Is it right that a Political Party Owns LGBT.ie???

Image via Wikipedia

I was contacted after a tweet by Mark Coughlan about the ownership of a .ie domain. The Domain in is LGBT.ie and it is, according to the IE Domain Registry owned by the Irish Labour Party and is registered as a "Discretionary Name"

If you visit the site you get redirected to Labours homepage? Now is it right that a political party owns this and redirects it to their site? I don't think so? I am not saying that as a party political hack (what use would Fine Gael or Fianna Fail have for that site) but as a former Gay Activist (I've toned it down an awful lot, most of my activism is by me for me now a days). No political party should own that domain.

While I agree Labour LGBT and the Labour Party in general have been a fantastic supporter of the Gay Community and Gay Rights, but does it give them the right to this domain? I don't think so!

GLEN or the NGLF or some sort of Gay community or a website to co-ordinate all the other ones should be on that domain. It should not be a redirect to the Labour Home Page!

PS: You can follow me on Twitter here

Two Months, Too Soon?

Image by stephen.spillane via FlickrI blogged recently enough about the time I told my boyfriend I loved him. I have also told it to a few people. A comment I hear alot is "Do you think it is too soon for that?" I must admit, it was starting to niggle me from the back of my head. But last night I went out (and didnt drink) and met with a friend from New Jersey. He was with two of his friends from Dublin and we were doing the whole getting to know you, how long have you been with your boyfriend and that.

They told me that they had said that they had told each other they loved each other after less then two months and they moved into together after five months. That happened six years ago they told me! This was a weight off my mind. Here was a good example of gay couple that worked.

Unfortunately, in the gay scene in Cork and among my friends, there isnt a whole lot of long-term relationships, so actually meeting someone who was in the same situation was a great relief to me (and Russell when I rang im later in the night to tell him!). It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders as now I can say, I know of others who were in the same situation and are still together.

I couldnt be happier then after I met Tom and Eugene and basically told me, what I feel is normal, and is not too fast!

GALA Awards

Image via WikipediaI saw an ad for this in this months GCN and there is a thread on GayCork.com about it too. So what are they?

From the blurb

The GALAS are Ireland’s first annual awards celebrating contributions to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) life in Ireland. We want you to tell us who you think deserves to be honoured for their contributions in 2008 at our very special awards ceremony later this year. The nomination process is easy, and you can nominate as many times in as many categories as you like.

The GALA Awards are being run by the the National Lesbian and Gay Federation of Ireland who publish GCN.

There are 11 Categories up for Grabs.
# Person of the Year

The person you feel has most contributed to the advancement of equality and social acceptance of LGBT people in Ireland during 2008.

# Community Organisation of the Year

Across Ireland there are many organisations constantly working towards the advancement of LGBT people, running centres, helplines, support groups, social groups, events and much more. Which organisation do you think deserves to be awarded for their work in 2008?

# Volunteer of the Year

Each year in the LGBT sector, an unprecedented number of people give freely of their time, energy and skills to help other LGBT people in many, many ways. Is there an LGBT volunteer you believe should be honoured for their work in 2008?

# Employer of the Year

Less than 50% of Irish LGBT people feel comfortable to be 'out' at work, so we are honouring the employers who are committed to diversity and LGBT inclusion. From corporates to small employers, we would like to award the most inclusive employer of 2008.

# LGBT Businessperson of the Year

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are keen business men and women. This award will go to an out and proud LGBT businessperson, someone who you think deserves to be awarded for his or her endeavours in the business world.

# Most Gay-Friendly Politician of the Year

Behind the scenes in government and in the opposition parties, in the Seanád and in local councils, there are politicians who stand behind the LGBT community and seek equality and social advancement for all. The GALAS seeks to honour gay-friendly politicians and encourage other politicians to work towards a more inclusive, equal society with this award. Who do you think the most gay-friendly politician of 2008 has been?

# Journalist of the Year

Representations of LGBT people in the Irish media range from positive to stereotypical to homophobic. What journalist do you think has represented gay issues and stories in a fair and understanding way in the media in 2008, helping to advance gay rights with their writing or broadcasting?

# Media Representation of the Year

From soap operas to documentaries, from television dramas to movies featuring gay characters and story lines, from sitcoms to news items, from pop stars to radio shows, what was the most arresting, forward thinking and entertaining gay representation in the Irish media and entertainment industry in 2008? You decide.

# Blogger of the Year

The Internet has opened a whole new world for LGBT people to give the world their opinions on politics, the media, society and just about anything they care to write about. Who do you think the best queer blogger of 2008 is?

# Event of the Year

From Pride festivals to cultural events, from sporting tournaments to large-scale social occasions, what do you think the gay event of 2008 was?

# Molly Malone Award for the Irish Gay Icon of the Year

We all love a gay icon, whether they be from the world of entertainment or politics. So who do you think should be crowned the Irish gay icon of the year?

I have an idea who I will be nominating in a few categories and others are drawing a blank. But I am sure something will come to my mind.

It is great to see the blogger category in there! I am really interested in seeing, one, who is nominated and two, who wins and have I heard of them!

So get nominating

Gay Pride... Revistited.

Last month I wrote a post about Gay Pride, was it Triumphalist or rembering a historical battle for human rights? . The Daily Bohomian yesterday wrote a piece that towards the end touches on Gay Pride and raises some interesting points.

He wrote

I believe that there's a fine line between showing off to deliberately make people feel intimidated and in showing pride just as there's a fine line between not understanding gay people and being a thuggish bigot

I think this really sums up the feelings on Gay Pride. It is a very careful balancing act, that I beleive in some places falls they over themselves to be intimidating not just to people who feel 'uncomfortable' but also to some gays who like myself are a tad conservative. I dont believe that a Gay Pride Parade should be about men walking down the street in skimpy underwear or Lesbians topless on bikes. Thats not what Pride is about, but it is what it has become.

Pride should be about celebreting diversity, not just within the Gay Community but within wider society. It should aim to educate not intimidate.

For me as a Gay man, without that perfect body, Pride can be quite intimidating and it can effect your self-esteem. This is why I would never go to Pride in Amsterdam or San Francisco. This is why I love Cork Pride. Cork Pride is small, and welcoming. It is open to anyone who wants to join, Gay, Straight, Bisexual, transexual, whatever you describe yourself as. There are fun family events, like last year we went to the beach and had a Sports Day. It was great fun. Thats what Pride should be about, Respect and Fun.

Bohomian also raises an interesting point on where the Gay Community gets ghettoised so people only associated Gays with certain areas, EG London's Soho.

And Soho has always been a Ghetto in much the same way. The predominance of rainbow flags serves as a mark of territory and man's natural instinct is to challenge the territorial claim of his neighbours.

So what's the answer? So we stick a sex shop, darkroom and G-A-Y bar on every corner? No but we do need to open the doors of our community and if Mohammed refuses to come to the mountain, take the mountain to Mohammed. This year's London pride will stick to the same old route and the same people will take part. If the gay community wants to begin breaking down the divide that exists between the straight community and the gay community, we have to take pride to places like Dagenham.

The Gay Community needs to be open and welcome to questioning. Thats is the only way we can improve tolerence. We need to take the spirit of Pride and take it around our own local communities.

I hope one day we can live up to the words that Bohomian has written

We have to get our voice heard in the local press and be a clear presence at local events like town shows and carnivals. We have to become a bigger presence in pubs and clubs instead of sticking to those we know we can pick up trade in. And if we do all those things without ramming our cause down people's throats, they'll come to see that although we unite in one community to tackle homophobia, we remain individuals who still live by the values of decency and politeness, tolerance and that all important motto of "the right thing at the right time". It's a case of give and take and I truly hope that in the future we begin to live as members of a national family rather than members of polar communities

Yours in Pride,
Stephen