John Connor | Contributing Writer
In 1993 homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland; it was after many years of dedicated protesting, campaigning and activism that saw this important achievement in the Sexual Liberation movement. A movement formed in October 1973 by only ten motivated and determined individuals. This movement was the first advocacy group for people of different sexualities in Ireland. It was the catalyst for change in Ireland, change that would soon lead to the first Irish lesbian conference in 1978, the first LGBT Pride Parade in 1983 and after years of lobbying, the decriminalisation of Homosexuality.
The law has changed, but has our culture? Is it still a scandal to be an LGBTQ person? Does my generation, the first generation since 1993, have the civil and social liberties those ten individuals envisioned all those years ago? My answer to you is yes.
The Q Soc 30 year commemoration, which took place in the Dining Hall last month. Photo: Trinity LGBT
When I realised I was gay, I felt different and alone, like I was the only one in the world. I told my family and a few close friends, and they were very supportive, but I wasn’t ‘out’. There was no reason for my sexuality to be publicly known, I had nothing to gain. It was a dark and sad place to be. Then I came to Trinity, and everything changed. I joined Q SOC, the Trinity LGBT society, and from the first day, I can honestly say it was the best decision of my life. They are a group of wonderful, dedicated and loving people, who have made me feel like I wasn’t the only one in the world that felt different, that was different. In the past few weeks alone, I have been exposed to a vibrant, diverse and an accepting community, within and outside of the society. There are people like me, and they have the freedom to talk and explore their sexuality, to share their experiences of life as an LGBTQ person. We are free to experience the turbulent journey of love and loss, show affection in public, declare to the world that we are queer, and that we make no apologies for it. This is why I think that this generation has the freedom and liberty previous generations did not have.
I only realised, and fully appreciated the work that the sexual liberation movement did for my generation at the 30th anniversary of the Trinity LGBT Society, celebrating 30 years since the official recognition of the society in 1982. However, this was not a celebration of the society alone; it was a celebration of the sexual liberation movement, the organisations, the other university societies and the countless people that worked for the freedom my generation experiences today. It celebrated the progress made in Ireland; legally, socially and culturally towards a more accepting society of LGBTQ people, and a society where we have equal rights.
However, while immense progress has been made, the vision of the sexual liberation movement, a vision of equality in Ireland, has not yet been fully realised. Civil union between same sex couples has been brought into law in 2010, but it is not enough. There are 169 differences between civil union and marriage. The differences that most stand out to me are that the home of civil partners is defined as “shared home” unlike “family home” which is the case for married couples. This has implications for the protection of children in the “shared home”. Furthermore, civil partnership does not allow children to have the relationship with their parent to be legally recognised, only the biological relationship. This causes many problems with schools and hospitals for the children as well as guardianship of the child. We are not awarded the same rights as couples who are married.
I was shocked to learn how the basic human rights of transgender people in Ireland are being abused. Transgender people in our community are not recognised under Irish law. In Ireland, a person must be diagnosed with a Gender Identity disorder or they must have medical evidence proving they have undergone gender reassignment surgery to be recognised as Transgender. A Transgender person cannot change the gender on their birth certificate under any circumstance. Ireland’s current law is violating the basic human rights of transgender people and is currently the only remaining European country that does not allow for the recognition of Trans people. We must work towards the equal human rights for Transgender people in Ireland.
I now consider myself to be a member of the sexual liberation movement. There has been great progress, but we have more to fight for. We must work towards full equality, for every letter of LGBTQ. The freedom we have today is because of the tireless work of people before us, and as a community, as one unrelenting force, we must make the future a better place for those who will come after us.
