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LGBTQ+ life on the island of Ireland is made up of persons who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise.
There was all-party support in 2010 for the Civil Partnership Bill, introduced by the Fianna Fáil / Green government which provided for legal recognition for the relationships of same-sex couples.
As of August 2014, all parties in the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, supported same-sex marriage: the Labour Party, [1] the Green Party, [2] the Socialist Party, [3] Sinn Féin, [4] Fianna Fáil [5] [6] and Fine Gael. [7]
Before the 2011 general election, the Labour Party manifesto added a commitment to a referendum to allow same-sex couples to marry. This was mentioned as an item for the Constitutional Convention in the Programme for Government between Labour and Fine Gael after the election.
In 2006, at the opening of the new headquarters of the gay rights organisation GLEN in Dublin, the then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said:
Our sexual orientation is not an incidental attribute. It is an essential part of who and what we are. All citizens, regardless of sexual orientation, stand equal in the eyes of our laws. Sexual orientation cannot, and must not, be the basis of a second-class citizenship. [8]
The only Irish political party that officially came out to oppose the LGBTQ+ rights was the small Christian Solidarity Party, which as of September 2023 does not currently have any representation on the local or national level.[ citation needed ]
On 23 May 2015, through a nationwide referendum, Ireland became the first country to legalise same sex marriage by popular vote. [9]
Ireland's longest running LGBT publication is Gay Community News , which was first published in 1988 before homosexuality was legal in Ireland. In April 2013, EILE Magazine [15] was launched, serving as a new platform for Ireland's LGBT community.
The national broadcaster RTÉ provides various LGBT related programming, such as the television documentary Growing Up Gay, or the drama series Raw , which contained gay characters and gay-related storylines. The RTÉ programme Telly Bingo was presented from 2001–2004 by drag queen Shirley Temple Bar. The radio station RTÉ Pulse schedules Wednesday nights as Gay Wednesday where they broadcast programming related to the gay community. Drag queen Joanna Ryde is a presenter on regional youth station Beat 102 103.
The gay scene in Ireland is quite developed. Irish society has become more open and tolerant as a result of increased levels of prosperity and rising liberal attitudes.[ citation needed ] There are vibrant gay scenes in all major Irish cities.
There are 8 gay & lesbian resource centres in Ireland – Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, Derry, Waterford and Dundalk all have one each, and Cork is home to two: one for gay men [16] and one for lesbians. [17]
All Irish cities and many smaller towns celebrate Gay Pride with parades and festivals.
The town of Sligo home to a little over 20,000 inhabitants has its own annual Gay Pride parade and festival, such events are rising in popularity in rural areas of Ireland.[ tone ]
The gay scene across the island of Ireland is brought together during the annual Alternative Miss Ireland drag contest, Ms Gay Ireland and Mr Gay Ireland events.
As in many other countries around the world, the Bear Community has taken hold in Ireland and continues to grow. The bear movement considers itself a counter culture to the mainstream gay scene and works toward challenging the single archetype of the effeminate gay man. Most things traditionally considered masculine are celebrated within the Bear community, and Bears identify as a large subset of an already diverse demographic of gay men in Ireland. There are Bear events held monthly in Belfast [18] and in Dublin. [19]
| This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia.(February 2023) |
The LGBT community is no exception when it comes to taking part in the Saint. Patrick's Day parades and celebrations across the island in cities such as Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Derry, Galway and Waterford. [20] [ excessive detail? ]
There are a varied range of LGBT-themed events throughout the calendar year in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland:
| LGBT event | Location | Notes | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternative Miss Ireland | Dublin/Ireland | All island contest; includes various regional heats | March |
| The Rainbow Ball | Dublin/Ireland | Annual fundraising gala dinner in aid of BeLonG To | November |
| Mr Gay Ireland | Dublin/Ireland | All island contest; includes various regional heats | October |
| Ms Gay Ireland | Ireland | All island contest; includes various regional heats | November |
| Arthouse | Ireland | Art Auction in aid of Outhouse LGBT+ Centre | November |
| Saint Patrick's Day | Ireland | LGBT section of main parades | 17 March |
| World AIDS Day | Ireland | Charity event | 1 December |
| Dublin Pride | Dublin | Parade and 10-day festival | June |
| GAZE | Dublin | Dublin International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival | late July–early August |
| Dublin Gay Theatre Festival | Dublin | Presentation of works by gay authors and performers or that contain LGBT themes | early May |
| Béar Féile | Dublin | Festival celebrating the Bear community | late March |
| aLAF | Dublin | Lesbian Arts Festival | Spring |
| Lesbian Lives | Dublin | Conference organised by the Women's Studies Centre at UCD | February |
| Belfast Pride Festival | Belfast | Parade and week-long festival | July/August |
| Outburst | Belfast | Queer Arts Festival | November |
| Cork Pride Festival | Cork | Parade and week-long festival | August |
| OutLook | Cork | Cork Film Festival programme dedicated to LGBT films and shorts | November |
| Lesbian Fantasy Ball | Cork | ||
| Cork Women's Fun Weekend | Cork | ||
| Black Pride Ireland | Ireland | ||
| Limerick Pride | Limerick | Parade and 8-day festival | July |
| Foyle Pride Festival | Derry | Parade and 4-day festival | August |
| Pride in Newry | Newry | Parade and 5-day festival | August |
| Galway Community Pride | Galway | Parade and 3-day festival | August |
| Waterford Pride Mardi Gras | Waterford | Parade and 7-day festival | May/June |
| Sligo Pride Festival | Sligo | Parade and 7-day festival for Sligo and the North-West of Ireland | August |
| Omagh Pride | Omagh | Approximately annual parade and single-day festival | |
Ireland is a parliamentary, representative democratic republic and a member state of the European Union. While the head of state is the popularly elected President of Ireland, it is a largely ceremonial position, with real political power being vested in the Taoiseach, who is nominated by the Dáil and is the head of the government.
The 1997 Irish general election to the 28th Dáil was held on Friday, 6 June, following the dissolution of the 27th Dáil on 15 May by President Mary Robinson, on the request of Taoiseach John Bruton. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas, under a revision in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1995.
The February 1982 Irish general election to the 23rd Dáil was held on Thursday, 18 February, three weeks after the dissolution of the 22nd Dáil on 27 January by President Patrick Hillery on the request of Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald on the defeat of the government's budget. The general election took place in 41 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas.
The Leader of the Opposition in Ireland is a de facto term sometimes used to describe the politician who leads the largest party in the Parliamentary Opposition in the lower house of the Irish Parliament, Dáil Éireann. In the Dáil, the Leader of the Opposition sits on the right-hand side of the Ceann Comhairle and directly opposite the Taoiseach. The role is not an official one and is not recognised in the Irish constitution, nor in legislation.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 16 November 2015. A referendum on 22 May 2015 amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that marriage is recognised irrespective of the sex of the partners. The measure was signed into law by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, as the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland on 29 August 2015. The Marriage Act 2015, passed by the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015 and signed into law by the Presidential Commission on 29 October 2015, gave legislative effect to the amendment. Same-sex marriages in Ireland began being recognised from 16 November 2015, and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland occurred the following day. Ireland was the eighteenth country in the world and the eleventh in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.
The 2007 Irish general election took place on Thursday, 24 May after the dissolution of the 29th Dáil by the President on 30 April, at the request of the Taoiseach. The general election took place in 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout Ireland for 166 seats in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of parliament, with a revision of constituencies since the last election under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2005.
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, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Republic of Ireland have improved greatly in recent decades, and are now among the most advanced in Europe. Ireland is notable for its transformation from a country holding overwhelmingly conservative attitudes toward LGBT 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.
The 2011 Irish general election took place on Friday 25 February to elect 166 Teachtaí Dála across 43 constituencies to Dáil Éireann, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. The Dáil was dissolved and the general election called by President Mary McAleese on 1 February, at the request of Taoiseach Brian Cowen. The 31st Dáil met on 9 March 2011 to nominate a Taoiseach and approve the new ministers of the 29th government of Ireland.
Leo Eric Varadkar is an Irish politician who has served as Taoiseach since December 2022, and previously from June 2017 to June 2020; he also served as Tánaiste from June 2020 to December 2022 and has held a range of other ministerial positions in the Irish government. The leader of Fine Gael from June 2017 to March 2024, he represents the Dublin West constituency, where he has been a TD since May 2007. His political positions have been described as centre-right economically; he has advocated free markets, lower taxes, and welfare reform. On social issues, he has supported successful constitutional referendums to legalise same-sex marriage and to liberalise Ireland's abortion laws.
The 2016 Irish general election to the 32nd Dáil was held on Friday 26 February, following the dissolution of the 31st Dáil by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February, at the request of Taoiseach Enda Kenny. The general election took place in 40 Dáil constituencies throughout Ireland to elect to elect 158 Teachtaí Dála to Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas. There was a reduction of eight seats under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2013.
The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election on 25 February 2011 and first met at midday on 9 March 2011 in Leinster House. The members of Dáil Éireann, the house of representatives of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland, are known as TDs. The 31st Dáil lasted 1,793 days. It was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 3 February 2016, at the request of the Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann Carlow–Kilkenny constituency in Ireland on Friday, 22 May 2015, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Fine Gael Teachta Dála (TD) Phil Hogan on his appointment as European Commissioner. It was held on the same day as national referendums on marriage equality and the age of eligibility for election to the office of president. The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2011 stipulates that a by-election in Ireland must be held within six months of a vacancy occurring. The by-election writ was moved in the Dáil on 29 April 2015.
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. The 32nd Dáil was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on 14 January 2020, at the request of the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. The 32nd Dáil lasted 1,406 days.
The 2020 Irish general election took place on Saturday 8 February, to elect the 33rd Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament. The election was called following the dissolution of the 32nd Dáil by the president, at the request of the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, on 14 January 2020. The members, Teachtaí Dála (TDs), were elected by single transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies. It was the first election since 1918 to be held on a weekend.
Fintan Warfield is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has served as a Senator for the Cultural and Educational Panel since April 2016. As of 2017, he was the youngest senator in Ireland.
Neale Richmond is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State since 2023. He has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since the 2020 general election. He previously served as a Senator for the Labour Panel from 2016 to 2020.
Ian James Marshall is a farmer and former Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) politician from Markethill, County Armagh, in Northern Ireland. He is from a unionist background and campaigned against Brexit. He was elected to Seanad Éireann in Dublin in 2018, but lost his seat in the 2020 Seanad election.
The next Irish general election will be held by 22 March 2025 to elect the 34th Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, the Oireachtas. It will elect TDs across Dáil constituencies of between 3 and 5 seats.
A by-election was held in the Dáil Éireann constituency of Dublin Bay South in Ireland on Thursday, 8 July 2021, to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of the Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy. The by-election was won by Senator Ivana Bacik of the Labour Party.
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