona Healy and the team at HSE, Naoimh Frawley, Bo Browne, and the team at Cork Chamber; Noelle Mulcahy, Anita Casey and the team at Teamwork; Stephen Donovan and the team at Bank of Ireland; Aoife Curtin and the team at Abtran; Dean Constable and the team at Blizzard Entertainment; Mark Brown, Clair Davis, Aoife Kennedy, and all the team at Permanent TSB; Lorna Connor, Colin Ryan, and all the team at Stryker; Mícheál Barry, Sara Bronnenkant and all the team at Apple; Fiona Connolly and the team at Bus Eireann; Marie Ryan and the team at Boston Scientific; Steph Cooke, Ruth Furney and the team at Telus International; Paul Roche, Alan Cronin and the team at Barry Group; Mary White and the team at Altada; Aidan Quigley and the team at Tesla; Benny McCabe, Conor Lyons, Kate O Shea, Saoirse McCabe, Andrew Dunne and the team at Cork Heritage Pubs; Darren Fitzgerald, John O Donovan, and the team at CDS Law; Ernest Cantillon, Emer O Mahony, and all the team at Kinsale Spirit Co; Jarred Arendse and all the team at Logitech; Daragh and the team at Hairy Baby; Sinead McDonald and the team at the River Lee; Bastien Peyraud and the team at the Imperial Hotel; Paul O Connell and the team at the Clayton Cork City; Cork Pride Artist in Residence Stephen Doyle; Cork Pride Master of Ceremonies Paul Ryder; David Gough; Nikki Gallagher; Ailbhe Smyth; Arthur Leahy; Amanullah De Sondy; Saoirse Mackin; The Work with Pride Committee: Damien O Halloran, Mary White, Kery Mullaly, Aoife Dilworth, Ronan Kenny, Lauren Hogan, Don Crowley, Darren Fitzgerald, Evan Murphy Keogh, and Nuttawud Nutchanat. Thank you to all of our loyal sponsors, advertisers, community partners and supporters, both this year and in every year - you have helped build the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival into what it is today! Huge thanks also to our dedicated Board of Directors, Committee, and our teams of volunteers who generously give of their time and skills to bring you the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival annually, Cork Pride couldn’t and wouldn’t happen without you!

I wish everyone a Happy Pride 2022.

Micheál Martin An Taoiseach

This publication has been part-funded by

#CorkPride2022

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A MESSAGE FROM THE LORD MAYOR On behalf of myself and Cork City Council, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for this year’s Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival. Over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been forced to change, adapt and re-imagine all areas of our lives, including how we celebrate Pride. In the wake of these difficult times, it will be heartening to see Pride return to the streets of Cork, giving the opportunity for us all to once again come together and celebrate the LGBT+ community. In light of recent events, Pride is more important than ever. Recent homophobic attacks and hate crimes in Ireland highlight that while Pride is a time for celebration, it is also a time for remembrance, solidarity and demanding equality. The visibility of the LGBT+ community and its allies during Pride, reminds us of the tremendous progress Ireland has made in recent years in terms of LGBT+ rights, but also of the work that needs to continue to ensure the inclusion and safety of all people in our country. I would like to offer my thanks to the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival Committee, volunteers, sponsors and partners, without whom this event would not be possible.Wishing you all a safe and happy Pride, Mise le meas,

Deirdre Forde Lord Mayor

PROUD MEDIA PARTNERS to cork pride 2022

JP McCarthy / Treasurer JP is the longest serving member of the Cork Pride team. JP is a Customer Service Support Manager with a global online retailer. He is also an out and proud Eurovision fan, and a closet sports fan. JP is originally from Dungarvan, but lives in Cork. JP is also a Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival Board member. Denise Boyle / Parade & Afterparty Manager Denise has been the Parade and Afterparty Manager for the past 7 years. A well known Cork building contractor, Denise is a registered gas technician, CAD technician, and electrician. She is a huge Munster Rugby fan, is the Coach for Mallow Women’s Rugby team and is a Board member of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival. Ailsa Spindler / Committee Member Ailsa is project Co-ordinator at Gay Project. Ailsa moved to Cork in 2020, having worked in equality and human rights organisations across Europe. The first Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, Ailsa’s campaigning for LGBT rights was recognised in 2005 with the Ian Dunn Memorial Award for Activism, awarded by Pride Scotia. Kery Mullaly / Business Development Manager Kery handles the Cork Pride sponsorships remit and produces the annual Cork Pride magazine. Kery has brokered partnerships and sponsorships across many festivals and events including the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, Electric Picnic, Cork Midsummer Festival, and the Cork International Choral Festival. He divides his time between Kilkenny and Cork. Clive Davis / Chairperson Clive has been the Chairperson of the Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival for the past 10 years. Clive is a Regional Director with Youth Work Ireland, manages Youth Work Ireland Laois, and is a Director and Board Secretary of People First Credit Union; he is also Director on the ILCU’s Youth Committee and is a Director of LGBT Ireland where he is also Treasurer. Konrad Im / Events Co-ordinator Konrad is the Community Development Worker for the Gay Project and has worked and volunteered in the LGBT+ community in Cork for eight years. He has a BA in Community Development from MTU and is currently finishing a Masters in Community Sector Management in UCC. You can also catch him on weekends on the streets of Ballyphehane as the Chairperson on Tidy Towns.

CHAIRPERSON’S WELCOME

We’re back! I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome everybody to this year’s Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival – which is shaping up to be our biggest to date! Whether it’s your first Cork Pride, or you’ve been with us from the beginning, get involved - I’m sure you enjoy every minute of it! We’ve all endured an incredibly challenging couple of years, but we’ve got through it together, and life as we know it is getting back to normal. During this time Cork Pride had to reinvent itself – we had no option than to go fully online in the worst times of the pandemic in 2020, and yet delivered a phenomenal event, and last year we started to emerge from our Covid imposed virtual Pride, and delivered a fabulous hybrid festival - this year, I thrilled to say, we’re fully back to our beloved Cork City streets again, and we’ve programmed a fabulous festival for you! This year, our theme is Proud To Be… This year, we have decided not to appoint our usual Grand Marshal, who is chosen to recognise their work for the community, represent an organisation or champion a particular cause – instead, we’d like to invite you to be the Grand Marshal this year, and each and every person in our vibrant, resilient, and diverse LGBT+ community, we hope you will march with us through the streets of Cork with Pride. Pride is more important than ever, and we must never lose sight that amidst the celebrations, Pride is a Protest. The global Pride movement has become the largest and most successful Human Rights campaign in history, and whilst we as a community have effected enormous change and celebrated momentous achievements, there is still a huge amount of work to be done. The past few months have been a very difficult time for our LGBT+ community, both in Ireland, and globally. The worrying rise of anti LGBT+ rhetoric and homophobic hate crimes continues – and there are still no hate crime laws in place in Ireland to protect us. So called Conversion Therapy is still legal.

There is also still much work to do to afford equality to our LGBT+ families, and our Trans community continue to endure unacceptably poor levels of healthcare, and representation in the media. We must protest, lobby, and create visibility around these issues – none of us are equal, until all of us are equal, and that equality needs to be now. Lastly, I would like to sincerely thank the Cork LGBT+ Pride Board and Committee for their hard work and commitment, year round – without you we would simply not have been able to develop and grow Cork Pride into what it has become today, a Pride run by our community, for all of our community. I’d also like to pay tribute to our sponsors, funders, donors, venue partners, accommodation partners, and community partners who’s help and support is generously pledged annually, and is hugely appreciated. Last, but by no means least, I’d like to thank you, our community - you are the beating heart of Cork Pride. Not everybody in our community is the same, but we are all equal. Wishing you, your family, and friends a very happy and safe Cork Pride.

Sophia Reid-Recks / Committee Member Sophia has a keen interest in LGBT+ activism and completed her Masters in Social Policy from UCC on the rights of LGBT+ young people in the Irish education system. In her spare time she is a dedicated animal welfare activist, die-hard vegan and tie-dye enthusiast.

Sam Lake / Secretary Sam is the newest member to the Board and holds the role of Secretary. Sam is a behavior therapist with Cope Foundation. Sam is an enthusiastic gym bunny and self-proclaimed dog lover! Sam is looking forward to working with others to ensure the Cork Pride Festival represents everyone.

Clive Davis Chairperson Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival

Dee Finn / Pride Reaching Out Project Worker Dee works on the Pride Reaching Out Project, an initiative which has recently created new LGBT+ community groups in Blarney and Ballincollig. She graduated from an MA in Gender and Women’s Studies in 2021, where she completed research on LGBT+ experiences of education in Ireland.

Damien O’Halloran / Company Secretary Damien O’Halloran is an executive leader working in IT for over 25 years, leading globally diverse teams. He is actively involved in multiple diversity and inclusion functions, most especially Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), focusing on encouraging team members to bring their authentic selves to the workplace. Damien is also the chair of the Work With Pride professional network. Mary Flanagan / Administrator Mary joined The Cork Pride team in 2018, bringing experience in Youth Services, Finance, Education, & Logistics. She is an Office & Finance Administrator in Youth Services and also runs Music & Arts programs. Mary is the Programme Co-Ordinator for the Youth Work Ireland Laois “Electric Youth” programme held in association with Electric Picnic.

#CorkPride2022

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EVENTS CORK PRIDE

Thursday 28th July

Saturday 23rd July

Cork Pride: Work with Pride DEI Conference

9am - 2pm

Cork City Hall

Cork Pride On Tour

11am - 4pm 10am - 12pm 12:30pm - 4pm

County Wide

Cork Pride: Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving

Frontrunners Cork Pride Run

Marina

7:30pm - 8:30pm

St. Anne Shandon

Hellhounds Cork Pride Tag Rugby Tournament

Musgrave Park

LINC: Open Night

7pm - 9pm 8pm - Late

LINC

Sunday 24th July

Ringo Music Bingo: Drag Race Edition Cork Pride: Crawford LGBTQ+ Tour

Poor Relation

6:30pm

Crawford Art Gallery

Cork Pride Family Fun Day and Pride's Got Talent

12pm - 6pm

Fitzgerald's Park

Cork Pride: Zoo Night

10pm - Late

BDSM

Monday 25th July

Friday 29th July

C ork Pride: Interactive Walking Tour with Cork LGBT Archive

Gay Project: Gold Café Pride Lunch LGBT Ireland Seminar: Believe Me Or Not: Experiences of LGBT+ Asylum Seekers

12pm - 3pm

Gay Project

6pm-7pm

Start & End at Gay Project

10:30am -1:30pm

Gay Project Gay Project Poor Relation

Tuesday 26th July

Cork Pride: Community BBQ Cork Pride: Flashback Friday

6pm - 9:30pm 9:30pm - Late

C ork Pride: Heels On Wheels

4pm - 7pm 8pm - 10pm

City Wide

Cork Rackerteers Badminton: Pride Open Night

James Kenneally Sports Hall

Saturday 30th July

LINC: Pride Placard and Banner Making Workshop 7pm - 9pm

LINC

Sexual Health Centre: Free Rapid HIV Testing Gay Project: Queervibes Quiz with Queens

6pm - 8pm

Gay Project Gay Project

C ork Pride: Brighter OUTcomes Health Expo

12pm - 5pm

MTU School of Music

7pm - 9:30pm

Pride Sports Open Day

11am

MTU Bishopstown Campus

Cork Pride: Youth Group Disco

6pm - 10pm 7:30pm - Late

Gay Project Crane Lane

Wednesday 27th July

Cork Pride: The Peacock Parlour feat Paul Ryder

Cork Pride: Welcome to the Community: ‘Coming Out’ Evening

Sunday 31st July

6:30pm - 9:30pm Clayton Penthouse Suite

LINC: Rainbow Lunch

12:30pm - 4pm

LINC LINC LINC

Cork Pride Breakfast Cork Pride: Parade Cork Pride: After Party

10:30am - 12:30pm Gay Project & LINC

LINC: Women’s 12 Step Recovery Group

6pm

1pm - 3pm 3pm - 8pm

Cork City

LINC: Menopause Café

7:30pm

Port of Cork Vicarstown Crane Lane

Gay Project: Pride Drop In Café

12pm - 3pm 8pm - Late 8pm - Late

Gay Project Crane Lane Poor Relation

Rainbow Party

10pm - Late 8:30pm - Late

Cork Pride: Gaze Film Festival on Tour Cork Pride: Open Mic Night with Wild Geeze

Cork Pride: The Ringmasters Drag Race on Tour

Details correct at time of print but subject to change – please scan QR code or check out our social media for up to date information

For full details and info on how to book your place for all events go to www.corkpride.com

www.corkpride.com

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4pm - 7pm City Wide

LGBTQ+ Tour Thursday 28th July – 6:30pm Crawford Art Gallery

7:30pm - 8:30pm St. Anne Shandon

MTU School of Music

12pm - 5pm

12

13

6pm - 9:30pm Gay Project

Wednesday 27th July 8pm - Late

Clayton Penthouse Suite 6:30pm - 9:30pm

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What would you like to ask/say to other Prides around Europe and how can they possibly support you right now? We ask all the other Pride organisations around Europe and worldwide, when you march, also march for us. We cannot march this year due to marshal law and Russia shelling our cities. Please march for the 10 years of Pride celebration in Ukraine! March for Peace! March for human rights! March for Life! Fly the Ukrainian flag for us. Has the LGBT+ community in Ukraine been targeted by Russian soldiers? We don’t have much information in occupied territories but we know that when Russia enters territories they have lists of known LGBTQI activists, they know where they live and have details such as names, addresses, passport details. We know that when Russia enters these territories that these people are some of the first to be targeted Do you have a message for the LGBTQI community around Europe and the world? Let me tell that that communities, specifically social groups and LGBTQI community have played a crucial role in standing up for the Ukraine. Let’s face the truth, big politicians in Europe and the US were convinced that Ukraine would be defeated within 2 days and nobody wanted to help Ukraine. We appealed for help from communities and the LGBTQI community was one of the communities which helped us. All the protests and all the demonstration’s helped to change the minds of politicians. All the help we received from the LGBTQI community has helped to change the political situation, it helped to change politicians’ minds. I would like to ask the communities, to please keep standing up for us. Some politicians want us to surrender our territories but let’s face it, if we surrender then members of the LGBTQI community in these territories will be erased immediately. They will be either dead, deep in the closet as we will not be able to reach them to help them. It’s already not easy being LGBTQI in provisional towns but will be impossible if Russia takes over, so please think of us and stand up for us and make sure when you march that you march for Ukraine !

JP McCarthy discusses the challenges faced by the Ukraininan LGBT+ community with the Director of KyivPride Lenny Emsonn

What are the biggest challenges that you as a community are facing, I have read that there was a shortage of hormones for the Transgender community? Ukraine is experiencing shortages in medication such as hormones and also for those living with HIV. This situation has stabilized thanks to the LGBTQI organisations in Ukraine and abroad where transgender people can reach out and request medication Are you concerned that this war will reverse the progress you’ve made with LGBT+ rights in Ukraine ? Within the last 3 months, we see that the progress has started rolling back. Hate crimes are on the rise. The majority of the community are staying in the country, we are staying with our motherland. We have organized a Pride march in Warsaw. Kyiv Pride and Warsaw Pride will be marching for peace on June 25th. This will crucial for our visibility and show that we are resisting Russian aggression. We are expecting 80,000 people to March with us. This will be a huge march in support of Ukraine, the LGBT community along with its allies will be showing their support for Ukraine. This will regain our visibility and our role as one of the biggest and most active social groups within Ukrainian society

How are you doing right now and where are you, and are you safe? Yes, I’m doing Ok, I’m currently in Kyiv

You mentioned that this year is the 10th anniversary of Kyiv Pride. Did you have big plans for this before the invasion? Yes, we had big plans, we wanted to invite European and Canadian politicians and we wanted to invite celebrities from Us and Europe to march with us to make it really big and visible to demonstrate the support. We started preparations in January and were looking for February and March to confirm everything but our plans were all erased in one day in February What are your biggest fears for the LGBT+ community in Ukraine right now? The rise of the hate crimes, police being helpless to help us with this situation. We are trying to find ways to fight these hate crimes. In terms of Russian invasion our biggest fear is our life. We have a friend who is a LGBTQI activist who escaped from Mariupol and who is often asked this question and his answer is that when you are threatened with dying due to a bomb this is more important than your gender identity or sexuality. Our biggest fear is that if Russia wins, we will die

What were things like in Kyiv/Ukraine for the LGBT+ community before the Russian invasion and what is it like now? Unlike Russia, Ukraine is a very democratic country and human rights are respected in this country and we have a possibility to fight for human rights. Ukraine LGBTQI rights movement is over 30 years old. Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1991 and in 1993 and the 1st organisations appeared. We have a national LGBTQI conference which is 15 years old and Kyiv Pride is 10 years old this year. Trans rights were significantly improved and accepted and Ukrainian society sees the LGBTQI as a social movement fighting for human rights and not as a sexual minority, just obsessed with sexuality, which is a huge change for Ukraine. We were very close to introducing the draft bill for same sex marriage in Ukraine. There is still a high number of hate crimes on a regular basis before and after the invasion.

www.corkpride.com

#CorkPride2022

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Some of the results are harrowing and do not give a positive indication of what children — your children — face daily. Most people remove themselves from the reality of homophobia and transphobia since they are not personally affected.

NORMALISATION OF HOMOPHOBIA MUST NEVER BE ACCEPTED by Martin Warde

However, it is the next generation, and that may very well include your children, that are affected. While it is easy for people to rant about and make fun of those working towards making society safer and more inclusive for the next generation, people also need to realise that it is the hard work and commitment by those same people that may be the difference between your child living happily, or being physically attacked. If we want to ensure society is safe for the next generation, we need to stamp out the hate that resides within this generation. As a gay man, I am indebted to those that fought for our acceptance, and to those that challenged

The LGBT+ community in Ireland is on edge.

They are not isolated. There are many attacks that don’t grab the media’s attention, and there are countless incidents that go unreported to gardaí. There are the attacks on identity, like the burning and removal of flags during Pride Week, or the homophobic and hateful slurs graffitied across LGBT+ bars and spaces. There are casual homophobic jokes made by people online, sometimes by comedians. All of this normalises the social “othering” of the LGBT+ community. “There’s no need for pride parades anymore, sure haven’t they all got the same right as us nowadays?” You might recognise this type of comment from the online regurgitations written by people that believe the LGBT+ community no longer need to “flaunt” their sexuality in the faces of “normal” people. You may see comments like, “I don’t care what sexuality you are, there’s no need to stick it in our faces”. You might also see comments under articles such as “PC culture gone mad”, or “straight white men are the minority nowadays” , or the jewel in the crown of free speech advocates: “I’m entitled to my opinion”. The reality of hate crime is often put aside in place of a personal opinions, lacking in the empathy and community awareness required to understand the reality of those from the LGBT+ community.

The issue facing the community today is one of negative discourse and resentment, usually held by a few social media agitators. However, the normalisation of their divisive and hateful commentary often gives rise to those online opinions being reinforced in a physical form. Discrimination and bullying exist and starts as early as school. One survey conducted by BeLonG To Youth Services and Columbia University, involving 788 students ranging from 13-20 in every county, gave a harrowing account of what LGBT+ children face today. How can we as a society accept that 73% of the students surveyed felt unsafe at school? How does it happen? Does it possibly have something to do with the fact that 70% of those students hadn’t been taught anything positive about the LGBT+ community in school? Some of the other findings showed that 77% of LGBT+ students experienced verbal harassment, 38% physical harassment and 11% were physically assaulted.

With the tragic deaths of two men in Sligo in April, both of which are being treated as murder, and possibly hate crimes, there is palpable fear in the community. Gardaí have said they are looking into a possible connection that both men may have met someone online, before being murdered in their own homes. Also this week, Evan Somers, a 23-year-old gay man, was brutally assaulted on Dame Street in Dublin. Mr Somers was beaten so badly that he suffered two fractures and a dislocation to his ankle, a fractured eye socket as well as numerous other injuries. He feels that this was a homophobic attack, and the incident brought to the forefront the conversation being had on the proposed Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill 2021. Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he was “shocked and appalled that an assault of this nature occurred in our capital city”, and that he would discuss with Justice Minister Helen McEntee the presence of gardaí on the streets, as well as new hate crime laws. Some people reading this will be thinking, so what? It’s not as if these types of crimes happen every day, you may think. They are isolated incidents being used for fear-mongering, you may believe.

the State in the late ‘80s to eventually bring about the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the mid 1990s.

In the wake of the tragic events this week and in the memory of all of those that have been persecuted in Ireland and across the world, it is worth thinking about how actions and words may, in some part, add to the acceptance of hate towards the LGBT+ community. When the rainbow flags flying high, some people will see it as a promotion of the “gay agenda” . The rainbow flag flies high, not to promote our sexuality, but to remember the efforts of those that

carried it before us, and to remind those that come after us, that they matter, and that they deserve to exist. It is about carrying that flag for the next generation and marching in the footsteps of those that made it possible.

www.corkpride.com

#CorkPride2022

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The Peacock Parlour

BAN CONVERSION THERAPY

LGBT Ireland in partnership with regional activists and support groups will ensure that supports are available for anyone willing to share their experiences with the researchers. Working in partnership with The Rainbow Project NI, we have also set up a steering group on which regional LGBTI+ activists and support groups from throughout the island of Ireland are represented, including Gay Project Cork, to ensure that we have a consistent approach and that the legislation to which the present government is committed is comprehensive, inclusive and leaves no-one behind. Our campaign involves building upon the work of others, including Senator Fintan Warfield and the grassroots Anti-Conversion Therapy Coalition who have been instrumental in bringing these abhorrent practices into the public consciousness. As part of the work of our steering group, we are reaching out to various mental health professional bodies with the aim of producing a Memorandum of Understanding for mental health professionals which acknowledges the harm caused by conversion practices and sets out best practices guidelines. We are also working to raise awareness among the LGBTI+ community and the public at large about this problem which is not yet sufficiently understood. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many people who have been subjected to treatment falling within the term ‘conversion practices’ may not be fully aware what it is that has happened to them. We need to ensure that people are educated about the real dangers posed by these interventions, how to recognise them for what they are and how and where to seek support if they are threatened with or subjected to them. What next? The good news is that Ireland is poised to join 14 other nations including France, Canada and New Zealand, as well as many other states provinces, cities and local authorities worldwide as momentum gathers globally behind the movement to ban conversion practices, thanks to the work of activists like Jayne Ozanne and others in terms of shining a light into these dark places. Governments have acted and continue to act to protect their LGBTI+ citizens from these appalling interventions. We know, however, that in some jurisdictions, the bans introduced fall far wide of the mark in terms of affording real protection to everyone against conversion practices. Greater engagement with survivors, activist groups and global experts are needed in order to ensure that the pitfalls encountered in other jurisdictions are avoided, with the Tory government’s outrageous decision being a recent cautionary tale. In that regard, we are delighted to see the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly ignoring the myopic and frankly discriminatory approach favoured in Westminster and forging their own path towards genuinely inclusive and effective legislation that includes all citizens. It’s with that in mind that we are calling for a total ban on conversion practices that protects people of all ages and in all contexts, whether religious, cultural or clinical. In legislating against such degrading and inhumane acts, we as a State will be affording much needed protection to the rights of our LGBTI+ citizens and sending out a clear message that as a society will not stand for conduct which undermines the human dignity of its LGBTI+ citizens and that we value those same citizens equally and cherish and celebrate them for who they are.

“IT’S IMPERATIVE THAT WE SEE ACTION RIGHT NOW TO LEGISLATE AGAINST THESE CRUEL, INHUMAN AND OUTDATED PRACTICES” Who offers conversion practices? The perpetrators are often people in a position of power or authority or influence over the individual, be they a religious leader, a family member or a healthcare professional, someone in a position of trust. The law needs to cover each and every scenario. In addition, it’s really important that the legislation tackles the issue of advertising and promoting conversion interventions. It’s significant that in Northern Ireland, newly elected MLA Eoin Tennyson who is openly gay was handed literature offering conversion practices on the doorsteps while he canvassed in his constituency. Our campaign also recognises the prevalence of conversion practices in Northern Ireland and the particular challenges that presents for us. It’s for that reason that LGBT Ireland are working in partnership with The Rainbow Project NI to ensure insofar as possible a consistency of approach north and south and above all, to ensure that there is adequate protection in the legislation to stop people being removed from the jurisdiction for the purposes of conversion practices, whether to Northern Ireland or overseas. What if someone consents to conversion therapy? One of our main priorities is to guard against a religious consent exemption in the promised legislation. The reason for this is that free and informed consent to practices aimed at suppressing or fundamentally altering someone’s identity or sexuality is almost impossible. At our launch event, renowned global activist Jayne Ozanne spoke very powerfully about her own experience of conversion practices in a faith-setting. Having been conditioned over many years to believe that her attraction to members of her own sex was a manifestation of demonic possession, she is strongly of the view that no consent to having the ‘evil’ within her cast out could have been a valid consent. It is personal experiences such as this which need to inform our legislators in the work that lies ahead. Just as nations have determined that people cannot freely consent to real and lasting physical harm such as female genital mutilation, so too must we take action to prevent people being subjected to real and lasting psychological harm on the false and discredited premise that they are sick, or sinful or transgressive.

by Alan Edge

‘Surely that doesn’t go on here?’ That’s the first question that people often ask when they learn about the ban conversion practices campaign being spearheaded by LGBT Ireland. The short answer is: yes, it definitely does. We know it does. And what’s more, we know it often happens in dark places. Sometimes those dark places are within a closed religious setting or in the home. At other times, they exist within the privacy of a ‘counselling’ session. But wherever conversion practices occur, the potential for profound, traumatic and long-lasting psychological harm on those subjected to them is enormous. And we as a nation know to our great cost the danger of ignoring bad things that happen in dark places. That is why it’s imperative that we see action right now to legislate against these cruel, inhuman and outdated practices and this was the key message of our launch event at the Museum of Literature in Dublin on IDAHOBIT22. What are Conversion Practices? In this campaign, we are using the term ‘practices’ rather than ‘therapy’ because there is nothing therapeutic about seeking to ‘change’, ‘suppress’, ‘cure’ or ‘fix’ someone’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression. What we are dealing with in such circumstances is not therapy, it’s torture, nothing more and nothing less. Conversion practices, put simply, are a broad range of interventions, whether religious, clinical or cultural, which have as a predetermined outcome the altering or suppressing of a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression. At their core is an assumption that being LGBTI+ is somehow wrong, or sinful or pathological and therefore in need of changing. Interventions coming under the umbrella term ‘conversion practices’ range from pseudo-scientific counselling

What Conversion Practices are not One of the arguments often trotted out by proponents of conversion practices in clinical contexts is that legislation to ban them will have a chilling effect on mental health professionals trying to help clients who are navigating their own sexuality or gender identity or gender expression. This is an absolute myth. No counsellor or psychotherapist or psychiatrist would be inhibited in their job of helping and guiding someone exploring their identity provided the professional wasn’t acting in furtherance of a particular agenda of their own. Problems only arise when so-called professionals are leading people to an outcome which they themselves have pre-determined when in fact, mental health professionals should have no ‘skin in the game’ so far as the outcome is concerned. Legislation should be clear about what constitutes a ‘conversion practice’ in a clinical sitting and what does not. Who is subjected to them? Often the victims of these bogus practices are very vulnerable, such as children and young people in the midst of their emotional development, or LGBTI+ people from marginalised and minority groups who may not have access to the same supports many of us enjoy and who may feel pressurised to conform to conservative cultural norms according to which being LGBTI+ is not accepted. We know from research carried out in other jurisdictions that trans people are particularly vulnerable to these kinds of practices which makes the recent decision of the Tory government in Westminster to exclude them from any legislative protection even more shocking and which led us to arrange a demonstration at the British Embassy in Dublin in solidarity with our trans family in the UK, attended by allies and activists from all over Ireland. At the heart of our campaign is our determination that no-one should be left behind and in that regard, we really welcome the recent commitment of Minister Roderic O’Gorman at our campaign launch on IDAHOBIT22 that the legislation his government will bring forward will be inclusive.

sessions and ‘healing’ through prayer through to exorcisms, abduction, forced marriages and even incidents of ‘corrective’ rape.

What is being done here in Ireland to stop these practices?

The present government committed in its programme for government to legislating to ban conversion practices. Research into these interventions has been commissioned by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to get a clearer picture of conversion practices in Ireland and this will be underway shortly. As part of that research, it’s really important to hear from survivors of these practices who are willing and able to come forward to share their stories and help to better inform our legislators.

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DIVERSITY EQUITY & INCLUSION We aspire to mirror the diversity of our customers and the communities in which we live and serve,

and to empower our employees to bring their authentic selves to work where all are included.

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EAST WEST Taking Up The Thread

So we kept the original theme of the Conference, Picking Up The Thread, as we cannot ignore the many changes that took place in the past 2 years, adding the new challenges caused by the military conflict of which the total impact cannot yet be measured. We will talk about the possibly changed role of the business world that entered actively the arena of Diversity & Inclusion. EmW still considers them crucial partners for strengthening the LGBTIQ communities. But we will also give ample space and a voice to the situation of the many LGBTIQ groups that were forced to leave their country and are building a new network, still supporting the LGBTIQ community in their home regions. After two years, we can meet again in person! But our signature event is hybrid, so we make online streaming available to audiences across the whole world.

• A Look from the East and a Look from the West • An East meets West Reality Check on Slovakia • Our LGBTIQ Community in Times of War • LGBTIQ NGOs in Exile - Bending but Never Cracking! • Catching up with the Growing LGBTIQ Travel • CSR and the Journey to ESG • Coming-out in Business... a Small Step with Big Rewards • The East meets West Awards and Celebration Interested to know more and join us, please have a look at the full program https://www.eastmeetswest.eu/2022conference Looking forward to meet you all! And there are good reasons not to miss our 2022 Conference as the program features:

There are many European organisations, which work with and for the LGBTIQ community. They range from large international institutions to very small local NGOs. But the Central and Eastern part of Europe was somehow forgotten and for many organisations, Europe stopped where the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’ existed until 1989. So, in 2013 in Prague, Ludo Swinnen and Pavel Šubrt, set up in Vienna East meets West, and became their 2 drivers. East meets West is a network of LGBTIQ professionals from Western and primarily Eastern Europe and facilitates the exchange of ideas, the sharing of best practices and generates mutual inspiration to improve the social acceptance of LGBTIQ people in the different countries. To get a full overview of the activities, just have a look at www.eastmeetswest.eu. Had the original Social focus point of East meets West been quite innovative in the beginning, this was now little by little copied by larger, more powerful organizations so East meets West started looking for a new strategy that could not only answer the changing needs of the LGBTIQ movement but would inspire these NGO’s to look for new strategic goals. As two senior business people, Pavel and Ludo looked at the possible role LGBTIQ businesses could play in the future. It became quickly clear that this topic was really never looked at in Europe. LGBTIQ owned and managed businesses are, just like women owned businesses, clearly underrepresented in the economical networks of countries. East meets West wants to motivate the many LGBTIQ owned and operated businesses to come out and become a positive role model in their community.

This has become an additional mission of East meets West. They saw that negative social attitudes towards LGBTIQ people are not based on facts or experiences but on questionable values that have been handed down from generation to generation and that these can only be debunked by visible and positive roll-models, especially by LGBTIQ business representatives. So today, the East meets West brand has two pillars, EmW Social that has a catalyst function in the LGBTIQ organizational ecosystem by connecting NGO’s, diplomatic representatives, officials, corporate players and entrepreneurs. EmW Business is the facilitator

of awareness on LGBTIQ businesses and that LGBTIQ people can be successful

entrepreneurs and become role models inside and outside the LGBTIQ community.

Co-Founders of East meets West

u

Still being an association run by the 2 co- founders, the yearly East meets West Conference became their yearly moment of truth, a

check-point for measuring the impact East meets West had in their traditional home market, the CEE region. It is the signature event of the association when the

active networking with key LGBTIQ activists, allowed them to put the finger on the pulse of the European LGBTIQ communities. Also this year, EmW will organize its 8th International East meets West Conference, this time in the Slovak capital, Bratislava on July 22nd. When planning this 2022 East meets West Conference, we were happy to leave, after 2 difficult years, the COVID pandemic behind us. We all needed to come back to our pre- COVID LGBTIQ activities. But then an even bigger disaster hit us, the military invasion of Ukraine by Russia. East meets West (EmW) has been partnering with all CEE countries, independent of the political system that the country had as EmW focuses on all LGBTIQ communities.

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