Stormont's first openly Gay MLA John Blair 'happy to be breakg down barriers but has a job to do' |

Contents:

• STORMONT'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA JOHN BLAIR 'HAPPY TO BE BREAKG DOWN BARRIERS BUT HAS A JOB TO DO'
• NORTHERN IRELAND SET TO HAVE S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA
• MEET NORTHERN IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA - DAVID FORD ALLIANCE REPLACEMENT JOHN BLAIR
• Eó TENNYSON HOP TO BE FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA

STORMONT'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA JOHN BLAIR 'HAPPY TO BE BREAKG DOWN BARRIERS BUT HAS A JOB TO DO'

Northern Ireland's first openly gay Assembly member has said he is more than happy to be breakg down Blair has been selected as the new Alliance MLA for South will replace David Ford, the former party lear, who is steppg down at the end of this while the 52-year-old Glengormley man's selectn as the first openly gay MLA was big news yterday, he hop won't be years to e.

"I'm grateful for that, I'm happy to take the qutns for now, but the important thg is that I will have a job to do as an MLA, not as a 'gay MLA', " he said.

NORTHERN IRELAND SET TO HAVE S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA

History will be ma later this week when Alrman John Blair be the North’s first openly gay MLA. John Blair wh Alliance lear Naomi Long and David FordThe replacement for the retirg David Ford will be Stormont's first openly gay MLA, the Alliance party has said. 'I me out when I was 19 and before I did I wonred if my sexualy might hold me back om certa thgs life'Eó Tennyson says homophobic and sectarian haters won’t stop his drive to get to week the 23-year-old Alliance Assembly hopeful was subjected to abe om a man who went to nsirable effort to track him down his r jt to abe him for phg an electn leaflet through his reported the barrage of foul-mouthed abe to the police, he says he was taken back by the vrl but his ‘hater’ didn’t make clear if was his sexualy or his relign or jt a pathologil hatred of the lour yellow that raised his Eó, already an acplished uncillor Armagh Cy, Banbridge and Craigavon, has had no shortage of homophobic hate mail tellg him he’s “disgtg” and even suggtns of where he uld obta gay nversn ’s also been qutned about his relign, wh one woman lookg at his name on his leaflet and askg: “Well, you’re clearly not a Prod are you?

“It’s important for young people om the gay muny to see people like them reflected society, pecially for young people bee giv them hope. “Seeg gay and lbian people beg elected mak you feel clud while havg people elected wh different lived experienc leads to better out for everyone I thk. ”Read moreNorthern Ireland may be a more tolerant place for the LGBTQ+ muny than was a quarter of a century ago when the Good Friday Agreement was signed but we’ve yet to elect an openly gay or lbian ndidate to Stormont.

Eó would be breakg a uple of rerds should he be elected May the crowdnstuency of Upper Bann which featur heavy hters like the SDLP’s Dolor Kelly, Sn Fé’s John O’Dowd, UUP lear Doug Beattie and one of the DUP’s risg stars, Jonathan ’d certaly bee the youngt MLA ever elected – he’s actually younger than the Good Friday he’d also bee the first – and perhaps one of several firsts if others standg are also elected – openly gay ndidat to make to Parliament two Alliance lleagu Andrew Muir (North Down) and John Blair (South Antrim) are openly gay and are stg MLAs but they were -opted onto their seats rather than beg May 5 Assembly electn will almost certaly be a landmark moment for the LGBTQ+ om the three aforementned Alliance ndidat, there are two UUP hopefuls who are gay – Julie-Anne Corr-Johnston North Belfast and Lren Kerr South Belfast, and there are others standg too.

MEET NORTHERN IRELAND'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA - DAVID FORD ALLIANCE REPLACEMENT JOHN BLAIR

Eó may have been attracted to the polics of the Alliance Party bee of the jtice and excln suffered by the LGBTQ+ muny but havg served a uple of years as a uncillor he’s clued to know what else mak people says he’s passnate about the environment, climate change and renewable energy and says he’s been surprised how ltle people are talkg about the Protol on the “Health and st of livg – that’s what up at almost every door, ” he he lik to do thgs his own and raised the Co Armagh village of Maghery to a tradnally natnalist fay, was as much a surprise to them when he “me out” as Alliance as when he announced he was gay.

Gay MLA hails progrs, but says key issu still need addrsedAlliance MLA John Blair at Belfast Pri.

Eó TENNYSON HOP TO BE FIRST OPENLY GAY MLA

Cred: Liam McBurneyAndrew MadnFri 30 Jul 2021 at 07:36The Alliance Party’s John Blair has opened up on his experienc as Northern Ireland's first openly gay polician, praisg the progrs that has been ma for LGBTQ equaly – but utng there is still much road to travel.