With Pride season in full swing across the country, the organisers of all the celebrations still to come share their messages for the LGBT+ community and show the true meaning of Irish Pride.

THE TEAM – CORK PRIDE

Pádraig Rice

Co-ordinator of the Gay Project (@GayProjectIRL) and a volunteer member of the Pride Committee

“Pride creates visibility of the LGBT+ community. This is of huge importance, particularly for younger people. It lets them know that they are not alone. In recent years, Pride has provided an opportunity to create visibility in the workplace. We have been very fortunate to get great support from companies in Cork – without whom a festival of this scale wouldn’t be fi nancially feasible. When businesses step up to support Pride it sends a signal to their LGBT+ employees and customers that theirs is an inclusive workplace where they are free to be their authentic selves. The visibility created through the media partnership with RedFM and the Irish Examiner is also crucial – I think in particular for LGBT+ older people.

Pride is also an important opportunity to celebrate gender and sexual diversity. During Cork Pride, LGBT+ people feel freer to hold hands in public, to dress as they wish and just to be their true selves.

Finally, Pride is an opportunity to make connections, meet new people and reconnect with old friends. It provides a space to talk about the issues facing the community and how we might tackle these collectively.

The roots of Pride are in protest. As a country we have made such signifi cant progress on LGBT+ issues over the last 30 years. It’s time now to ensure that LGBT+ people are safe, supported, healthy and visible. Pride gives us an opportunity to advance that - be that collectively calling for hate crime legislation, raising the issue of trans healthcare or creating awareness on sexual health issues like PrEP or U=U. This year we will drawing a focus to those protest roots with our theme – ‘Stonewall 50 Years Proud’.

The Cork LGBT+ Pride Festival is all about family, diversity and community. It kicks off on July 27 with a Rainbow Run with the newly formed Cork Frontrunners, and Pride by the Sea in Youghal and Clonakilty. The following day is the annual Family Fun Day in Fitzgerald’s Park from 12pm – 6pm. There will be live music, a dog show, Gay Olympics and Yoga for Kids.

On Monday 29, at 6pm in the Gay Project we have a great panel lined up to talk about LGBT+ rights both local and international. It includes former Chair of the NXF and Co-Director of Together for Yes - Ailbhe Smyth, CEO of LGBT Ireland - Paula Fagan and the new Chair of the UCC LGBT Society - Max Shanahan.

The Welcome to the Community Night is aimed at those just coming out, people who have recently moved to Cork or those who are only joining us for the festival. Ireland’s fi rst lesbian MEP and former Rose of Tralee, Maria Walsh, will be joining us in Perry Street café from 6:30pm on Tuesday 30.