Izzy Kamikaze

Ruth O'Rourke (born 1962 or 1963), ^[1] better known as Izzy Kamikaze, is an Irish LGBTQ rights activist. ^[2]

Life

Originally from Carlow, Ireland, she moved to Dublin at the age of 17 when she finished school. Before this, she had never met another openly gay person. ^[3] She came out at age 19. ^[1]

Kamikaze began volunteering, campaigning and socialising in the LGBTQ scene in Dublin in the 1980s, of which the Hirschfeld Centre in Temple Bar was the epicentre. ^{[3] [4]} One of her first LGBTQ protests regarded the leniency given to the killers of Declan Flynn. She attended the first Dublin Pride in 1983, ^[3] and then worked to revive the event in 1992. ^[5]

Publications

• Gibney, Rosemary; Carey, Patricia; Kamikaze, Izzy; Frances, Kate (2005). "Chapter 12 Unity Without Uniformity: Lesbians in Ireland in the 1990s". In Griffin, Gabriele (ed.). Feminist Activism in the 1990s. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis. ISBN   978-0-203-98987-6.

References

1. "Irish Women Speak Out On The Struggles Of Being Gay". 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
2. "'This could happen to anyone' – campaigner Izzy Kamikaze recalls vicious attack by far-right activist". Irish Independent . 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
3. Vere, Taryn de (2019-06-27). "'We were supposed to feel shame. Pride was the antidote'". Her.ie. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
4. [e-mail] (2022-06-22). "Izzy Kamikaze responds to RTÉ controversy with powerful and revealing article". GCN. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
5. "Looking Back on 40 Years of Dublin Pride with Tonie Walsh". Visit Dublin. Retrieved 2025-06-12.