What 's like to grow up gay Northern Ireland • GCN

Contents:

• THE QUEEN OF IRELAND: GAY RIGHTS MOVIE RELEASED NORTHERN IRELAND IS SHEER BLISS
• HOW YOUNG BELFAST-BORN GAY ACTIVIST BEME THE PRI OF STRIKG MERS
• WHAT 'S LIKE TO GROW UP GAY NORTHERN IRELAND
• IT’S BEEN 40 YEARS SCE NORTHERN IRELAND’S HUMANISG GAY SEX BAN WAS FALLY STCK DOWN
• GAY CURE MOVIE ROW GROUP NEW FILM ABOUT TV STAR WHO ‘LEFT HOMOSEXUALY’
• NORTHERN IRELAND’S NEW FIRST MISTER: GAY MARRIAGE ‘NOT AT THE TOP OF MY TRAY’
• ‘GAY KE' PLAT LED ADMISSIBLE BY EUROPEAN URT
• GAY MAN MAK HISTORY NORTHERN IRELAND AS FIRST TO GIVE BLOOD SCE DONATN L BROUGHT LE WH RT OF UK
• BELFAST: GAY AND LBIAN
• CHRISTIAN BAKERY OWNERS W APPEAL ‘GAY KE’ SE

THE QUEEN OF IRELAND: GAY RIGHTS MOVIE RELEASED NORTHERN IRELAND IS SHEER BLISS

A charismatic drag queen is the star of this documentary about the Republic's gay marriage referendum, wr Andrew JohnstonThe Queen of Ireland uldn't have timed s Northern Ireland release better. The Queen of Ireland tak om O'Neill's childhood the small town of Ballrobe, where he was, as he puts , "the lol gay", through the perhaps evable art llege years, to the velopment of his stage persona durg hedonistic adventur London and Tokyo.

He is as humble and kd as his self-scribed "urt jter" drag act is may be Han's film, but 's O'Neill and Panti's show, and as narrator, the cross-drsg star steers the narrative to s startlg nouement - Ireland's legalisg of gay marriage.

To see same-sex partners celebratg streets where 22 years prevly homosexualy had been punishable by prison livers an emotnal punch on a par wh any feel-good you'd pched this tale to a Hollywood producer the early Neti, you might well have been lghed out of the reali of beg a gay man or woman Ireland the Seventi and Eighti are well vered through extensive terviews and newsreel footage, and 's hearteng to see how far Irish society has e, though for dienc the north, will be dispirg to be remd how far we are laggg Queen of Ireland serv to be seen by everyone, be they gay, straight, male, female, young or old. The role played by a Northern Ireland gay rights activist supportg the Welsh mers' strike of the Eighti is the central storyle new movie Pri.

HOW YOUNG BELFAST-BORN GAY ACTIVIST BEME THE PRI OF STRIKG MERS

Lnched to wispread cril acclaim at the Cann Film Ftival and currently showg cemas, Pri tells the story of Portsh man Mark Ashton's efforts to break down barriers mid-80s film follows the te story of a group of gays and lbians London who cid to raise money for strikg mers, bee of their mutual hatred of Margaret, who died of Aids at the age of 27 1987, studied at the former Caterg College Portsh, before movg to London where he beme a leadg gay the 1984/85 mers' strike Wal, Ashton and his iend Mike Jackson set up Lbian and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) is played by Ben Schzer a st that clus Bill Nighy, Imelda Stnton and Domic Guardian scrib Aston as the movie's "most arrtg character – a charmg, h-faced Irish boy" played betifully by Schzer wh "spontaney, sweetns and swagger – a heartbreaker".

"Ashton was born 1961 and moved London the late 1970s where he was part of the young, unrground gay scene to mic, fashn and clubs. Wnsg extreme poverty, sickns and social equaly he returned to the UK wh a renewed sense of purpose and polil joed the Young Communist League and beme volved wh Gay featured Framed Youth: Revenge Of The Teenage Perverts (1983), an early award-wng documentary produced by Lbian and Gay was diagnosed wh Aids on January 30, 1987 and died 12 days later.

BackgroundMark Ashton joed the Young Communist League and beme volved wh Gay 1984 Mark played a key role the formatn of Lbians and Gays Support the Mers.

WHAT 'S LIKE TO GROW UP GAY NORTHERN IRELAND

Damian Kerl opens up about his experience of growg up as a gay man Northern Ireland. It’s hard to expla what ’s like growg up gay Northern Ireland to someone who never has, scrib Damian Kerl. Much of Northern Ireland is standard ral, workg class muni this way, but for me – and I image many others – your experience of livg this type of muny is twisted unexpected ways when you grow up as gay.

I always knew that I was gay. Ultimately, growg up gay a ral and relig area like Northern Ireland n feel suffotg once you’ve accepted yourself.

© 2021 GCN (Gay Communy News).

IT’S BEEN 40 YEARS SCE NORTHERN IRELAND’S HUMANISG GAY SEX BAN WAS FALLY STCK DOWN

It is 40 years sce the European Court of Human Rights livered s landmark lg that ultimately stck down Northern Ireland’s humanisg ban on homosexualy. In 1967, homosexualy was partially crimalised England and Wal wh the Sexual Offence Act. When beme clear that the partial crimalisatn of homosexualy would not be extend to Northern Ireland, queer people the regn rose up.

The secretary of state ially appeared sympathetic to the e of gay rights activists Northern Ireland. That lg me wh a ccial veat, however: the mtee said there appeared to be limed support for change to laws around homosexualy Northern Ireland. The UK ernment tried to move forward wh the partial crimalisatn of homosexualy Northern Ireland followg that remendatn – however, efforts stalled when beme clear that none of the 12 MPs for the terrory were willg to support change.

Those volved the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Associatn (NIGRA) fought tirelsly for the law to be changed as police arrted them, forced them to unrgo humanisg medil exams and raid their hoe.

GAY CURE MOVIE ROW GROUP NEW FILM ABOUT TV STAR WHO ‘LEFT HOMOSEXUALY’

Paisley, a reverend wh the Free Prbyterian Church, was termed that the law should not be changed to grant gay people the rights and eedoms they so sperately craved. The ernment promised that laws would not be enforced, but gay people ntued to face persecutn and harassment om the police. He was also a gay rights activist and a member of NIGRA when he was arrted on dg charg 1976.

Police disvered personal rrponnc sent by him which he tailed gay sex acts he had taken part , and jt like that, his se was transformed to an anti-gay wch hunt. Dudgeon brought a se to the European Commissn of Human Rights argug that Northern Ireland’s ban on homosexualy was unlawful.

He said the laws crimalisg homosexualy terfered wh his right to a private life and was vlatn of Article 8 of the European Conventn on Human Rights. It also found that the law vlated the European Conventn on Human Rights as prevented gay people om exercisg their right to a private life.

NORTHERN IRELAND’S NEW FIRST MISTER: GAY MARRIAGE ‘NOT AT THE TOP OF MY TRAY’

The lg didn’t mean that homosexualy was crimalised overnight. The Rabow Project, a Belfast-based LGBT+ chary, marked the 40th anniversary of the crimalisatn of homosexualy by drawg attentn to the areas where change is still need. Fears of vlence, timidatn and harassment rema a realy for many lbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, tersex and asexual people across Northern Ireland and beyond.

We see how the same twisted msag which were ed to nmn gay people and ce fear of our muny are beg ed to target trans/non-bary people, qutng their existence and ignorg their lived experienc.

Malte realy TV star Matthew GrechThe lear of a lol Christian anisatn has said people don't have to accept beg gay if they don't want to as he announced the Belfast premiere of a film about a "former homosexual" realy TV year the Core Issu Tst screened s so-lled 'gay cure' film Voic Of The Silenced at Ballynahch Baptist event was picketed by protters, who h out at the movie's msage about people "emergg" om homosexual film had prevly been turned down for screeng by Belfast's Queen's Film Theatre and The Vue the group has produced a send film featurg X Factor Malta nttant Matthew Grech, who Core Issu Tst lear Mike Davidson said "left homosexualy as part of his Christian ttimony" film, Once Gay: Matthew And Friends, was fund and created by the will be screened Townsend Street Prbyterian Church on Valente's Day, and Mr Davidson urged opponents to "e and see the film" rather than prott outsi. "When Matthew Grech entered The X Factor and mentned he had left homosexualy as part of his Christian ttimony, there was an immediate and que feroc rponse. "It's not that they were born gay and that's the end of the story, (and) there's nothg they n do about .

‘GAY KE' PLAT LED ADMISSIBLE BY EUROPEAN URT

"Mr Davidson said his Ballynahch-based group "don't practise nversn therapy", scribg s actns as "psychotheraptic and unsellg support for unwanted same-sex attractn" add: "They (homosexuals who had approached his group) n get help for , 's not jt that they are victims and they mt knuckle down and be gay. "I want there to be the opportuny for people to accept those who say they are ex-gay, that once they were a homosexual liftyle and now they have left, rather than suggtg that 'once gay, always gay', " he said.

GAY MAN MAK HISTORY NORTHERN IRELAND AS FIRST TO GIVE BLOOD SCE DONATN L BROUGHT LE WH RT OF UK

Although this film is set Cuba, ’s wrten by Irish gay man, Mark O’Halloran, directed by an Irish man, and fund by the Irish film board, so we’re claimg as an Irish film. Jt as Jús (Héctor Meda) gets a start his dream job as a drag queen at his gay lol Havana, his tranged macho father (Je Pegorría) lands on his doorstep, and forbids him to perform.

Deeply closeted at a time when homosexualy is still a crimal offense Ireland, the middle-aged Alfie creat a lol sndal when he announc a productn of Osr Wil’s play Salome, starrg untry girl Ale (Tara Fzgerald) and Robbie (Ruf Sewell), the b driver for whom Alfie secretly p. Hapls civil servant, Shane (Michael Legge) gets more than he bargaed for when he mov to an apartment wh a gay fashn stunt, Vcent (Allen Leech).

BELFAST: GAY AND LBIAN

Angie (Flora Montgomery) is the lbian who has an affair wh bisexual Clara, then falls love wh Kate, and then has a hapls one-night-stand wh her gay bt iend, Red, and be pregnant.

‘Big’ Kev (Andrew Bent) and “Ltle’ Kev (Michael Legge, Cowboys & Angels) are a gay uple this Irish answer to The Haner, which follows a band of bondg boys on a stag party the wilds of Wicklow.

CHRISTIAN BAKERY OWNERS W APPEAL ‘GAY KE’ SE

Dpe the director beg a gay man, ’s easy to thk the gays are there jt for show, but then they bee the centre of the tensn as we realise ‘Big’ Kev isn’t ved to the weddg bee the father of ‘Ltle’ Kev (and the groom) is agast their relatnship.

It allows for a brief discsn on a divi between young and old generatns on the subject of homosexualy that seems dated already, but the film’s gay payoff is genuely movg. © 2016 GCN (Gay Communy News).

The stori the men this issue share wh rears some of the most breezy they have ever featured, cludg tal of boozy nights out on the gay scene, timate nights , and even tal that highlight some of the good moments to e om this panmic era. A mt see for fans of "Broke back mounta" and "Priscilla queen of the sert" Bull is a sexually reprsed homosexual who wants nothg more that to settle down wh his lover the bird, y the nicknam are a big give away, so no priz for gusg who the daddy is.