Term is well and truly back in full swing, and Trinity’s societies are right there with it. This week is Rainbow Week, so prepare to see societies, alongside Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) host LGBT-related events throughout the week.
To kick off the week, Trinity Visual Arts Society (VisArts) is hosting its first hands-on event of the semester, a badge-making workshop, from 2pm to 4pm in the Eliz Rooms, House Six. This is a great opportunity to get creative and fashion some funky pins for the week that’s in it. Also at 2pm, the Phil’s Bram Stoker Club will present a paper entitled “AIDS, Patient Zero, and the Dangers of a Single Narrative”. It will look at the lessons people should have learned from the AIDs crisis and the mistakes made when discussing the issue, including the troubling origins of the concept of “Patient Zero”. Q Soc’s annual Lipsync Battle is also not to be missed. This RuPaul-inspired event is kicking off in WigWam at 8pm. Those interested in competing should email Q Soc for more information.
On Tuesday at 6pm, an Cumann Gaelach is teaming up with Q Soc for a collaborative “géilí” in Regent House. TradSoc will be providing live music and there will also be a generous reception. Also at this time, KnitSoc has a special Stitch n’ Bitch session in the Eliz Room where knitters will be able to make hats like those of the Pussyhat Project seen at recent women’s marches around the world this weekend. Meanwhile, the Queer Careers Network and Law Soc will host a careers networking event in the Westin Hotel. PwC, EY, Arthur Cox, Eversheds, Ulster Bank, Accenture, Amazon, Google and Trinity itself will all be represented at the event, making this a suitable event for students from any discipline. All of these firms have been recognised as GLEN diversity champions for their LGBT-inclusive employment policies.
The Hist, Q Soc and TCDSU come together on Wednesday to present the Rainbow Week Debate. The motion is “This House Regrets Allies at Pride”. Participants will examine whether greater interaction with Pride by allies dilute the political act of visibility that underscores Pride or whether increased engagement and inclusivity is a positive thing. The debate kicks off at 7.30pm in the Graduates Memorial Building (GMB).
On Thursday at 7pm, Dublin University Gender Equality Society (DUGES) will be screening satricial rom-com But I’m a Cheerleader, which explores conversion therapy and the social construction of gender roles and heteronormativity. The movie will be shown in Room 2.03, Aras an Phiarsaigh. Q Soc will be serving up an array of rainbow-coloured mocktails and other refreshments at 8pm in the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) Common Room in House Seven, promising some excellent tunes, glitter and facepaint to get you ready for your night out.
Finally, DU History, Q Soc and TCDSU welcome Tonie Walsh, who runs the Irish Queer Archive, to an event in the Parlour at 1pm on Friday. Walsh, who played a leading role in the development of the Hirschfield Centre in the 1980s, will be giving a talk on Irish LGBT History.
