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Welcome, dear reader, to the June 2025 issue of GCN. This special edition celebrates the start of Pride season, while also marking several anniversaries in Ireland’s LGBTQ+ history.
This sentiment is represented through the gorgeous cover, captured by Hazel Coonagh, and a huge thank you goes to The Cupcake Bloke for the glorious rainbow cake! 2025 marks 10 years since three advances for LGBTQ+ rights in Ireland: same-sex marriage, Gender Recognition and the Children and Family Relationships Act. A decade on, we examine the impact each has had, and what more needs to be done in the quest for equality.
There is also an appropriate dose of Pride content—get planning with our calendar! For those celebrating in Dublin, you won’t want to miss the Mother Pride Block Party. Ahead of the event, get to know headliners The Blessed Madonna, Samantha Mumba and Haus of WIG.
There is no shortage of other great content. We meet emerging queer artists and trans punk bands, and take a look inside Queer Sheds and the Queer Spectrum Film Festival. One writer questions if hookup apps are ruining LGBTQ+ venues, while another shares the impact Trump’s aid cuts are having on the Global South. In historical features, travel back to Dublin’s first gay bar and look at how zines have been used to amplify lesser-heard voices. There are experiences of hard-of-hearing music fans and people who have chosen to go sober. We also hear from the teams at LINQ, LGBT Ireland, the NXF and Intersex Ireland, as well as an organiser of the Dublin Dyke March. This is just a snapshot of the diverse stories presented in these pages; dive in to find out more.
There will be plenty of celebrations happening over the next few months; use the opportunity to fuel up on joy and channel it into the fight for justice and equality. Now is not the time to bathe in our achievements; it is the time to look back, learn and move forward with purpose.
With that, we wish you a happy, safe and empowering Pride.