Above: Making a point about PREP at the last Pride march in 2017. Photo courtesy of Tonie Walsh. New HIV diagnoses are being recorded at one every 18 hours – a record high. The LGBT community has been particularly impacted. Jim Gallagher finds that Ireland’s response to the upsurge in new diagnoses has been piecemeal, patchy and ill-informed. There has been no coordinated national response to the surge in new … Read More
Art As Activism.
Above: A sticker in Dublin highlighting the contemporary HIV epidemic and our centre spread featuring a graphic by Will St Leger. It’s become a bit of rabble tradition to use the middle of our little parish newsletter for the disgruntled to showcase a particular artist we admire. When discussing ideas for #rabble14, we were stunned with statistics about HIV today. Hence, bringing Will St Leger in as our centrespreadista with … Read More
Guerilla Gays In Ireland.
Oisin McKenna takes a look at queer activism today and republican activism in the past in his new show Gays Against the Free State. Beggars sat down with him to find out what’s what. Okay so, you’ve done a show at Fringe before – GRINDR – a love story, and you’ve done Write/Performer/Salesman, both back in 2013. Is this your first show since then? Yeah this is my first show … Read More
Films To Gaze At.
The Gaze International LGBT Film Festival Dublin returns to the Lighthouse Cinema this bank holiday weekend, Mog Kavanagh has lined up some recommendations… 1. Viva. Paddy Breathnach rides the crest of this current wave of quality Irish cinema with Viva, a film about a young aspiring drag queen in Cuba. Viva won the audience award at the Dublin International Film Festival, definitely worth a watch! Catch it on Friday 29th … Read More
Behind The Betrayal.
Above: A shot from the set and the production’s crowdfunding video on IndieGoGo. The Betrayal is a thriller addressing issues of domestic violence and digital abuse that is currently crowdfunding to complete its final phase of production. Mog Kavanagh caught up with the directors Kamila Dydna and Natasha Waugh to ask them a few questions about it. The film touches on themes of gender based violence, online shaming and … Read More
#rabbleReels: The Queen Of Ireland.
Due for cinema release on 21st October, The Queen of Ireland, is a documentary that traces Rory O’Neil’s journey from small town Ballinrobe to striding the world’s stage as Pandora ‘Panti’ Bliss. Rory/Panti came to world attention during the campaign for Equal Marriage in Ireland which culminated in a Yes vote on referendum day May22nd 2015. Catch up with all the background story via rabble’s Archive of Panti here.
#spareChange: The Whyona Institute.
An Irish father and retail worker has started the Whyona Institute in an attempt to counter the conservative Iona Institute. Jimi Kavanagh from Limerick is looking for support through crowdfunding campaign which will let the public know more about Iona, its funders, who’s involved with it and counter its conservative output. Colm Quinn grabbed him for a chat. Jimi said that the main aim is really to share ideas that move … Read More
And Jesus Spake Thus: Let No Wedding Invitations Be Gay.
Beulah Print in Drogheda has refused to print material for a customer who is gay. Using a ‘conscience clause’ excuse the printer, whose name ironically is Hebrew for ‘married’, told long-time customer Jonathan Brennan that they would not print wedding invitations for him. They say in a Facebook post that they “are committed to standing by our conscience and God’s Word.” The dispute is reminiscent of Ashers Bakery in Northern … Read More
A Coal Lot Of Love.
Back in 1980s Britain, a group was formed which called itself ‘Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners’, which was… well, a group of Lesbians and Gays who supported the miners. Rashers Tierney spoke to Reggie blennerhassett, an Irish emigrant who ended up in the thick of it. Can you give us a little bit of background about yourself and how you ended up in Britain in the mid 1980’s? I … Read More
It’s All About The Ass. #SoundsOfSodomy
When our local Christians start getting excited about children and sodomy it’s usually just before the local PP moves parish, again. However, with the upcoming (pardon!) referendum on marriage equality you can expect much more anal fixation to be filling your letterbox. The leaflet (above) was handed to a Wicklow family over the weekend and the response on Twitter is joyous. @stevenconlon @Tullyherron Will there eventually be a compilation 'Now That's … Read More