Have a goo at the current issue of GCN »

The GALAS were set up by GCN and the National LGBT Federation (NXF) to honour LGBT+ people and organisations for their contributions to Irish society.

The awards are also to honour politicians, employers and others who are committed to advancing equality and social acceptance for LGBT+ people in Ireland.

The GALAS International Award, which gives a bursary of €2,000 to person fighting for LGBT+ rights in countries that seriously discriminate against LGBT’s will be among the 18 awards handed out this year.

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On May 2015 the people of Ireland made history by voting Yes in the marriage referendum and Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce marriage equality by public vote. Our road to equality started long before this, however, and doesn’t end here…

The exhibition and talk will showcase portraits and stories from our shared LGBT history and pay tribute to some of the people who helped bring about change on the road to equality.

Next stop is UCD….

Invitation: Launch of UCD LGBTI Staff Network,
Wed 22 February, 5.30-730pm

Burning Issues 2
In 2015, after years of activism, we achieved marriage equality and gender recognition.  Following these momentous gains, “what’s next for LGBT Ireland and what’s important to YOU“?

Burning Issues 2 – largest consultation of the LGBT community in Ireland

Minister of State David Stanton TD officially launched the findings of the largest consultation of the LGBT community ever undertaken in Ireland on Wednesday, 29 June at 7pm in the Wood Quay Venue in Dublin City Council.

The key findings of the consultation require the Government to:

• Introduce hate crimes legislation to protect minority groups in Ireland as the prevention of bullying and violence is the key concern of the LGBT community.
• End the life-long blood donation ban on gay and bisexual men and ensure that all health services are LGBT inclusive and in particular mental health services.
• Integrate LGBT inclusion within the ministerial brief of the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht to ensure the needs of LGBT rural people are central to rural policy.  More than 85% of LGBT people in rural areas do not have enough community supports or services or opportunities to socialise.
• Campaign for marriage equality in Northern Ireland.
• Introduce mandatory LGBT equality and awareness training for all public service providers in education, health, social care, elderly care and parental support services.
• Amend the Gender Recognition Act so it covers transgender young people and provides for the legal recognition of non-binary and intersex people.

There are also a number of findings requiring LGBT community action in the areas of community development, regional support and alliance as well as through the celebration of gender and sexuality diversity.

Olivia McEvoy, Chair of the National LGBT Federation, stated that “we have always known that recent legislative changes are only a platform for the culture we aspire to, where diversity is really championed and celebrated and where people can live authentic lives in dignity as their true selves. Burning Issues 2 now makes it crystal clear that we still have a long journey to travel before we end sexual and gender oppression in Ireland. While a number of additional specific and necessary legislative changes are mooted in the report, the required cultural shift will only be realised when the core principle of promoting sexuality and gender acceptance underpins all state policy and LGBT inclusion and equality become mainstream in all public service provision across education, health, parental support and social services.  Moreover, it is particularly apparent that those on the margins need targeted support, especially transgender people, bisexuals and those who are LGBT and older, younger and living rurally”.

The findings are contained in the ‘Burning Issues 2’ research report, which is based on a national survey of over 2600 LGBT people and 10 nation-wide focus groups in 7 cities and towns across the Republic of Ireland which was conducted in Spring 2016.

To view the report click on –> Burning Issues 2 Report

To view the survey click on –> Burning Issues 2 Survey

Burning Issues 1
In 2009, the National LGBT Federation (NXF) conducted a survey to find out what was really important to LGBT people in Ireland. This was the first time a survey had ever been conducted of LGBT people to identify the key priorities of the community. The research report, Burning Issues: Listening to the Voices of the LGBT Community in Ireland, provided an in-depth overview of the attitudes of LGBT Ireland that informed our work and the policy priorities of our community.

To view the report click on –> Burning Issues 1 Report

Winners from the 2016 GALAS Awards:

Community Organisation: BeLongTo

Voluntary Organisation (Unpaid staff): Running Amach

Volunteer: Sheila Crowley

Event: Transfusion

Employer: EY

LGBT Student Society: Laura Harmon/USI

Sports Award: Dublin Front Runners

Social Media: Get The Boat To Vote

LGBT Ally: Mary McAleese

Campaign: Yes Equality | Campaign for Gender Recognition

Journalist (Print or Broadcast): Ursula Halligan

Political Figure: Frances Fitzgerald TD 

Irish TV/Film: Conor Horgan – Queen of Ireland

Irish Arts Literature: Joe Caslin

Irish Entertainment Personality: Victoria Secret

Noel Walsh HIV Campaigner Award: Deirdre Seerey

International Award: Donny Reyes from Honduras

Person of the Year: People of Ireland (accepted by Brighid & Paddy Whyte)

Lifetime Achievement: Marriage Equality

Yes vote in referendum would send inclusive message to LGBT Irish citizens living abroad » 

With so many pressing time commitments and financial responsibilities facing Irish people, it is not difficult to understand why achieving civil marriage equality for same-sex couples may not quite top their agenda. However, it is important to recognise that the achievement of civil marriage equality for same- sex couples is not simply a minority issue for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The forthcoming referendum on civil marriage equality next spring is a rare opportunity for the electorate to have a meaningful say in shaping the type of Ireland we live in and that we want for young people.

A majority Yes to civil marriage equality in this referendum would mean every child and young person who has yet to “come out” would do so in an Ireland where they would only ever know legislative equality; and all the parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, teachers and others who love and respect them could be assured that they would not be denied equal opportunities in life on the basis of their sexual orientation.
Moreover, legislative equality would help provide a platform on which we could build an Irish culture in which diversity was valued and celebrated and in which people could be their true selves. Legislative equality essentially paves the way for a society that celebrates diverse identities and empowers all citizens of Ireland to live openly and authentically. Building such a culture would greatly help combat the vicious homophobia and transphobia that still exists in many schoolyards, work canteens and on street corners.
Although Ireland is at least on the journey towards social acceptance of LGBT people, homophobic bullying and prejudice, with all of their damaging effects, are still very prevalent in our lives.
Discrimination
It is difficult to accept that in a country whose people have been so damaged by repression and oppression in the past, we are still facilitating a culture in which LGBT people are discriminated against and where anyone perceived as different is bullied and made to feel lesser for that.
Achieving civil marriage equality will also signal to the thousands of LGBT Irish citizens living abroad, many of whom left because they could not live open and honest lives here, that Ireland has joined the extensive and growing number of countries and jurisdictions that afford full equality to LGBT citizens.
Providing protection of and equal status for our relationships and families in the most powerful document in the State, Bunreacht na hÉireann, will be a clear statement by Irish people that discrimination of LGBT people, repression and narrow-mindedness have no place in modern Ireland. Indeed, it would finally make good on the promise in the Proclamation to cherish “all the children of the nation equally” just in time for the centenary celebrations of the Rising.

There is every indication that civil marriage equality enjoys overwhelming public support. The most recent Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll (October 2014) indicates that some 67 per cent would vote in favour of civil marriage equality while 20 per cent would vote against it – (9 per cent had no opinion and 3 per cent refused to respond). However, this clear readiness to embrace civil marriage equality will count for nothing if it does not translate in the polling booths.
There is a danger that because there is such strong public support for civil marriage equality many will assume this referendum will pass easily. Indeed, there is already an element of fatigue in hearing about the issue because it is erroneously seen as a done deal.
The reality is that unless every person who supports the idea of a more equal Ireland goes to the poll and votes Yes in the referendum on civil marriage equality – and galvanises the support of friends, family and colleagues – the opportunity to shape Ireland for the better will have been lost. And for a very long time.
Opponents of civil marriage equality are well organised and their concerted campaign will motivate and mobilise very significant support for a No vote in the referendum. The campaign for a No vote will likely be extremely well financed, including by people who live outside the country but who see Ireland as a last bastion of “traditional values”.
Bruising campaign
As much of the media interpret the McKenna judgment to mean equal time must be given to both sides of the argument in any referendum in order to provide the required balance, the referendum campaign is likely to be bruising in parts, not least for young LGBT people starting out on their journey of self-discovery during this debate.
Indeed, the entire LGBT community will once again be forced to listen to whether our relationships and lives are really of equal value or worth. All this will take its toll on the lives we are living.
What matters most is that we make that toll count for something. So many organisations, activists and LGBT people living openly have laid the foundations needed to win this referendum over many years. We are now relying on the electorate to complete that good work and pass the referendum. In doing so, together as a nation, we can send a powerful message to the world that Ireland is ready to be a country that celebrates diversity and where all of its people live in dignity and as equal citizens.

Olivia McEvoy – Chairwoman of the National LGBT Federation

Today, one month from referendum day on May 22nd, the National LGBT Federation (NXF) has launched the ‘YesX10 for Marriage Equality’ Campaign. This campaign asks every individual to take personal responsibility for getting at least TEN people to the poll to vote YES in the upcoming marriage equality referendum.

Olivia McEvoy, Chair of the NXF, stated: ‘Marriage Equality matters to different people for different reasons. For some it’s about allowing people to live in dignity, cherished and celebrated for who and what they are. For others it’s simply about allowing people to express their love fully. And for many, it is about creating a more equal society, where everyone can participate and fulfil their full potential. Marriage equality is good for business, good for the individual, and above all, good for family and society as a whole.’

Ms McEvoy continued: ‘The NXF believes this referendum will be won if people have the courage to tell the people they know about why marriage equality matters to them. Ultimately, it’s your own personal story that matters to your people, and only you can make sure your ten people vote yes on the day.’

With this in mind, the NXF’s ‘YesX10 for Marriage Equality’ Campaign is asking everyone who wants to secure a YES vote to make sure ten of your colleagues, your friends, your family members come out on the 22nd May and vote a resounding YES for marriage equality. ‘If every one of us in this community and our allies have conversations with ten people we know about voting YES, if every one of us secures ten YES votes and takes responsibility for bringing those ten people to the poll to vote YES, it could well make the difference on the day’ Ms McEvoy said.

‘YesX10 for Marriage Equality’ materials, including a card to help you gather your 10 people, are all available for download at http://nxf.ie/events/yesx10-for-marriage-equality/

ENDS

NXF: The National Lesbian and Gay Federation re-branded as the National LGBT Federation on February 21st, 2014. The organisation should be referred to as the ‘National LGBT Federation’ wherever possible. Where an acronym is necessary, please use NXF. Please do not use NLGBTF.

For more information on the work of the National LGBT Federation, follow us on Facebook and Twitter and on our newly unveiled web-site: NXF.ie Twitter: @NXFie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NLGFederation

CONTACTS
Olivia McEvoy, Chair
T: 087 648 0012
E: Olivia@NXF.ie

Want to help win the referendum on Civil Marriage Equality on May 22?

The referendum will only be won if every person who supports Civil Marriage Equality mobilises the people they know to vote Yes.

– Have conversations with 10 people you know about voting Yes
– Secure 10 people you know to vote Yes
– Take responsibility to make sure 10 people get to the polling station and vote Yes

Make sure you ‘YES x 10′ for Marriage Equality

Hashtag:#yesx10

Twibbon: http://twibbon.com/support/yesx10-for-marriage-equality

Yes X 10 Downloads:

Download ‘YESx10′ A4 Poster »	Download’YESx10′ A5 Leaflet »	Download My ‘YESx10′ List »
Download 10 reasons to vote YES »

GCN’S JOURNEY OVER THE PAST 300 ISSUES CHARTS OUR SHARED HISTORY AND WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY, SAYS OLIVIA MCEVOY

The National LGBT Federation (NXF) is an Irish community organisation striving to advance equality and end the discrimination of LGBT people in Ireland and internationally. While the NXF aims to achieve this social change through a variety of means – advocacy, symposia and events that celebrate our vibrant and diverse community, including The GALAS – GCN (Gay Community News) has been the flagship of our organisation for 26 out of our proud 35-year history. Indeed, GCN has been at the heart of the entire LGBT community since the first eight-page issue was published on February 10, 1988.

For so many of those pre-Internet years, GCN was the single source of information for the LGBT community. The listings pages alone enabled community and support groups to form, populate and survive. GCN helped to foster and facilitate a ‘connection’ that enabled engagement and a sense of belonging. Moreover, in an era of limited to no lesbian and gay visibility in Irish media and culture, GCN provided visual and cultural representation and a respite from heteronormativity, the magnitude of which can never be underestimated.

Of course, GCN has also chronicled the story of the Irish LGBT community. In doing all of the above, GCN has played a pivotal role in inspiring a confidence and enabling us to develop and, crucially, celebrate a diverse LGBT community in Ireland.

The LGBT community has evolved and grown and GCN’s journey, from Issue 1 in 1988 to Issue 300 in 2014, has certainly mirrored that growth. However there is sometimes an erroneous notion that with such growth in a digital age that the needs of our community have changed entirely. In fact, in response to what the community needs, GCN is still impacting in the same areas as throughout its history, albeit in a glossier printed format and through new digital platforms.

GCN remains a central information hub for the Irish LGBT community and the first port of call for LGBT people returning home from abroad and new communities arriving for the first time. GCN is of course political in nature in that it raises awareness of our quest for equal rights on a multitude of legislative issues such as civil marriage equality, gender recognition and employment, most notably Section 37.1 of the Employment Equality Act that allows religious ethos to trump equality in the workplace. Moreover, it allows us to stand in solidarity with our international LGBT colleagues and friends by drawing attention to their plights.

GCN also continues to promote visibility, educate us and, again crucially, celebrate the non-homogenous nature of our community by showcasing the vast array of community organisations and individuals as well as the astounding work that is going on within our community. Indeed it continues to inspire courage in those who have not yet come out or who still feel isolated but who draw strength from seeing others living open and honest lives. In short, GCN is still an essential space and vehicle for the LGBT community.

The enormity of the achievement in providing 300 issues of an LGBT publication of such quality, free of charge, should never be underestimated. Despite serious financial challenges over much of its 26 year history, the NXF and GCN staff – past and present – have worked assiduously to ensure that GCN remains accessible and freely available. On behalf of the current NXF Board, I would like to pay tribute to GCN’s founders – Tonie Walsh and the late Catherine Glendon – all past NXF Board members and GCN staff, the current GCN staff and most notably the man at the helm doing a sterling job for the last ten years, Brian Finnegan.

The NXF Board and GCN staff are acutely aware of and indeed are already working within the fast changing publishing climate. While we know that the publishing world is shifting quickly into digital platforms, we also know that the printed copy of GCN is cherished by so many readers, not least those outside urban centres who do not yet enjoy high-speed broadband services. The onus is on the NXF to ensure a sustainable future for GCN. To that end, we are currently overseeing a comprehensive three-year development plan that will critically assess and bid to further safeguard the future of GCN.

We are sincerely grateful to Pobal who have been unstinting in their support of GCN over the past eight years through the provision of government funding for some of the staff. Still, this represents but some of the outgoings for the organisation, and your support of the initiatives undertaken by GCN staff to plug the gap when advertising revenue plummeted in the recession, including Mother, Crush and the GCN Forever campaign, have essentially helped save your community magazine.

When we look back at the journey of GCN, it charts our shared history and what we have achieved together. It should also remind us of the importance of documenting our current story. Despite such enormous progress both legislatively and culturally since the publication of the first issue in 1988, there is still a long journey towards an Irish culture where diversity is celebrated and where people can be their true selves. Moreover, there is still a need for connection and a sense of belonging. Ultimately, we are connected by human story and shared experience. GCN documents, showcases and celebrates that story and experience.

As we publish our 300th issue this month, I hope you will join the NXF in a deep sense of pride at both the journey we have made together so far and the central role GCN has played in it.

Olivia McEvoy is the Chair of the National LGBT Federation (NXF)

Reflections on a 35 year history – A fire side chat hosted by the NXF

Date: This event took place on Friday, 17th October 2014

Thanks to everyone who supported this event.