The National LGBTQ+ Federation (NXF), originally founded as the National Gay Federation (NGF) in 1979, played a pioneering role in establishing LGBTQ+ visibility and community support in Ireland. The Hirschfeld Centre, opened by the NGF in Dublin’s Temple Bar, served as the country’s first full-time LGBTQ+ community hub until it was destroyed by fire in 1988. During the 1980s, the NGF significantly contributed to LGBTQ+ media and historical preservation, initiating the Irish Queer Archive (IQA) and launching key publications such as Identity, Out, and Gay Community News (GCN), the latter of which continues to be Ireland’s longest-running queer periodical.

The organisation, renamed the National Lesbian & Gay Federation (NLGF) in 1991, expanded its archival and advocacy work throughout the 1990s. The IQA was formally structured under the leadership of Tonie Walsh and supported by a working group of historians and archivists. GCN was relaunched in magazine format in 2002, and in 2007, the NLGF hosted a symposium on marriage rights that helped catalyse the formation of MarriagEquality, the leading campaign group for civil marriage equality in Ireland. In 2008, the NLGF transferred the vast IQA collection to the National Library of Ireland, securing its preservation for future generations.

In 2013, the NLGF organised Ireland’s first conference on poverty and social exclusion in the LGBTQ+ community, reinforcing its role as a thought leader and advocate for equality. That same year marked GCN’s 25th anniversary and the departure of long-time Chair Ailbhe Smyth, who had strengthened the organisation’s financial foundation and focus on marriage equality. Since 2015, now under the name the NXF, the federation has continued to lead through research, advocacy, and coalition work. Actively contributing to initiatives like Trans Equality Together and the Ban Conversion Practices campaign, the NXF remains a vital force in advancing LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion in Ireland.