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The history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Ireland.
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The history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Ireland.
The first recorded trans individual in Dublin was a 19th-century trans man Patrick McCormack, who lived from 1821 to 1871. McCormack was a famine survivor and worked as a labourer, while living in Castleknock. [1] Another 19th-century trans man was Albert Cashier (born Jennie Hodgers, 1843–1915) from County Louth, who fought on the Union side of the American Civil War. [2]
Ireland and Dublin, in particular, have always been regarded as the home of some of the greatest gay and lesbian writers in the English speaking world, some of whom are Oscar Wilde, Eva Selina Gore-Booth, Elizabeth Bowen, Kate O'Brien, Ladies of Llangollen, Somerville and Ross and Mary Dorcey
Prior to formal Irish independence in 1922, sexuality in Ireland was governed by the UK-wide laws emitted from the Parliament of the United Kingdom such as the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. These laws were automatically inherited by the new Irish Free State. The most notable legal event related to Irish natives was the trial and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde. Some leaders of the Irish Independence struggle of the early 20th century were assumed - at the time or later - to be gay, notably Padraig Pearse and Roger Casement whose sexuality was an element in his trial and execution.
After independence, Ireland became a very insular society, dominated by the Catholic Church and was conservative, [3] however in the midst of this, there was an acceptance of homosexuality of those within the acting profession such as Micheál MacLiammóir. It was widely accepted that Micheál MacLiammóir was gay and that his longtime life partner was Hilton Edwards. MacLíammóir would even appear on Irish TV in the 1950s and 1960s performing in drag. It is because of this that Irish people were never really surprised to see men dressing up as women on TV and even today, one of Dublin's drag queens, Shirley Temple Bar, presents bingo on prime-time national TV. [4] MacLíammóir when talking to Irish playwright Mary Manning to have had a homosexual relationship with General Eoin O'Duffy, former Garda Síochána commissioner and head of the quasi-fascist Blueshirts in Ireland, during the 1930s. [5] The claim was revealed publicly by RTÉ in a documentary, The Odd Couple, broadcast in 1999. However, MacLíammóir's claims have not been substantiated by any evidence.
In the 1970s, the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform was led by David Norris, who campaigned for then-current criminalization of homosexuality (namely those in force from 1861 and 1885) to be dismantled. In 1980, the case was taken before the Supreme Court of Ireland; losing the case, Norris took the case to the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1988 against the Irish government. The laws were finally reformed in 1993 [6] by then-Minister for Justice Máire Geoghegan-Quinn.
With the emergence of the Celtic Tiger economy from 1995 onwards, Ireland underwent a massive transformation both economically and socially. The individual wealth of the average Irish citizen quadrupled in the space of 15 years along with EU membership helped to liberalise and make this once conservative and religious society into one that is more open and pro-gay rights with a raft of pro-gay legislation.[ citation needed ] 73% of the Irish population support full gay marriage being extended to same-sex couples while 53% support the idea of same-sex adoption.[ citation needed ]
In 2011, civil partnership legislation was passed by the Dáil and Seanad and was enacted into law. Also, in 2011, Dominic Hannigan and John Lyons, both of the Labour Party, became the first openly gay TDs to be elected to the Dail, and Katherine Zappone became the first openly lesbian senator.
In 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage through a referendum, with yes winning by over 62% of the vote. In a total over two million adults voted, and it was found that many younger adults participated in this vote to bring Ireland into a new era.
In 2017, Leo Varadkar was elected Taoiseach (Prime Minister), making him the youngest and first openly gay leader of Ireland. [7]
Hilton Edwards was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer, and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been referred to as the founder of Irish theatre. He was one of the most recognisable figures in the arts in 20th-century Ireland.
Micheál Mac Liammóir was an actor, designer, dramatist, writer, and impresario in 20th-century Ireland. Though born in London to an English family with no Irish connections, he emigrated to Ireland in early adulthood, changed his name, invented an Irish ancestry, and remained based there for the rest of his life, successfully maintaining a fabricated identity as a native Irishman born in Cork.
This is a list of records relating to the Oireachtas, the national parliament of Ireland, which consists of the President of Ireland, and two Houses, Dáil Éireann, a house of representatives whose members are known as Teachtaí Dála or TDs, and Seanad Éireann, a senate whose members are known as senators.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the Republic of Ireland are regarded as some of the most progressive in Europe and the world. Ireland is notable for its transformation from a country holding overwhelmingly conservative attitudes toward LGBTQ issues, in part due to the opposition by the Roman Catholic Church, to one holding overwhelmingly liberal views in the space of a generation. In May 2015, Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage on a national level by popular vote. The New York Times declared that the result put Ireland at the "vanguard of social change". Since July 2015, transgender people in Ireland can self-declare their gender for the purpose of updating passports, driving licences, obtaining new birth certificates, and getting married. Both male and female expressions of homosexuality were decriminalised in 1993, and most forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation are now outlawed. Ireland also forbids incitement to hatred based on sexual orientation. Article 41 of the Constitution of Ireland explicitly protects the right to marriage irrespective of sex.
LGBTQ themes in horror fiction refers to sexuality in horror fiction that can often focus on LGBTQ+ characters and themes within various forms of media. It may deal with characters who are coded as or who are openly LGBTQ+, or it may deal with themes or plots that are specific to gender and sexual minorities.
The Importance of Being Oscar is a one man show devised by the soi-disant Irish actor Micheál Mac Liammóir and based on the writings of Oscar Wilde.
Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2017 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2024, as Tánaiste from 2020 to 2022, and as leader of Fine Gael from 2017 to 2024. A TD for the Dublin West constituency from 2007 to 2024, he held a range of other ministerial positions during his time in government. Described as centre-right economically, he advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.
Fine Gael is a political party in Ireland, formed in 1933 as a merger of Cumann na nGaedheal, the National Centre Party, and the Blueshirts.
LGBTQ+ life on the island of Ireland is made up of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise.
The Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Festival is an annual series of events which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) life in Dublin, Ireland. It is the largest LGBTQ+ pride festival on the island of Ireland. The festival culminates in a pride parade which is held annually on the last Saturday in June. The event has grown from a one-day event in 1974 to a ten-day festival celebrating LGBT culture in Ireland with an expanded arts, social and cultural content.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the United Kingdom. There is evidence that LGBT activity in the United Kingdom existed as far back as the days of Celtic Britain.
Katherine Zappone is an American-Irish independent politician who served as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs from May 2016 to June 2020. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South-West constituency from 2016 to 2020. She previously served as a Senator from 2011 to 2016, after being nominated by the Taoiseach.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBTQ topics:
The 32nd Dáil was elected at the 2016 general election on 26 February and first met at 10.30 a.m. on 10 March 2016. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. It sat with the 25th Seanad as the two Houses of the Oireachtas.
The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history in the 20th century.
The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) history in the 21st century.
The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor is a memorial wall in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, dedicated to LGBTQ "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes". Located inside the Stonewall Inn, the wall is part of the Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to the country's LGBTQ rights and history. The first fifty inductees were unveiled June 27, 2019, as a part of events marking the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Five honorees are added annually.
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