Painting Cork in the rainbow of Pride
Cork Pride
From July 24 to August 1, Cork will be painted in rainbow colours with over 20 events taking place to celebrate this year's Cork Pride, one of the country's biggest pride festivals and the only one to achieve charitable status in Ireland. Excitement is especially growing because much of the festival is set to take place in person this year under strict Covid-19 guidelines. July 2019 saw its biggest year yet, with thousands showing up to walk in the city parade.
"We came around the corner and the gardaí looked over at us and said 'lads, where are we going to put the people?'. In 16 years, Cork Pride had managed to outgrow Grand Parade," says Cork Pride business development manager Kery Mullaly.
Though the parade will take place in cars this year, Cork's LGBTQI+ organisations will walk in pods on the day.
“Many people don't realise this but Cork has led the way for decades on LGBT issues. Historically we had the first National Gay Conference in 1981 and the first gay float in any Saint Patrick's Day parade” says Michael O’Donnell, who works with Gay Project, a community organisation based in Cork for gay, bisexual, trans, and queer men.
The organisation traces its roots back to the 1970s when meetings first took place under the guise of the Cork Naturist Club. “There's amazing work happening in Cork and there has been for a long time. This is due to the work of my predecessors in Gay Project as well as Cork Pride, LINC, Gender Rebels, and too many others to name,” Michael says.
“Ireland has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and it's wonderful to see. Now that we are digging a little deeper, we can also see that we still have a huge amount left to achieve.”
Michael says that people tell him every day how much it means to have a service like Gay Project, which provides supports through a range of social, sporting, and cultural groups. They also deliver training on LGBT+ awareness and campaign for rights and policy protections.
“The ability to attend a group where people know they don't need to worry makes a huge difference. It provides a haven that bridges the gap from where people want to be in themselves and where they currently are,” Michael says.
“Pride provides us all with an opportunity to celebrate the incredibly beautiful and diverse range of people who make up our world and it means different things to different people. For some it's a protest, for others it's a festival, for more it's both or neither. There's a space for everyone. It's all about enabling those who've been overlooked to develop and articulate their voice.”
LINC is a Cork-based NGO working to improve the quality of life for women who identify as lesbian and bisexual and are the only organisation of their type in the country. They provide social support, workshops, a pen pal service, a low-cost counselling service and much more for women around Munster and further afield.
"It's really important for women when they're coming out to have that social contact and be able to meet up and get support or just have fun," says LINC's coordinator Kate Moynihan. "One of the things we have seen, over the last year especially, is a lot more women coming out, including older women. Our social activities allow those women to make friends in a new world."
LINC was set up over 20 years ago and Kate says that things have "changed hugely" in Ireland since then, but she believes there is still a way to go. “We've made huge advances in a short period of time but we're still dealing with some things. When you see things happen like the burning of rainbow flags and posters being taken down, it shows that homophobia is still very much present. I think there's been a bit of a backlash to Pride and to us being more visible. You have to remember 1993 was decriminalisation, that's not that long ago,” she says.
"We have women coming into us and we are the only place where they are out. Unfortunately, people still think there's something wrong with being LGBT because that message comes from society. It's so important for us to be visible, especially for young people who are coming out and may be struggling. We constantly hear that it's all roses for young people but it's not.”
No one knows this better than the members of UCC’s LGBT Society, which is a student-run group that organises social, educational, and political events on and off campus.
"I came out the year before I started college, so I only began dipping my toe into the water of the queer community then," says public relations officer Ciara Harney. "I headed straight to the society. It's a place to go to and a queer point to contact right from orientation. You start to build organic friend groups after joining and I found that really helpful. It's really pivotal in many ways.”
Ciara is from Waterford and came out when she was 17 years old, right before moving to Cork. "It wasn't as dramatic as I always feared but we do see negative things, like the Waterford Pride display being destroyed twice and the bar being vandalized in Dublin. They're very impersonal and public displays of hate,” the 20-year-old says.
“Now that I have the benefit of hindsight, I see how ridiculous those actions are but when you're younger, they do stand out. When you have a network of queer people, you have people standing in your corner. It’s invaluable.”
While she isn’t dismissive of the progress that’s been made, she still thinks there’s a way to go. "While there have been so many milestones in the last decade, which have been valuable and wonderful, the underlying fear and violence that the community faces haven't been written off. Nor are the perpetrators exclusive to any generation. It is widespread. There are still steps to go."
Like LINC and Gay Project, the society provides a safe space for people. "We're like a family and usually, when people come in they're comfortable straight away," says social science student Elliott. The 20-year-old Douglas native is the society’s chairperson and has been working with the committee to organise a student-inspired Cork Pride celebration, which will hopefully be held in person depending on restrictions. "There'll be an online event as well, so everyone will be able to enjoy Pride."
Right from the first society meeting Elliott Mulhall attended, they knew they wanted to try to make a difference. "It's important to me that people have a sense of community and a group to belong to. A lot of people coming to college might not have met another LGBTQ person before," Elliott says. Approaching Cork Pride, the society has been asking members what Pride means to them and Elliott already knows their answer. "Pride means being proud of who I am no matter what anyone else to say about it."
This year, Cork Pride Festival will hold its popular parade at the beginning of the week to break up crowds, with the after-party event being held on the final day. It took a lot for organisers to get to this point, having gone completely virtual for last year's festival. Participants couldn't be more excited to get back on the streets of Cork - whether it’s on wheels or not.
"It's all about visibility. We've had people who were on the footpath watching in previous years and end up walking in the parade with us. People see the banners and make contact with us because of it," Kate says.
"Pride is always important. Where it has become more of a celebration, it came from people fighting for their rights and we should never lose sight of where we came from. We need to fight not only for ourselves but for other countries with different situations to us here in Ireland. As long as there are people looking on from the sidelines and are afraid to take part, then we need Pride."