EILE Magazine: Issue 05 (October 2013)

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Magazine Issue 05 – October 2013

The

Music Issue

Daniel

Sobrino Robbie Obara –

Mr Gay Europe Body Talking with

Leee John Inside: California Dispatch | The Irish Gay Pub | Róisín O

EILE Magazine | Who’s Who

Contributors Scott De Buitléir

Scott is the creator of EILE Magazine and is a writer and broadcaster from Dublin.

He also hosts The Cosmo, RTÉ’s LGBT radio show every Wednesday at 10pm.

Francis Fitzgibbon

Originally from County Kerry, Francis lives in Dublin and works as a radio producer and writer. He is a member of the Dublin Devils Gay Football Club.

Piotr Gawlik

Piotr is originally from Poland and works with the National Lesbian & Gay Federation

Dr. Shay Keating

Shay has his clinic at the Harold’s Cross Surgery in south Dublin and is an associate specialist in Genitourinary Medicine at St. James’ Hospital, Dublin.

Adam Long

Adam is a board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Federation and is an active member of the Irish Labour Party’s LGBT group.

Robbie Obara

Robbie is from Vancouver Island and is currently studying Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. He won Mr Gay Ireland last year and is currently Mr Gay Europe.

Rick Watts

Based in Los Angeles, Rick is an LGBT activist, This Way Out NewsWrap volunteer and Overnight Productions Board Member.

Frances Winston

Frances Winston has contributed to publications such as The Irish Independent and Irish Tatler and is a regular contributor to The Daily Update.

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EILE Magazine | Welcome

Highlights October 2013 Not Just an Illusion – P.12 Leee John talks about admiring John Lennon, charity work, his analog past and more.

California Dispatch – P.26 Rick Watts asks if the LGBT community has really got everything they have asked for.

Mr Gay Europe – P.32 Robbie Obara writes about being the ‘Canadian Dubliner’ in his first months of being the reigning Mr Gay Europe.

Róisín O – P.24 EILE chats with the popular Irish singer/songwriter about her music

Volume 1, Issue 05 Editor-in-Chief: Scott De Buitléir Features Editor: MKB Writers: MKB, Francis Fitzgibbon, Piotr Gawlik, Shay Keating, Adam Long, Robbie Obara, Rick Watts, Frances Winston Front Cover: Leee John by Jean-Paul Berthoin Photographers: Jean-Paul Berthoin, Adam Bouska, Julia Jack McCabe Special Thanks to MKB for all her hard work, dedication and support.

Web: http://eile.ie Contact: eilemagazine@outlook.com Twitter: @EileMagazine Facebook: http://fb.com/eilemagazine Note: All opinions expressed in this issue are the writers’ own.

Daniel Sobrino – P.6 The Mexican singer/songwriter talks about his musical family and taking Los Angeles by storm

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EILE Magazine | Editor’s Letter

Contents 6-

Daniel Sobrino

8-

LGBT News Round-Up

With Every Heartbeat Scott De Buitléir

12 - Leee John 18 -

The Irish Gay Pub

20 - Film Reviews 24 - Róisín O 26 -

California Dispatch

32 -

Mr Gay Europe

36 -

What Is Love?

38 -

Religion as an Excuse

48 -

HIV Infection

50 -

Coming Out Day

| Editor-in-Chief

This month’s digital edition of EILE Magazine is dedicated to music, and even more, to those who create it for us. In this fifth issue, we hear from some brilliant musicians from Ireland, Britain and the United States.

Imagination frontman Leee John is our cover for October, as he prepares to bring his soulful music to Dublin this month, while we also hear from new talents such as Daniel Sobrino as well as our own Róisín O and Maighréad.

As always, the world of LGBT news is far from silent. With even more developments going on in Russia regarding the Sochi Olympics – still embroiled in controversy over recent anti-gay legislation – the tense atmosphere there is not lifting soon. Germany have recently come into the spotlight with an interesting choice of costume for their athletes, while the Tánaiste has officially stated that Ireland – among other countries – is not happy with the Russian anti-gay laws.

Still, much progress has been made elsewhere. We have some great opinion pieces from both Dublin and Los Angeles this month, making us question where the LGBT community in Western countries is going. Have we achieved all the rights we have called for? You might know the answer already, but read on to see if you were right.

I hope you enjoy our October issue – the Music Issue – of EILE Magazine. Don’t forget to check out all our featured musicians, and if you like what you read (and hear!) let us know by Twitter or Facebook.

Until next time, Scott

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Youth | Anti-Bullying

New Anti-Bullying Procedures a “Major Breakthrough” for LGBT Schoolchildren The Irish Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD launched new Anti-Bullying procedures last Friday for all primary and post-primary schools which all schools must implement. The procedures and guidelines fully incorporate addressing and preventing homophobic and transphobic bullying.

All schools will be required to specifically address homophobic and transphobic bullying as part of their new mandatory anti-bullying policy, including developing and documenting education and prevention strategies that specifically tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying. The new policy will be developed in conjunction with parents, staff and students.

“These new procedures, which are mandatory for both primary and post primary schools, provide the opportunity to radically transform the lives of young

LGBT people in every school in the country and make Irish schools safe, supportive and affirming for young LGBT people” said Sandra IrwinGowran, Director of Education Policy at GLEN. As an outcome from the Department of Education and Skills Action Plan on Bullying, the Department and all the main education stakeholders now support BeLonG To’s annual campaign Stand Up! Don’t Stand for Homophobic or Transphobic Bullying which goes to every post-primary school in the country each March. Involvement in Stand Up! is a key education and prevention measure which supports schools in creating a welcoming environment for LGBT students and to combat homophobic bullying, in line with these new procedures.

“The fact that the Department of Education and Skills now requires – on a mandatory footing – all schools, both

primary and post primary, to address homophobic and transphobic bullying and to develop education strategies to ensure that LGBT young people are welcomed and supported in every school is a major breakthrough” said Michael Barron, Director at BeLonG To. Barron continued: “Every class in every school in Ireland has LGBT students. Many schools are already working to create a climate that is safe and supportive for these students.

Many other schools, however, are not working to support LGBT young people and these procedures provide much needed support and direction for those schools.”

Read the new Anti-Bullying Procedures from the Department of Education here. For more information on BeLonG To’s Stand Up! anti-bullying campaing, visit belongto.org.

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Interview | Daniel Sobrino

Daniel Sobrino chats with Scott De BuitlĂŠir about his musical family and taking Los Angeles by storm.

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Interview | Daniel Sobrino

Just Being Human If you were just to listen to his music, without knowing anything about him, you’d expect Daniel Sobrino to have years of experience behind him. His strong and almost husky voice makes him sound like a mature singer, and yet Sobrino’s career is only starting off. The young Mexican moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19, focusing on his songwriting skills, and learning to play the piano in the process.

It would be a daunting task for any teenager to pack their bags and move to another country, but to do it for a career in music is an even bigger risk. It seems that Sobrino’s confidence for the move, however, came from his family’s musical background.

“I’ve always had a musical family,” Sobrino explains on the phone, “on the side of my mom.

They’re all musicians, for fun and [as a] hobby, but I decided to take it more seriously. So, I moved to L.A. and I started from zero by songwriting three years ago and playing the piano as well.” At one point in the conversation, he unusually – but aptly – compares his musical development to getting to know the city’s rail

system: “no-one explained [to] me how to do that, I had to do it myself and learn every step of the way.”

The young singer’s dedication soon paid off, however. He gradually gained confidence from performing covers – and the odd original song – at a local hotel.

His original material has led to the release of ‘Power of Us’ (click here to watch the video) as well as two other singles online. Power of Us, despite being well-produced, written and performed, has surprisingly humble origins. “[It was] the first song I wrote,” Sobrino, who penned it in his room, recalls fondly “It just came to me. I just wanted to write about the world, there’s so much happening in the world.

If we believe in each other, we can make a change in this world.

Every day when we day wake up, we’re making that change.

We have to be as positive as possible.”

His idealism may well strike a chord with many activists, which is not surprising, as Sobrino is gay. With the recent rise in

openly gay singers grabbing the attention of the internet (Cheyenne Jackson, Steve Grand and Eli Lieb, to name a few), the stage is set for Sobrino to spread his wings. That said, Sobrino doesn’t make a big deal about being openly gay. So, is the LGBT label something that he embraces, rejects, or just lets sit somewhere in the background?

“I don’t mind,” he says, when I ask if he minds being called an ‘LGBT artist’. “I love who I am and I’m honest, and that’s what I wanna express with my music.

I wanna be seen as human, and not as a gay artist. If you hear my songs [you’ll see] I just wanna help people express themselves.

I wanna show people that being gay is not like being crazy, it’s just being human.”

Click Power of Us to hear Daniel’s single.

For more information on Daniel Sobrino, visit danielsobrino.com

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News | World

LGBT Monthly News Roun Gambian President Blasts Homosexuality “Top Global Threat” The President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, has given a vitriolic speech at the United Nations against homosexuality, listing it alongside greed and a desire for world domination as the three ‘top global threats’ to humanity. He also claimed that those who support gay people are supporting the “exinction” of mankind.

“Those who promote homosexuality, President Jammeh told the UN representatives in New York yesterday, “want to put an end to human existence. It is becoming an epidemic and we Muslims and Africans will fight to end this behavior.”

“Homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations which, though very evil, antihuman as well as anti-Allah, is being promoted as a human right by some powers,” said Jammeh, who came to power in Gambia through a military coup in 1994.

The leader’s words come only a day after close to a dozen foreign ministers and other UN representatives – including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – called on all members of the UN to put an “urgent end” to LGBT discrimination and violence.

US Secretary of State, John Kerry, was one of the representatives who spoke at the UN’s LGBT Core Group yesterday, and said that “in too many places around the world, LGBT persons are still punished for simply exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms.”

Thursday’s meeting resulted in a

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Ministerial Declaration on “Ending Violence and Discrimination Against Individuals Based on Their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”, which included the section: “We agree with the United Nations Secretary-General’s assessment that combating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity constitutes “one of the great, neglected human rights challenges of our time”. We hereby commit ourselves to working together with other States and civil society to make the world safer, freer and fairer for LGBT people everywhere.”

Russia: Siberia Ban On Foreign Adoption The first ban on foreign adoptions, from any Russian region, was passed by a Siberian coal-mining area, yesterday 25th.

The ban, passed by the Kemerovo region in southwestern Siberia, covers all adoptions of local children by foreigners.

The law was passed unanimously, and legislators cited child welfare as their main concern.

Head of the regional parliament’s education commitee, Galina Solovyeva, said children who move abroad face huge linguistic, cultural and religious difficulties, and are driven “into a corner”, which hinders their development, according to a report in the political and business newspaper Kommersant (The Businessman).

She also cited possible abuse by adoptive parents as a danger to the child.

“On US and European social networks there are groups of users who exchange and sell children adopted from Russia,” Solovyeva said, and stated that this meant children should only be adopted within Russia.

There have been 77 foreign adoptions from the Kemerovo area this year, and there are approximately 6,500 orphans in total in this region alone.

Kemerovo has a population of over 3 million, and is about 3,500 km from Moscow. It is also known as Kuzbass.

According to Ria Novosti, Russia’s federal government banned adoptions by Americans in late 2012 in the so-called Dima Yakovlev law, named after a Russian toddler who died of heatstroke after his American adoptive father left him in a parked car for nine hours in 2008.

About 1,500 Russian children have been adopted in Ireland since the Soviet Union’s collapse, according to the Russian Embassy in Dublin.

None of them are reported to have sustained any abuse after moving to Ireland.

MKB/Eile

News | World

nd-Up New Jersey Passes Marraige Equality

They represented one of the couples who had brought the case, argued by Lambda’s Lawrence S. Lustberg. They say they will fight the state appeal, said by a spokesman for the Governor’s office, to be on the way.

Thailand: Bill for Civil Partnership

“Since the Legislature refused to allow the people to decide expeditiously, we will let the Supreme Court make this constitutional determination” the Governor’s office stated.

The Governor, Chris Christie, last year vetoed a same-sex marriage bill passed by the legislature, who have until the end of the year to override the veto by a majority. Christie wants a referendum on the issue.

In New Jersey, Judge Mary Jacobson, of Mercer County Superior Court, Trenton, has issued a 53 page opinion in a case where same-sex couples have argued that civil unions do not guarantee their civil rights. On Friday last, she stated that she agrees and that: “Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey constitution”.

She has ordered that same-sex couples be allowed to marry from October 21st, and said they are unfairly deprived of their federal benefits by the current system of civil union, and so state officials must allow the marriages.

Lambda Legal were delighted with the ruling, and have stated on their website: “In today’s decision, the Court wrote: …the current inequality visited upon same-sex civil union couples offends the New Jersey Constitution, creates an incomplete set of rights that Lewis sought to prevent, and is not compatible with “a reasonable conception of basic human dignity.””

New Jersey’s Supreme Court ruled in 2006, that same-sex couples should have the same benefits as heterosexual married couples, and so civil unions were introduced in order to bring that equality to same-sex couples. However supporters of same-sex marriage say there is still a gap in federal benefits, which led to this case being brought.

Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director Hayley Gorenberg stated: The Supreme Court opened the door to federal benefits, and now the Court in New Jersey has ruled that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry.

This news is thrilling. We argued that limiting lesbians and gay men to civil union is unfair and unconstitutional, and now the Court has agreed. The end of DOMA made the freedom to marry even more urgent than before because the state stood between these families and a host of federal protections, benefits, rights and responsibilities.

With this ruling, our clients and all of New Jersey’s same-sex couples are at the threshold of the freedom to marry.

MKB/Eile Update: Christie Appeals Ruling: http://bit.ly/GzXquT

In Thailand, a bill has been drafted by a parliamentary commitee, that, if passed, will allow gay men and women to enter into a civil partnership if they are at least 20 years old.

Naras Savestanan, director of the Justice Ministry’s Department of Rights and Liberties Protection stated: ”The partnership will give [samesex couples] rights, benefits and protection similar to most rights granted to heterosexual couples”.

Benefits like inheritance rights, and pensions, will be granted to same-sex couples as are in place for heterosexual couples, and it would mean that Thailand, a mainly Buddhist country, would be the first Asian country to introduce Civil Partnership.

Thailand decriminalised homosexuality as far back as 1956, and LGBT people are very well accepted into society there, The bill, however, will need 10,000 signatures to support it, according to the Thai constitution, and although no-one has raised objections so far, conservatives may not be happy with the proposal.

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News | Russia

Russia Drafts Bill To Strip LGBT of Parental Rights

A Russian politician has put forward draft legislation that, if passed, would take all parental rights away from gay and lesbian people.

The amendments to the Russian ‘Family Code’ have been proposed

by Aleksey Zhuravlev, the deputy of the State Duma. It would essentially mean that LGBT people in Russia would have no right to raise their own children, whether biological or otherwise.

The draft legislation is an advancement of sorts of Russia’s ‘gay propaganda’ ban, moving the ban from the public realm into the family home. The explanatory note that Zhuravlev accompanied with the proposed amendment follows: “Following the letter of the law that forbids propaganda of nontraditional sex to minors we must restrict such propaganda not only in mass media but also the family. […] If one of the child’s parents indulges in sexual contact with persons of the same sex, the damage to the child’s psyche is immense as a mother or father serves as an example for their offspring.”

If enacted, any parent who is LGBT would have their parenting rights removed from them.

Russian newssite, RT, has stated: 10 EILE Magazine

[The amendment] adds that for cases when a wife simply suspects her husband of nontraditional sex, the court and the Investigative Committee (Russia’s top law enforcement agency created for dealing with especially important and resonant cases), “have specialists trained in everything.”

Evidence backing the rationale behind Zhuralev’s amendment comes, from a sociologist at the University of Texas who has become known for his stance against gay parenting. Professor Mark Regnerus* – who has been linked to the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage – has led the New Family Structure Study, which claims that children in ‘traditional’ families were more stable than those raised by same-sex couples.

Regnerus’ findings are bizarrely unavailable on his project’s website, although the study can be read via sciencedirect.com.

Even more strange, Regnerus was given a series of documents on how to publicise his study by an unknown source; neither the University of Texas nor the Witherspoon Institute – the conservative group who funded Regnerus’ study – could claim ownership of these so-called ‘Media Training’ documents.

Meanwhile, Russian gay rights

advocate Nikolai Alexeyev has said that the implementation of Zhuravlev’s legislation would go against President Putin’s claim that the rights of LGBT Russians are not being affected by recent laws, including the highly controversial ‘gay propaganda’ legislation. ”Such initiatives create unwanted tensions between Russia and the West,” Alexeyev stated. “This is a provocation against the Russian authorities.”

Mikhail Fedotov, chairman of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights, has branded Zhuravlev’s bill “a disaster”, claiming that the politician is playing on the current antigay atmosphere in Russia in an attempt to advance his own career; “Maybe we should also take driving licenses from all lefthanded people? They are lefthanded and the cars have steering wheels on the left, it must be harder for them to drive. It is a disaster when an issue that is on the 30th place by its importance is elevated to the top of social mind and inflated to the size of a global cataclysm because afterwards we don’t know what to do with it.” *the American Sociological Association filed an amicus brief to the US Supreme Court in support of Perry & Windsor, debunking Regnerus’ report.

News | World

Obama Meets LGBT Activists After G20, Sends Greetings to Pussy Riot A group of nine Russian human rights activists, including three from the LGBT community, met with President Obama after the G20 summit, and hailed the meeting as a ‘signal’to the Russian authorities, and symbolic. The meeting lasted approximately one hour. During the meeting, Obama said: “The kinds of activities that are represented here are critically important to Russia’s development, and I’m very proud of their work.I think it is important for us to remember that in every country – here in Russia, in the United States, around the globe – that part of good government is making sure that we’re creating a space for civil society to function effectively.”

Obama also sent his greetings to Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, of the punk band Pussy Riot, who are

presently serving two year jail sentences, according to a tweet

by Pavel Chikov, the head of legal aid organization Agora, who also attended the meeting on Friday.

Maria is now working at a school in the penal colony of Nizhny Novgorod, where she serving her sentence for activism.

The meeting with Obama took place in St Petersburg, and afterwards, the head of the Russian LGBT Network Igor Kochetkov told RIA Novosti: “For me the very fact that members of the LGBT community were invited to this meeting is important”, and a coordinator from the Youth Human Rights Movement, Dmitry Makarov, said that, “the United States has sent a signal, which is the correct thing to do.”

Security Advisor, Susan Rice.

Although some activist organisations declined the invitation to attend, other activists present were: environmental activist Yevgeniya Chirikova, member of St. Petersburg LGBT group Coming Out Olga Lenkova, head of business advocacy group Business Solidarity Yana Yakovleva, investigative journalist Elena Milashina, human rights organization Memorial lawyer Ivan Pavlov and St. Petersburgbased human rights activist Boris Pystintsev according to RIA Novosti.

MKB/Eile

Also present at the meeting were US Ambassador in Russia Michael McFaul and Obama’s National

Don’t forget to visit eile.ie for daily LGBT news and updates!

EILE Magazine 11

Interview | Leee John

Not Just an Illusion Scott De BuitlĂŠir chats with musical legend, Leee John 12 EILE Magazine

Interview | Leee John

Leee John sounds exhausted, but happy, when I speak to him on the phone on Wednesday evening.

He has just returned to his home in London after gigging in Scotland, and later this month, he comes to Ireland to launch his Imagination Flashback UK and Irish tour. It’s been a while since he’s been to Dublin, and despite barely giving himself a chance to rest after Scotland, Leee tells me that he’s excited to return to the Fair City. Many of his fans are pretty excited, too.

For the uninitiated, Leee John was born in London of St Lucian descent, educated in New York, and studied theatre in the UK with the Anna Scher Theatre.

He started his musical career as a backing singer with US based bands like The Delfonics, and Chairmen of the Board. However, he soon teamed up with Ashley Ingram, and they wrote songs together while in a band called Fizzz. Later Ingram and Leee joined up with Errol Kennedy to form the now-legendary band, Imagination, in the early 1980s.

Imagination’s iconic funk/soul music can be found in many forms today, and that’s not to mention the more recent material, such as dance music, and Leee’s latest single ‘Krash’. As frontman for the hit 80s band, Imagination, Leee shot to international fame with the success of ‘Body Talk’’, 1981, from their debut album of the same name, and ‘Just an Illusion’, in 1982, with frequent appearances on the UK tv chart show, Top of the Pops.

Asked how he feels about the dance music which has typified the gay scene over the years, Leee explains:

actor, and writer, with just as much enthusiasm about it all as when Imagination first started.

Even the most successful of artists have their own role models, however, and Leee is no exception. At the time Body Talk was released in 1981, he was a fan of another John; John Lennon, and Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’.

“IMAGINATION were never part of the dance or gay scene that became commercialised in the late 80s/90s, hence the PINK POUND . We came from late 70s/80s Brit/funk/soul scene in London. In between gigging , we “I thought this would be a bought import US funk/soul/jazz really good name,” he explains, records. A posse of us were part “because if some of the success of the Brit/funk/soul scene who that John Lennon had could be followed all the djs etc. and by blessed on us as a group, then the time BODY [we decided] His work as an TALK came out, ‘let’s do it’. It we had a huge was in a very ambassador with dj following as spiritual sense SOS Children’s well as CLUB when we took based” . name, Villages, the British- the Imagination. based charity that By the early … The lyrics 2000s, Leee are so works with orphaned alone had moved into meaningful children in Africa, releasing dance that taking tracks, including name is what has touched the UK Garage, ‘Imagination’ him the most over the meant we and in 2005, released Feel [could] years.

My Soul, a jazz expand our album. ideas to a greater mass in creativity, art, In 2003, he took part in the reality stage and music.”

ITV programme, Reborn In The USA, presented by Davina The decision to call the band after McCall, where some younger another iconic song was clearly a readers may have heard of him for good one, as Imagination toured the first time. Leee is also known worldwide with their music. for his cameo role in Doctor With performances at London’s Who, as the character ‘Mansell’ Kensington Palace, and the home (Enlightenment, 1983). His music of Nelson Mandela, and even has been used and sampled many the Kremlin [the Russian one, times, most recently in the the not the Belfast gay bar!], you’d computer game Grand Theft Auto expect that those moments would 5. Throughout his career spanning be the highlights of his career. over 30 years, Leee has been They are, but it seems that one a singer, songwriter, presenter, role tops them all. His work as an EILE Magazine 13

Interview | Leee John ambassador with SOS Children’s Villages, the British-based charity that works with orphaned children in Africa, is what has touched him the most over the years.

“Through music,” Leee explains, “I’ve been able to contribute to helping orphaned children […] in Eritrea, Cote d’Azur, Angola and South Africa, to name but a few. It’s great giving back, as the AIDS pandemic is strong in a lot of these territories. It’s amazing to discover the lack of education, health care and living conditions compared to how we live. The funny thing is that if it weren’t for the Imagination music, I’d never get the chance to help in my small way. We have done, through my company, a few documentaries for ‘SOS Children’, and the work they do bringing awareness.”

“It’s just an eye-opener,” he explains. “If is weren’t for the music, I wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”

“I came from an era where everything was non-digital – an analog age.

Indeed, there’s no doubt that Leee is grateful for where his musical talents have led him. Thirty years is a long time in the music industry, which has changed from demo tapes on cassette, and vinyl records, to everything being done digitally.

“I came from an era where everything was non-digital,” he explains, “an analog age. […]

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Performing live was so important, learning your trade in front of different audiences, in clubs, pubs , [and] bingo halls. I’m a firm believer in live music. I think young artists today need to study and educate themselves in all the secrets of music; the arts are in the books and videos of the past.

There are so many gifted people, who are no longer with us, who contributed to the entertainment industry, and it’s good to look back and bring it forward.”

Leee’s roots in the analog era of music have not hindered him in the slightest, however, as his music has been used time and time again over the years.’ Just

an Illusion’ has been sampled

by Destiny’s Child and Mariah Carey, with mashups between Imagination and Jay-Z, Tupac and even Beyoncé. To top it all off?

Body Talk is part of the Grand Theft Auto 5 soundtrack, one of the most talked-about games of 2013.

“I’m truly stunned,” he says of the music’s continued popularity. “It’s great.”

With his new single, ‘Krash’ out now, as well as a book and documentary in the making, Leee John is just as busy as ever. He has managed to keep a successful career going, in the ever-changing music industry, for over thirty years, and that well-deserved success is definitely not ‘just an illusion’.

--Leee performs in Dublin’s Button Factory on Sunday, October 20 at 7:30. Tickets: ticketmaster.ie

Arts | Joyce DiDonato

Singer Dedicates BBC Proms Performance to LGBT Russians

Mezzo-Soprano Joyce DiDonato, who performed on the BBC proms this year, dedicated her rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ to LGBT people who live in countries with anti-gay regimes, citing Russia’s recent anti-gay legislation.

The American opera singer wrote on her blog on September 5 about her decision to dedicate the song, famously linked to the gay community, to those who suffer homophobia at a social or government level. While she acknowledges that Russia is not the only country to impose antigay laws on its citizens, DiDonato writes about the “oppression, 15 EILE Magazine

denigration, dismissal, abuse, and utter disdain” that many LGBT people face in homophobic societies: “‘[LGBT people] are much greater human beings for having to look into the eyes of these misguided forces that try with all of their might to degrade them, and yet they audaciously stand up and say, “No. You listen: I am worthy.” What a courageous, shining example of being true to yourself. They deserve the applause and celebration for their valiant courage and for teaching us (if we’re strong and brave enough to learn) how to be better human beings.

On Saturday night I will be the honored guest of the BBC Proms and will lend my voice to the greatest party for Classical Music on the planet: the Last Night of the Proms. I am MOST honored and feel incredibly humbled to be asked to take part. We programmed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” ages ago, but as the Russian law came into focus and I felt this impending sense of dread wash over me, I knew that I simply had to personally dedicate my performance on Saturday to all of those brave, valorous gay and lesbian souls whose voices are currently being silenced – either by family, friends, or by their government. As I’ve done in the past, this is a very individual dedication made only here (not on the stage of the glorious Royal Albert Hall), but I do invite you all to use your own voice, in whatever (safe!) capacity you can, and speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves at this moment.”

LGBT rights group, GLAAD, have praised DiDonato’s announcement, stating that “outspoken voices like those of Joyce DiDonato are important becuase they convey to a wide audiance that anti-LGBT discrimination is not ok. […]

Voices like hers are integral in propelling us on the road to equality.”

News | World

Trans Birth Cert Bill Passes

UNESCO Youth Forum Needs You! The UNESCO Youth Forum is looking for young people to have their say on a wide range of issues, to be included at the Forum’s 8th annual conference which will be held in Paris next month.

California has passed a Bill that will facilitate legal name changes for trans individuals. It will make it easier, less expensive and will protect the privacy of transgender people who wish to change their identity to their true identity.

The Bill, Assembly Bill 1121, was authored by Toni Atkins, Assembly member, and the Transgender Law Center and Equality California were the cosponsors. The Bill was passed by a vote of 54-16, and will see to it that transgender people have access to identity documents that show their true gender.

Assemblywoman Atkins stated: “Transgender people are entitled to have their official documents and their legal name reflect their true identity without a burdensome and expensive process that endangers their personal safety”.

The Transgender Law Center explained what the bill means to transgender people: While some states have administrative procedures that permit transgender people to

amend the gender marker, name or both on their birth certificates, California still requires a court hearing as a prerequisite before the state’s Office of Vital Records will change the gender marker on a birth certificate. Court fees are currently $435 for a gender change or name change petition. AB 1121 will allow individuals to bypass the court and apply directly to the Office of Vital Records to amend a birth certificate. That will both streamline individuals’ access to corrected birth certificates and reduce the caseloads of overwhelmed courts.

AB 1121 would also make the name change process more private and affordable for transgender people, exempting them from the requirement that a person pay to publish a notice of the intended name change in the local newspaper for four weeks.

The Bill must now pass to the Senate for discussion.

MKB/Eile

UNESCO’s Youth Forum Online Discussion Community is a global online social network where young people around the world can come together to discuss the issues that matter to you. The outcomes of these online debates will be presented, as 9-draft Strategic Recommendations, to the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, held in Paris from 29 to 31 October 2013.

According to the UNESCO website, the three strategies of this year’s Forum are: 1. Policy formulation and review with the participation of youth 2. Capacity development for the transition to adulthood 3. Civic engagement, democratic participation and social innovation The preliminary debates will take place online, providing the blueprint for nine strategic recommendations that are to be presented by the youth delegates during the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, held at the Organization’s Headquarters, in Paris, France, from 29 to 31 October 2013.

To become a member of this discussion group, click here. [h/t to Christoforos Pavlakis]

EILE Magazine 16

Column | The Irish Gay Pub

The Gay Bar: Your Local Community Centre?

It’s a mild Saturday in September, and I’ve been invited to The George for a bit of a night out with some friends. There’s a group of us out; five in total, ready to relax, catch up with old friends and make a few new ones too.

As the night goes on, I bump into a few other people I know. One fellow media-type sparks off a conversation about the history of the well-known Dublin bar, and the events it has seen over the years. One particular line he says strikes a chord with me: ”Gay life in Dublin wouldn’t be the same without it,” he said. “This is our own community centre.”

my friend was trying to get at; that the gay bar is where the community comes together. In Dublin, The George has both the reputation and history to be crowned King [Queen?] of the Gay Bars; a Saturday night sees such a diverse mixture of people that is rare to find in any other venue in the country. I’ve only been part of the Dublin gay scene for about seven years, yet I’m almost guaranteed to meet someone I know in The George over any given weekend. That Saturday night was no exception, and it provided us all with a space to see what was going on in the community and with each other.

In other words, we were able to have a bit of a natter and a gossip.

If I had been in the mood to be completely pedantic, I would’ve told my friend that he was wrong, and that Outhouse is Dublin’s LGBT community centre. Despite that, I still understood what

Here’s the interesting thing, however; within the gay community (in Ireland, at least) there’s always an underlying argument over the difference between the gay ‘community’ and

18 EILE Magazine

the gay ‘scene’. One could argue that bars and clubs fall under the dominion of the gay scene, while community centre(s) and LGBT social groups (sport, choirs etc.) make up the community. One rules the nighttime socialising, while the other takes place in daylight. There’s another way to look at it, though, and that is to look at the local village or town, or maybe even a well-knit suburban community. There may be a community centre, a library or even a church, but the pub is where people will come together to see what’s going on with the locals.

Whether we like it or loathe it, the pub is an intrinsic part of any Irish community. Cities like Dublin and Belfast have seen some changes with the influx of the café culture and Americanstyle coffeehouses, but the pub still reigns supreme. This is why Arthur’s Day, despite its recent

Column | The Irish Gay Pub controversy of criticism, took off so well – it feeds into the desire for ‘the gang’ to pop down to the local and get a round in. Despite any stereotypical image of a gaggles of gays sitting around their favourite gay bar with a Cosmo, the pub culture applies just as well to the Irish gay community too. The local gay rugby or football team will cheer on Ireland in their sponsor bar, just like a gang of lads (or girls!) will cheer on their local GAA, soccer or rugby team in any other pub in the country. There’s genuinely no difference… I even know of the odd ‘straight’ venue that does bingo nights with drag queens!

For as much as we can’t deny the role of the pub/ bar, however, it shouldn’t make us forget the vital role that actual community centres like Outhouse play as well. The services they run, the group meetings they host and the venues themselves are essential to the well-being and development of our community. A barman will (hopefully) smile at you just as much as the volunteer in the café at the local

centre, or the youth group, or the acting group, or the AA meeting. A trip to your local centre – whether it’s the Rainbow Project in Belfast or Derry, the Other Place in Cork or Outhouse in Dublin – is just as important to reassuring your place within the local LGBT community as any bar. It’ll show you that there are people who care about you and who feel a level of solidarity with you, and that can be very helpful indeed at times, especially when you need a friend.

That said, when the Sun goes down and you’re in the mood for a laugh, the gay bar takes over the role of our community centre, just like any other pub in Ireland. So go and enjoy yourself, and make a few friends while you’re at it.

And if you see me out, mine’s a Coke.

by Scott De Buitléir

Reviews | Frances Winston

RUNNER RUNNER Directed by: Brad FurmanStarring: Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie The posters and promotional material for this film all make it look incredibly glossy, and indeed the cast are all good-looking, and the locations are exotic.

Unfortunately, once you scratch the surface, this tarnishes quite quickly.

The story is rather formulaic.

Princeton student Richie (Timberlake) is left seething after losing his tuition money to online gambling – more precisely poker.

Whereas most people would simply suck it up and put it down to experience, he instead decides to confront the owner of the gaming site, Ivan Block (Affleck).

He heads to the remote island from which the site is hosted, intent on retrieving his money, but instead he gets sucked into Ivan’s apparently glamorous world, eventually becoming his right hand man.

Of course, he soon realises that all that glitters isn’t gold, and he ends up conspiring against Ivan with Shavers (Mackie) an FBI 20 EILE Magazine

agent, and between them they manage to bring Ivan to justice.

In between all the back and forth between the two men, Arterton gets to do her turn as the token female. She very much plays a trophy girlfriend here, and predictably, she flits between the two. She also looks ridiculously orange throughout, which is quite distracting.

Timberlake basically reprises his Social Network role here.

He is not a great actor by any means, but he can handle cocky preppy types, and Richie is just that. Meanwhile Affleck, who had redeemed himself in the industry’s eyes with his recent efforts after years of dodgy movies, seems to be attempting to undo all his good work.

This is pretty much done by numbers, and is like the takeaway meal that fills you up briefly, but leaves you hungry half an hour later. It isn’t helped by a cliché driven script (just how many poker metaphors can you get in one movie?) and in trying to be super-stylish, they forget about the little things – like creating characters you actually care about.

This is part of the problem here.

No one in this movie has any real, redeeming qualities, and you’d be perfectly happy to see them all get their just desserts. Even in the case of an anti-hero, the audience should be rooting for them. This kind of movie has been done before, and done better, but if you are just looking for a cinema fix that washes over you and won’t resonate afterwards, then this will fit the bill.

In Cinemas Now

Reviews | Frances Winston

Frances Winston on Movies

Mister John Directed by: Christine Molloy, Joe Lalor Starring Aiden Gillen, Zoe Tay Aiden Gillen plays complex characters well, so it’s not surprising that he was cast in this arthouse drama about a man struggling with the death of his brother, and his own personal issues.

Gillen plays Gerry, who travels to Singapore to attend the funeral of his bar-owner brother, who has died in a drowning accident.

Upon arriving, he meets his sister-in-law Kim (Tay) for the first time, and despite the awkwardness between them, agrees to stay in her house. As he explores the unfamiliar country and culture, he gets insights into his brother’s activities, which distract him from his own issues back home. The longer he spends in the country delving into his

brother’s affairs, the more he takes on his brother’s mantle, and he begins to find himself drawn to Kim, who is equally as lonely as he is.

If you are expecting lots of action you’ll be disappointed. This is a character-led drama, that draws heavily on Asian superstition, and uses dream sequences to great effect. Gillen is subtle and intense throughout, but the audience is always aware of his inner turmoil.

Equally, Tay does a great job as a grieving widow, who is trying to put a brave face on things for the sake of her daughter.

The pace is built nicely and the story is beautifully layered. The cinematography is wonderful and truly captures the beauty of Singapore, which contrasts well with Gillen’s crumpled look throughout.

kind of film that requires some post-screening analysis. Although it may seem like nothing really happens, there is a huge amount going on under the surface, and the final shot of Gillen silently weeping will haunt you for a long time after you see this film. Don’t be put off by the fact that this is an arthouse movie. This is a human story that everyone will be able to relate to.

You’ll like this if you liked: Helen, Trouble With Sex In cinemas now

With numerous themes, this is the

EILE Magazine 21

News | Ireland

BeLonG To Awards Accreditation to Donegal LGBT Group BreakOut, the LGBT youth group for County Donegal, has been awarded official accreditation

by BeLong To, the national organisation for LGBT young people.

BreakOut now has LGBT youth groups in Letterkenny and Buncrana, and has worked with over 50 young people over the last year. The groups meet weekly and participate in the annual Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week aimed at ending homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools and communities across Ireland.

BeLonG To Youth Service awards accreditation to LGBT youth groups around the Republic of Ireland as a mark of the quality of service and support that they deliver.

To get the stamp of approval, groups must meet a set standard in six criteria including ethos, training, child protection, youth leadership, critical social education and partnership.

Speaking at the Accreditation ceremony yesterday, Michael Barron, Executive Director of BeLonG To Youth Services, said that he was delighted to award accreditation to the Donegalbased organisation: “The commitment of the team 22 EILE Magazine

in Donegal Youth Services in supporting LGBT young people is being acknowledged as meeting best practice here in Ireland and internationally.

“I would like to express our thanks to the Health Promotion Department of the HSE (Western Region) for their support and funding to ensure this vital support service is available in the county.”

Lorraine Thompson, Regional Director of Donegal Youth Services said “We are delighted to accept this Accreditation for BreakOut, since the inception of the project it has expanded and developed, shaped by the young people themselves and in keeping with the quality standards of Donegal Youth Service. We are very proud of the work of BreakOut including the young people, staff and volunteers who make it the success that it is.”

For more information, visit the BreakOUT Donegal Facebook page.

GLEN & Macra Launch Rural LGBT Initiative The Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, attended the National Ploughing Championships to launch a new initiative by Macra na Feirme and GLEN, in support of LGBT people living in rural Ireland.

The new booklet promotes positive mental health and highlights the community and support services for LGBT people. This is also the first time that any LGBT organisation has attended the National Ploughing Championships.

“Ireland has experienced great progress for LGBT people over the past 20 years,” said Brian Sheehan, Director of GLEN, ”and we want to ensure that this visibility and positive change is equally enjoyed by those who are LGBT in rural Ireland.”

“Macra are delighted to develop our work in the area of positive mental health and to support GLEN. Macra is an open and inclusive rural organisation and we hope that the wider rural community will reflect our ethos.” said Kieran O’Dowd, Macra na Feirme National President.

In rural areas, however, it can be more difficult for LGBT people to find support, and sometimes they can experience discrimination or may feel isolated. This impact on mental health is tackled thanks to such an initiative.

For more information on GLEN, visit glen.ie

News | Elton John

Elton John – Russian Performances Under Fire Elton John, who is to perform in Russia on 6th and 7th December, has come under fire from a parent’s commitee in the Urals.

The commitee members, who have asked President Putin to cancel Elton’s performances, say that he intends to speak out against the anti-gay laws, violating the ban on “homosexual propaganda”.

According to a Reuters news report, media in the Ural region reporting on the open letter to Putin, say the parents’ group stated that: “The singer intends to [...] break the current Russian law, directed at protecting children.”

The law in question is the recent Russian anti-gay propaganda law, which, as stated by Reuters, is ”part of a broader attempt by Putin to win over Russians in the mostly conservative country following protests against his rule among urban and often middle class voters over his return to the Kremlin last May”.

Russian legislator Vitaly Milanov has already criticised Madonna and Lady Gaga, who performed in Russia tecently, for speaking out about the antigay laws, and Cher refused to open for the Sochi Olympics because of the discrimination.

perform, and not boycotting the country because of its anti-gay laws , by stating: “I’ve got to go. And I’ve got to think about what I’m going to say very carefully. There’s two avenues of thought: do you stop everyone going, ban all the artists coming in from Russia? But then you’re really leaving the men and women who are gay and suffering under the anti-gay laws in an isolated situation. As a gay man, I can’t leave those people on their own without going over there and supporting them. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’ve got to go.”

According to that Guardian interview, In the past 12 months, “Elton John has recorded a remarkable new album, had a second child, played his first festival in 43 years – and almost died. He talks about his famous temper, his addiction to work – and trying to slow down at 66″.

His new album is called The Diving Board, and certainly his fans in Russia would be looking forward to hearing this new material, as well as some old favourites. But whether this commitee will affect Elton’s plans to perform in Moscow and Kazan remains to be seen.

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In an interview with the Guardian on 15th September, Elton justified going to Russia to EILE Magazine 23

Interview | Róisín O

Róisín O chats to Scott De Buitléir on her latest single, Hold On, and life on the road as an Irish musician

SDB: You’ve just finished a US tour; any memorable moments while in the States?

RO: One weekend I went to Butte, Montana, where I was invited to sing at a local festival. No one knew me there so my crowd on the first day was pretty small.

They really seemed to enjoy it though, and the next day when I played again the crowd had doubled. As I started to play to the packed tent the heavens opened like I had never seen before in my life, raindrops the size of apples!

For safety reasons the PA had to be shut down and we had to wait until the rain calmed down. At

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this point the tent was full to the brim of people trying to escape the rain as well as the crowd who came to see me. It was taking a while and my set time was dwindling so I decided to play a few songs acoustically. The crowd were so silent, I don’t think they’d ever seen anything like it before.

Their response was phenomenal.

The next day at my final gig on the main stage it seemed everyone who was in the tent came to see me again and brought a friend or two! It was such a nice feeling to see people respond so well to my music. I really felt at home there, like I was playing to an Irish audience.

SDB: Do you feel you have a certain reputation/standard to live up to when gigging abroad because you’re Irish, when we’re so well known for our musical heritage?

At times it can be hard abroad for people to understand that just because I’m Irish doesn’t mean I play traditional Irish music!

In saying this though, I find crowds abroad to be really great, especially considering I’m not widely known, but maybe it does have something to do with me being Irish!

SDB: Have you noticed any particular differences between your fans here versus abroad (e.g. certain songs being more popular than others, etc.)?

Interview | Róisín O

RO: Well I suppose firstly the fans here at home would know my stuff better, having heard it on the radio or seen me at shows. People abroad wouldn’t know me as well so it’s hard to judge between the two. From my experience though Irish audiences are quite different. I think at times Irish audiences might be harder to win over, you really have to work to please them, but once you do in my opinion you won’t find a more responsive crowd. Many audiences abroad, especially the US, seemed like they just wanted me to do well from the start, and were encouraging every step of the way, but maybe thats because they love the Irish.

SDB: How do you manage your music career with downtime? Is it difficult to keep the creative energy going while you’re on the road, or does it inspire you instead?

RO: When I’m on the road I do find it difficult to find the time to sit down and write new material.

Though at the same time being in new places does inspire me to write lyrics which is easy enough to do when you’re on the move.

It’s good to be able to come back later and look over words I might use. During downtime I like to play Gaelic Football and spend time with my family and my dog.

SDB: You’re about to launch your album in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; what goes through your head before a new record is released? Are you a bag of nerves, or calmly making sure every thing is okay?

RO: I try not to think about it too much to be honest! If I did I would be a big bag of nerves. I try and take each day as it comes and appreciate the good things when they come my way. Opportunities like this are brilliant for

someone like me trying to get their music out to the world.

SDB: You’ve been compared at times to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. While many such comparisons are complimentary, have there been any reviews that made you just go: “Where did they get that from?”

RO: Yes! One time when I was just starting out a certain college magazine described my music as “electro-funk-pop”! I think they either didn’t listen to my music at all or just took a wild guess.

Funnily enough, it was actually a good review! When it comes to reviews you have to take the good with the bad, so I try not to get too excited or unexcited about them.

When you do get a great review of course it does feel good, every artist wants to be acknowledged for the work they do, but I think the most important reviewers are your audience, they’re the ones that go out and buy your music and make this job possible.

SDB: We recently featured ‘Hold On’ on EILE Magazine’s daily edition; what is the story behind the song?

RO: When I was fourteen I met a young man who I became close friends with and still am to this day... Sometimes our minds take us to dark places and it gets hard to escape. He was going through a tough time, as happens us all, and I found myself wanting, but unable, to help make things better for him. Sometimes all you can do for someone is to be there for them and let them know that things will get better one day. I wrote ‘Hold On’ for him. A great Irish director Simon Eustace was interested in working on the project. I told him what the song was about and he came up with the concept of the video, keeping it in the context of loneliness and isolation.

Find out more about Róisín O at roisino.com

EILE Magazine 25

Califnoria Dispatch

Californi

HAVE WE REA

For this month’s California Dispatch column, Rick Watts looks at what remains on the equality agenda for the LGBT community.

With National Coming Out Day in the U.S. (October 11) just around the corner, something I heard last week set me to thinking about the future of the LGBT tribe (or, more accurately, loose collection of tribes.). While visiting my favorite West Hollywood gay watering hole, I was waiting for my drink when I overheard a conversation that reminded me of just how far the LGBT community has come in such a short time … and how far we still have to go with some members of our own tribe.

The conversation was between a couple of regular customers, one of whom was lamenting how there seemed to be more straight patrons than gay ones at the normally gay Mother Lode bar that night. His buddy chimed in with a long-winded ill-thoughtout supportive comment that 26 EILE Magazine

went something like this: “Look at all the straight people here tonight. You’d think this isn’t even a gay bar anymore!

Come to think of it, why do we still need gay bars now that the straight people don’t hate us anymore? Heck, for that matter, do we still even need Gay Pride and a separate gay community identity? Honestly, we’ve been arguing all these years about how we’re no different the straight people. So, now that we’re rid of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, Proposition 8, and DOMA; we have marriage now along with housing and job protections, maybe we should just follow our own advice and assimilate!”

Say WHAT??? I was initially shocked that any sane noncloseted LGBT person could say such a thing — especially with our side having just squeaked by in last summer’s Supreme Court decisions, effectively ending the federal Defense of Marriage

Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8 here in California. But upon further consideration, it should come as no surprise that some folks — especially those living in gay bubbles such as West Hollywood — might arrive at such a conclusion … or at least ponder the question “whither LGBT/ Pride?”

After all, since its incorporation in 1984, West Hollywood’s city council has had not just representation from the LGBT community, but a majority of sitting council members every year since then. And (honest to God) the first class of council members elected included … a “Colt” model. REALLY. (And if you’re reading this as a selfidentified LGBTer, and have never heard of Colt Studios, I’m not going to explain — except to promise to reach out through this page and confiscate your Gay Card.) Santa Monica Boulevard — our fair city’s main drag— (pardon the pun) has several Gay

Califnoria Dispatch

ia Dispatch:

ALLY WON EVERYTHING WE NEED? Freedom rainbow flags flying year-round over several of its center medians; as well as over City Hall. And for the past 15 or so years even the West Hollywooddesignated Sheriff Department squad cars have sported the city’s official blue-block emblem in rainbow colors instead. What had started as a bureaucratic ordering mistake was so well-received that correcting it caused such an uproar the Council decided to make it official.

prospect.

While some of us like the aforementioned bar patron may be over the rainbow (in a bad sense), there’s no doubt that things have changed — generally for the better — because we and our forebears of what is now the LGBT community created that community for change. And there’s no mistaking: “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”

With perhaps the only contact with or news from outside being perhaps online (at least where local internet activity isn’t being quashed or spied upon) or from the airwaves carrying competent, dependable and trustworthy LGBT news sources (such as, for example, the long running This Way Out radio news magazine, which, in the interest of full disclosure, is produced by the same intrepid volunteers who provide this column) the differences between “over here” and “over there” can be stark.

Progress happens — often in fits and starts, often slowly. But too often there are also reversals where we allow ourselves to be silenced, either by intimidation or by competing priorities for our attention. Uganda and Russia are only two of the most noteworthy.

But even for those of us in gay Meccas like WeHo or San Francisco or New York or Dublin, to conclude that we have secured all our rights, and righted all society’s wrongs for all time, is naïve at best; and more accurately delusional or even selfish. For one only need pay attention to the news in or affecting the LGBT community around the world to realize that, while yes, we have indeed made amazing strides toward equality in much of the U.S., much of the rest of that world can be a really scary, hostile, oppressive, or downrightdangerous place for our brothers and sisters in those lands, making life there an often very lonely

And let’s not forget that there are still many places even in the U.S. — even here in Southern California -- where living openly can be met with hostility. And we would be remiss in ignoring the countless homes of LGBTQ youth that are anything but welcoming and affirming. One need only to talk to some of these kids, who often wind up on the streets of Los Angeles, with few places to turn to for help and affirmation.

These kids have quite literally become refugees from families without the age or experience and job and life skills to make self-sufficiency possible. Many of them are lost to the streets … or to suicide. And we too often

tell them “it gets better” without helping to make it so.

At the other end of the age spectrum, our seniors — many of whom fought for the freedoms we now enjoy — find themselves bereft of sufficient community support in their sunset years.

ONLY maintaining and nurturing a vibrant, well-led and wellresourced LGBT community can and WILL make the difference for these folks, who are our own.

And (unknown to the average heterosexual) it is still quite legal in most states for an employer to fire a worker, or for a landlord to refuse to rent to a prospective tenant, on the basis of sexual orientation.

Lest it be lost on those of us who now live in a post-Prop 8 world, we would do well to remember that not only did that measure pass just five years ago with the support of a majority of voters, but also that it was overturned only with an extraordinary amount of organization, education, mobilization, tireless self-sacrifice — and fundraising — by legions of activists. And for all the public officials supporting our quest for full equality, there are just as many who are fair-weather friends who give lip service only when the winds of their district don’t blow to the right. There are just as many who still hate us, distort our lives and dehumanize us with demagoguery to provide red meat to raise money for the next election. Had the 2008 election of Barack Obama been instead won by John McCain, EILE Magazine 27

California Dispatch there would have been no Justices Kagan and Sotomayor to form the Supreme Court majority striking down Prop 8 and DOMA. LGBT people — even here in California — will for the foreseeable future have to keep looking over our collective shoulders for new or recurring threats to our full participation in the inseparable promises of freedom, equal justice, and opportunity that are the Constitution’s “promissory note” Reverend Martin Luther King spoke of 50 years ago from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

By the time you read this, the internationally-renowned Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus will have sung the national anthem at L.A.’s Dodger Stadium. The particular version is described

German Olympic Outfits: Designed for Russian Climate?

in its introduction as “Softly at first in a questioning manner. As observers on the horizon watching others enjoy the American Dream … and wondering whether we will ever have the same blessings of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It ends triumphantly as we embrace the words and music and declare that those values belong to LGBT Americans also.”

are only as good as the government charged with their enforcement … and as willing as we are to demand our seat, and a seat for every American at the table. And that requires being out, being honest … and doing our part in making sure that we have a community that can occasionally speak loudly, proudly and with confidence and conviction.

As our Coming Out Day approaches, we would do well to ponder and admire the simple logic and visionary wisdom of its marking: to make ourselves and our individual existences known, and, by implication, to unapologetically stake our claim to that promissory note Dr. King spoke of so long ago. For the promises of the U.S. Constitution

Rick Watts is an ubiquitous activist, This Way Out: NewsWrap volunteer and Overnight Productions Board Member.

The outfits for Germany’s Winter Olympics team have been both criticised and celebrated by the public since the outfits’ launch on Tuesday, as their designs bear a striking resemblance to the rainbow flag.

According to German newspaper Spiegel Online:

The new German Olympic uniforms, designed and launched ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, were created by designer Willy Bogner in association with Adidas.

According to Bogner, the new uniforms are an homage to the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, which took place in Munich.

Despite Bogner’s inspiration, many have noticed the wide use of colour in the German outfits, and have suggested that their rainbow-like appearance could be a subtle political demonstration in support of gay rights.

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On Twitter, German users interpreted the uniforms “as a rainbow pattern” and as a “clear political statement.” “Looks great, like a gay and lesbian pride parade,” wrote one user.

“Extremely hideous — but a wellintentioned move supporting the rights of gays and lesbians,” wrote another. The official description, which claims the outfits “were created using colors and materials specially tailored to the conditions in Sochi” seemed to, in ambiguous fashion, support that interpretation.

Meanwhile, not all commentary on the uniform has been positive.

Another German newspaper, Die Tagezeitung, referred to the new outfits as “a cross between a potbellied pig and a parrot.”

Quality LGBT News and Features – Produced from Los Angeles and Available via iTunes and on 200+ Radio Stations Worldwide!

thiswayout.org | Twitter: @TWORadio Overnight Productions (Inc.)/”This Way Out” Post Office Box 1065 Los Angeles, CA 90078 U.S.A.

News | David Miranda

UNHRC Rules Against Russian Court, Alexeyev Says Precedent Two activists, who held up posters saying “Homosexuality is normal” and “I am proud of my sexuality” in 2009, and who had been detained and fined in Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, had been charged under an ‘antigay propaganda law.

Although this happened in 2009, the Ryazan region had already enacted a statute in 2006, similar to the national anti-gay propaganda law passed in Russia in June of this year. This made the activists the first to be charged under the anti-gay law.

The two activists, Irina Fedotova and Nikolai Bayev, decided that they would go to the UN Human Rights Commitee and the European Court of Human Rights respectively about the matter.

Fedotova made the complaint about the charges to the UNHRC. The UNHRC upheld her complaint, stating that the Ryazan court had violated her freedom of expression, and protection from discrimination, as Russia is a signatory to the International

30 EILE Magazine

Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

According to the Moscow Times: The UN committee said in a statement regarding the original ruling that the Russian court “was unable to prove that the restriction of the right to freedom of expression in regards to ’gay propaganda,’ as opposed to propaganda of heterosexuality or sexuality in general, among minors was based on rational or objective criteria.”

charge to the Ryazan Regional Court, last August, citing the UNHRC ruling, and on September 26, Fedotova’s charge was overturned. Bayev, on the other hand, went to the European Court of Human Rights, and awaits the outcome of his case, which is still pending.

The Moscow Times states that LGBT activists lauded the ruling, also reporting that Nikolai Alexeyev felt it set a precedent:

“Furthermore, no evidence was presented that would indicate the existence of factors justifying such a distinction,” the statement said.

Nikolai Alexeyev, widely considered to be Russia’s top gayrights activist, called the ruling a ”severe blow” to the national antigay propaganda law and said it set a precedent for future cases.

Fedotova then appealed the

MKB/Eile

Australia | Marriage Equality

Australia: Proposed Canberra LGBT Legislation Under Fire

A Bill to override the ACT’s (Australian Capital Territory) proposed gay marriage legislation has been suggested by the Australian Christian Lobby to Tony Abbot, and his fledging government. The lobby group, variously described as “extremists” and “dominionists”, is a public company, limited by guarantee, and files political expenditure returns with the Australian Electoral Commission.

Katy Gallagher, Chief Minister in the recentlyelected government of the ACT, states that she will bring forward legislation again to allow equal marriage within the state, so as to give equality to same-sex couples. This legislation had been overridden seven years ago by the Howard government, who had used commonwealth powers to do so. If enacted, the equal marriage law would make the Australian Capital Territory the first jurisdiction to allow same-sex marriage.

have “constitutional jurisdiction”to bring in samesex marriage legislation, and that Mr Abbott’s new government should override such legislation, for the sake of the constitution.

However, Rodney Croome, the national director of Australian Marriage Equality, said the federal government should respect the spirit of the constitution and allow the territory to bring in same-sex marriage, with any constitutional questions to be settled by the High Court.

He stated:

The only way legislation, brought in by a state or territory, can be overridden, is by passing legislation on a federal level, through both houses of federal parliament (representatives and senate).

“If Mr Abbott expects people to respect his mandate, he must in turn respect the mandate of the recently elected ACT government to provide full equality and dignity for all their citizens. In Australia, the reform of laws governing personal relationships — be they marriages, de facto unions or civil unions — have always occurred first at a state and territory level and only later federally. The recognition of same-sex marriages first at a state and territory level follows this long-established logic of federalism.”

The managing director of the Australian Christian Lobby, Lyle Shelton, dismissed the ACT gay marriage bill as

According to the Australian Marriage Equality website, Chief Minister of the ACT, Ms Gallagher, said marriage equality was a reform that a

“a bit of a nonsense by the ACT government just joining up with the advocates for the same sex marriage campaign and using the territory government in probably really a mischievous way because it really doesn’t have the power here and it’s not appropriate”.

“growing proportion of Australians want made. It is a matter of time. We would prefer to see the federal parliament legislate for a nationally consistent scheme, but in the absence of this we will act for the people of the ACT.

Mr Shelton also stated that the territory does not

MKB/Eile EILE Magazine 31

Column | Mr Gay Europe

Mr Gay Europe Reigning Mr Gay Ireland, Robbie Obara, writes about his experience of winning the title of Mr Gay Europe 2013.

Living the last two decades of my life as a student has been a true luxury – both in pleasure and expense.

I realize how very fortunate I am even as my student loans grow; being a student has opened my mind, and travelling the globe has opened my eyes. Over the past few years I have learned so much about myself, the world, and what it means to be a global citizen. Being gay has just added icing to the mix.

Heya! My name is Robbie and I’m honoured to be Mr Gay Europe 2013.

Having held the title for almost two months now, I’m still discovering what the “Mr Gay” stuff means, and how far of an impact it has. Fortunately, the experience just keeps getting better.

I was born in Canada on Vancouver Island, where I completed a degree in Biology before moving to Australia for a Master of International Public Health. I then moved to Ireland over four years ago to study medicine. Now entering my final year at Trinity College (hurrah!)

I feel proud to call Dublin my home.

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I originally got into the Mr Gay events by chance. It all started when I was riding by bicycle down Dublin’s South Great George’s Street and I spotted a friend standing outside one of Ireland’s oldest and most well-known gay bars, the George. This friend, barman Stevie Devine, told me to go on stage. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but Stevie assured me that he thought I would win, and that I did.

Then formally entered in Mr Gay Ireland as Mr Gay George Bar, I began to understand what it was all about. The Mr Gay Ireland contest brings together from across Ireland scores of people who identify as both male and gay. More than just giving positive visibility to the community, I learned that

the events were also a way to fundraise for the GUIDE HIV Clinic at St. James’s Hospital.

With my personal goal of working in sexual health as a doctor, and having done research and rotations at GUIDE, I decided to take this competition to heart.

In the end, all of us contestants fundraised and contributed over €19,000 and I, the Canadian Dubliner, was crowned Mr Gay Ireland.

The best part of the experience by far was getting to know the other young, sound lads. To my delight, my new friend Conor O’Kane was crowned Mr Gay Northern Ireland, and the two of us were to take Mr Gay Europe by storm.

The most impactful moment for me has been sitting down with my grandmother and talking openly about myself and about life in general. Possibly because I feared her rejection the most, she was the last person I told about my sexuality. To my surprise she was more than just ‘okay’ with it, she later cherished newspaper clippings about me in the Mr Gay events. “You know, I think people are just born with it,” she said to my enlightened ears, and with that I quickly realized that one of the most powerful aspects of the Mr Gay events is personal strength and growth.

The Mr Gay Europe and World competitions in Prague and in Antwerp, respectively, were both

Column | Mr Gay Europe larger scale versions of what I had already experienced, with the same message and meaning behind them. Officially, the score breakdown for Mr Gay Europe included an interview, written test, arts challenge, webvote, congeniality vote, swimwear challenge, talent show, photogenic challenge, sports challenge, and stage performance.

I think the key to my success in Mr Gay Europe was winning best interview (which was weighted the most) and also best talent – where I demonstrated to a crowd how to check for testicular cancer using hard-boiled eggs inside of condoms, draped from my underwear, naturally.

Just as before, I had an amazing time getting to know the new guys; singing group acapella to Prague’s evening streets and playing some amazing volleyball

at the World Out Games in Antwerp are highlights I’ll always remember.

Gay Ireland Grand Finale, also in Dublin. I sincerely hope you can make it!

My goal with this platform is to improve LGBT health internationally from physical, mental, and social aspects.

A big part of this is just continuing to normalize the norm. Furthermore, having recently completed work in HIV, transgender medicine, mental health, and abortion, I know that primary care and sexual health is where I want to specialize as a doctor – and I plan to continue supporting my community through this avenue as well.

Cheers!

Robbie O’Bara Mr Gay Ireland 2012/2013 Mr Gay Europe 2013/2014 For more information visit: www.mrgayireland.ie www.facebook.com/robbieobara

Upcoming on the 12th of October I’m helping to organize a National Student Conference on Reproductive Choice at Trinity and on Sunday the 27th of October we are hosting the Mr

EILE Magazine 33

News | Northern Ireland

Northern Irish Minister to Bring Gay Adoption Case to Supreme Court Northern Ireland’s Minister for Health, Edwin Poots, intends to bring a case to the Supreme Court in London, to ensure that gay couples cannot adopt children in the region.

In June of this year, the Belfast High Court ruled that the Department of Health’s ban on same-sex couples – as well as straight, unmarried couples – from jointly adopting children, was unlawful.

Despite running up a bill of over £40,000 in legal fees to fight to preserve the ban by that time, Minister Poots has recently announced that he intends to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

Mr Poots, a DUP representative for Lagan Valley at Stormont, is an evangelical Protestant, and has regularly been a vocal opponent of LGBT rights, much like fellow members of his political party.

Northern Ireland is now the only part of the United Kingdom whereby gay couples cannot adopt children together. Ironically, however, gay people are permitted to adopt as individuals, which is currently also the case in the Republic of Ireland.

Condemning the Health Minister’s actions, Stephen Donnan of the Alliance Party’s LGBT group stated: “The health minister’s decision to continue this disgraceful vendetta against LGBT families and unmarried couples is nothing but a waste of public money. This entire saga boils down to homophobia as study after study has shown that a same sex or unmarried couple are just as capable of raising children and indeed many already are. It is time for Mr Poots to put an end to this homophobic crusade and realise that sexuality does not determine what makes a good parent.”

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The recently-formed NI21 party also made a similar statement via their website earlier, calling the DUP’s attempts to prolong the ban “pointless” and calling on them to stop: “Banning people from applying to adopt simply because of their relationship status is discriminatory and illogical. It sends a message that unmarried couples or same-sex couples are less able to raise children whilst studies consistently show that this isn’t the case. […] NI21 believe that all people should have the right to apply to adopt and the outcome should be based on merit, not relationship status.”

Meanwhile, Mr Poots recently engaged with the public on the issue of same-sex adoption via Twitter, when he tweeted: “Public consultation on adoption in NI had 95% of respondents opposed to same sex adoption.”

The “public consultation” Poots refers to is a 2006 report carried out by the Department of Health, which found that 95% of respondents were “strongly opposed” to the extension of adoption rights to not only same-sex couples, but also to unmarried couples, regardless of being heterosexual or samesex.

According to the report: “The majority (95%) of the responses were opposed to the proposal to extend joint adoption to civil partners and unmarried couples (whether of different sex or same sex, living as partners in an enduring family relationship). A total of 975 responses were received from individuals and 29 from organisations specifically opposed to the proposals to extend joint adoption to civil partners and unmarried couples. In addition, 8 responses

News | Northern Ireland

were received in the form of petitions, containing a total of 545 signatories opposed to the proposal.”

“no justification to exclude same sex couples as parties eligible to adopt as a couple”.

While it may be argued whether or not public attitudes in Northern Ireland have changed since 2006, the Department of Health has not carried out a more contemporary report. Despite the public consulation some six years ago, it was only earlier this year that Lord Justice Girvan of the Belfast High Court ruled that the ban was unlawful, saying that the Department of Health had put forward “no justification to exclude same sex couples as parties eligible to adopt as a couple”.

“This campaign led by the Health Minister on behalf of the DUP has been a blatant waste of taxpayers’ money. I am appealing to the minister to accept the court’s decision and cease any future legal action.”

EILE Magazine has learned, however, that, as yet, it appears no request has been officially received by the Supreme Court from Poots’ legal team, which includes the Attorney General for Northern Ireland, John Larkin QC. It remains to be seen, therefore, whether the Supreme Court will grant permission for Poots to appeal the decision made at the NI Court of Appeal.

Kieran McCarthy, an Alliance Party MLA for Strangford, also called on the Health Minister to stop spending public money on such a cause:

EILE Magazine 35

Opinion | Relationships

What Is Love?

by Francis Fitzgibbon Whenever I break up with someone that I think I have been in love with, I rationalise that love is simply a chemical and hormonal process in the body, and that like all human hormonal processes, it will pass.

It never works, and I invariably end up getting hideously drunk and texting them to take me back at 5am from the side alleyway of the George.

I normally spend the next week shunning the idea of ever being in love again, and subtly resign myself to a life of beans on toast for one surrounded by a house full of cats.

I have always struggled with that question of what love is. When people have told me that they loved me, I wondered what it is they loved. My body? My jokes?

My personality? or did they simply love how I made them feel?

Anthropologist Helen Fisher

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divides love into three distinct categories, lust, romance and attachment.

The lust part is easy. That’s the part that drives you on to grindr at 2am on a Sunday to endure mind-numbing conversations with people who probably belong in sexual rehab, if there is such a thing!

It is a craving for sexual gratification. Lust is the part of love that is easy to understand as it is the passion that initially draws two people together. It is

Opinion | Relationships primal, sexually energising and above all, great fun. So the next time you meet someone from grindr, you may technically tell them that you love them after sex.

“It is that indescribable feeling that has paid the rent for many a poet for generations.”

It would, after all, be a good way to get them out of your house!

The romance element of love is more difficult to define in that it represents something deeper but yet still relatively superficial.

I would classify romance as the endorphins that are released when you hold the hand of someone you really like, in other words, being around someone who makes you feel all weak at the knees. It is that indescribable feeling that has paid the rent for many a poet for generations.

What interests me the most about love is the third element of love, namely attachment. My parents were together for 33 years when my father died. They had created a life together with 3 wonderful and loving children (I can be loving!) Their marriage had become more than lust and romance and had moved into a very different idea of what love is.

That is why I find it funny when people say they love someone after a relatively short period of time. I wonder if, like I do, we

confuse the different elements of love and that really, defining love comes down to how you view the world.

The rom coms always portray love in terms of the first two elements of love - lust and romance. I suspect we will never see Jennifer Aniston roll over in bed, fart and look lovingly into the eyes of the man she has just had an argument with over the washing up!

To talk about attachment and love, I always use the extreme example of a young couple who were to be married in Australia. The young man in the relationship had a serious motorbike accident. The accident left him paralysed from the neck down. He was in a hospital where a friend of mine was a nurse.

The young couple had been due to be married six months after the accident. We used to discuss the case in our house as to what would you do if you were the girl.

In the end, she stayed with him and they married as planned.

She would invariably spend the rest of her life caring for him. A conventional sex life or children

“Love is almost certainly a process, not a static concept.” of their own were not an option, and their life would be severely limited.

it transcended lust, romance and became something different. That was over 10 years ago, and on recent enquiry, the couple are still together and very happy to be so.

Love is almost certainly a process, not a static concept.

So a couple starts with lust and the casual fling, then moves to romance where you block out all the annoying things about a person you are completely infatuated with, and eventually onto attachment, which can be summarised by farting and washing up together and still wanting to have sex!

The older I get and the more relationships I go through, I still don’t profess to know anymore about love now than I did when I was 18. The one thing I do know is that we, as people, are in love with the idea of love. Everyone wants to be in love and to be loved, but we spend little time pondering what that means. So as I leave yet another relationship, and resign myself to being a single lonely old fool, I ponder the words of Oscar Wilde when he said: “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead”.

I’m not entirely convinced that Oscar knew what love was either, but nonetheless, it sounds awfully romantic!

Francis Fitzgibbon is a journalist and radio producer from County Kerry, living in Dublin.

I always argued that the couple showed the ultimate endgame of love, a connection so great that EILE Magazine 37

Opinion | Equality

Religious Belief No Justification For Opposing LGBT Equality We are at a very significant juncture in the evolution of the LGBT rights movement. Certainly in this part of the world, the momentum towards full equality for our same-sex relationships and families is self evidently real, with a succession of countries moving to embrace marriage equality. This year alone, we have witnessed our neighbouring countries of Britain and France passing this civil rights reform, along with New Zealand, Uruguay and the US States of Minnesota and Rhode Island. Marriage Equality was finally restored in California, following a successful outcome in a five-year battle to overturn the now infamous, antigay ‘Proposition 8’ measure in that state.

Meanwhile here in Ireland, equality advocates were buoyed by an overwhelming vote of the Constitutional Convention last April in favour of opening up marriage to same-sex couples - fully 79% of delegates to the Convention supported the idea and government is due to announce its response to the vote in the coming weeks, with a referendum on the issue widely expected to take place in 2014.

This clear and rapid movement in favour of full LGBT equality has not been universally embraced however, and in the likes of Russia and other parts of the world, we have seen draconian, homophobic legislation enacted that severely curtails the rights of LGBT people in those countries.

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A common thread runs through nearly every argument, advanced by anti-gay forces, against extending equality to LGBT citizens - that somehow giving increased rights and protections to gay people is a direct attack on their freedom of religion and conscience. Claims that LGBT equality is a ‘western phenomenon’ and goes against local cultural practices is also often employed in African countries in particular, but by far the most regular assaults on our community’s desire for equal treatment are couched in selective and fundamentalist religious beliefs. Indeed, the use of religious belief and ‘values’ as a battering ram against gay rights is often even legitimised by those generally sympathetic to our demands, who buy into the utterly false narrative that there are competing rights at stake here gay rights vs religious rights - and that a sensible ‘balance’ needs to be struck between the two.

That fundamentally flawed argument found varying degrees of support during the recent debate in Britain concerning equal marriage, and indeed senior members of both governing coalition parties either voted against the reform or, just as wrongly, supported the ‘right’ of public servants to ‘opt-out’ of dealing with same-sex couples.

Thankfully they were firmly in a minority, but their behaviour was instructive in how our opponents seek to use religion to deny us equality before the law. As we prepare for a more intense debate

on marriage equality and LGBT rights in advance of next year’s referendum here, we can expect the same type of arguments to emerge. And they need to be confronted head on.

Freedom of religion - and the equally important freedom from religion - are fundamental tenets of any liberal democracy, but that religious freedom does not give one the power to infringe on the rights of others. It is fundamentally undemocratic to seek to enforce religious dogma of any hue through civil law. In fact, it is the opposite of democracy, and is rooted instead in theocratic thinking. Yet that is exactly what our opponents are seeking to do, and it is long past time they were called out on it, rather than having their anti-gay beliefs humoured on religious grounds, in a way that other forms of prejudice would never be.

When it comes to the issue of marriage equality in particular, what is at stake is legal equality, and there must be no compromises in that regard, either under the false pretext of religious belief or on any other grounds. Individual religious faiths will quite rightly be allowed to continue to interpret and celebrate marriage in any manner they see fit, and indeed there are a number of religious organisations such as the Unitarians, Quakers and Liberal Judaism, that actively wish to marry same-sex couples.

Those who don’t will not be compelled to do so, but they have absolutely no right to expect to dictate to others who do not share

Opinion | Equality their beliefs, and that is one of the key principles at the heart of this debate.

We have reached a point however, where religious fundamentalists are claiming that equal treatment for gay couples amounts to state persecution for them. Leaving aside how incredibly meanspirited and narrow-minded it is to define your way of life through the denial of rights to others, it is also gravely insulting to those who genuinely suffer persecution - LGBT people in those 76 countries who are labelled criminals because of their sexuality, or in Russia where freedom of expression and assembly for the LGBT community and allies are now illegal. Even in countries that no longer subject gay people to state sanctioned persecution, homophobic beatings and attacks remain all too common. These are often chronically underreported due in no small part to a legacy of anti-gay oppression by authorities, and continued lack of confidence in their approach to the gay community. All this is against the backdrop of homophobia being treated as a legitimate point of view in a way that racism, anti-semitism or other types of bigotry no longer are.

These are are the real victims of persecution - not those who seek to disguise and dress up their anti-gay prejudices as religious conscience, and expect the state to sanction such beliefs through the law of the land. Simply put, a selective interpretation of certain religious passages written thousands of years ago, does not give anyone the right to justify denying LGBT people equality before the law.

This state and all of its agencies

must be proactively in favour of equal rights for all, and unequivocal in upholding a firm equality ethos in areas such as civil marriage, employment and provision of goods and services, equality and diversity training across the public service, and when it comes to foreign policy and international aid. In any country that aspires to be truly liberal and inclusive, there cannot be any qualifications put on the right of LGBT people to enjoy the exact same rights and entitlements as those who are heterosexual. And crucially, this commitment to equality does not come at the expense of anyone else’s rights.

Those individuals and organisations - increasingly in a minority - who view gay people as being unworthy of the same respect, rights and entitlements as the rest of the population, will still be entitled to their archaic and outdated views, and to practice their ‘values’ as they see fit. Their rights will not be infringed in any way, unlike the discrimination and persecution that our LGBT community has been historically subjected to. However, they will no longer have those beliefs codified in law.

In an Irish context, we are only too well aware of how the views of one religious institution permeated every aspect of society, and how they dictated and effectively held to ransom our social development in a way that was repugnant to the republican values the state was supposedly founded upon. This institution, and many of its more fundamentalist supporters, have resisted every attempt at reforming legislation aimed at liberalising Irish society. The most recent example was the very limited abortion legislation that

finally gave effect to our legal obligations under the X Case judgment, and we will witness it again during the upcoming referendum on marriage equality.

There will be much talk of how those with traditional views and religious beliefs are the new ‘oppressed’. But don’t believe a word of it. Because at the heart of such shrill and misleading rhetoric, is a deep resentment at the loss of power and privilege they once enjoyed in our society.

What we in the LGBT community seek is fairness and equality nothing more and nothing less.

What we in the LGBT community seek is fairness and equality - nothing more and nothing less. Many of our opponents, on the other hand, are driven by a reactionary desire to return to an Ireland that has now thankfully disappeared, and is not coming back - an Ireland where LGBT people were forced to either hide who we were, or emigrate, in order to comply with a deeply flawed official version of morality, driven by church and state working hand in glove.

So as we prepare to address the outstanding inequalities against our community, let’s be confident and assured in our message.

Our right to equal treatment is not a qualified one, or subject to competing rights, as some so disingenuously seek to claim.

by Adam Long Adam is a board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Federation. Visit nlgf.ie for more information.

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Music | Maighréad

Limerick-born singer Maighréad performs in Dublin this month.

Maighréad Maighréad arrives in Dublin for two live performances on Saturday 12th October at The Dragon Bar and Sunday 13th October at The George.

Tipped as one to watch since her release of electro pop track SOONER, Limerick-born Maighréad offers powerful vocals over a backdrop of effortless electro pop. Twice nominated in the Best Female Category of the Irish Music Television Music Video Awards; Maighréad’s super-styled live visual show, a collaboration with Diz_Co Visual – who have worked with Roisin Murphy, Yazoo and Kanye West amongst others– packs just as much clout as her voice.

EILE: Who was Maighréad before moving to London?

What led you to making the big move across the water?

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M: I was living in Limerick before I moved to London (after time spent in Galway and the USA).

I was working in PR for various arts communities in Limerick city (Daghdha Dance, Belltable Arts Centre, Irish Chamber Orchestra) and really loved what I was doing. Here comes the BUT - I just wanted to get back full-time to my singing and writing like in my Galway days. I was recording new material in Limerick and the move from folk / acoustic was beginning to happen; I always wanted to create a more electronic sound to back my vocals. In July 2008 I looked up some vocals courses in London, flew over for an audition 2 weeks later, got accepted into Vocal Tech for a 1 year Diploma in singing Technique & Performance, and moved to London in the September. And 8 years later I’m still here!

EILE: How does the electropop scene in London compare to Ireland? Are we as far behind as we may think?

M: From what I see, there’s loads of new music coming out, I keep up with what’s happening in the Irish music scene through blogs and Hotpress. I’m hoping to get to a gig or two while I am in Dublin. I’m really excited about Le Galaxie and I’m Your Vinyl.

EILE: What was the inspiration behind Sooner, and its video?

M: Sooner is a song about self belief…getting to where you should be, and believing in yourself along the way. I wrote it first on the piano and then worked with DIZQO on the backing.

Sport | IOC I wanted to incorporate mountains and some landscapes in the video, so it was shot in the highlands in Scotland, partly just outside Sheildag and partly with me standing in Loch Ness – see if you can spot that bit! It was videoed and edited

by Mark Watson of Diz_Co Visual who creates the projections for my live shows.

Currently recording tracks in Cologne, a 4-track EP will be released before the end of the year.

Meanwhile get your fix and download SOONER from iTUNES, Amazon or any good online store.

For more on Maighréad, visit www.maighread.com

IOC: We will not tolerate discrimination International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has said today, Sunday 29th, that the IOC will not tolerate any discrimination at next year’s Sochi Winter Games, referring to the Russian anti-gay propaganda law.

“The IOC is not meant to be a government who imposes laws and regulations,” Bach said while at at the torch lighting ceremony at Olympia in Greece, where the Olympic Games originated. “But we are very clear that we will not tolerate any form of discrimination. The task of the IOC is that the Olympic charter is applied 100 percent.”

Attention should, then, be drawn to item no. 6 of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism in the Olympic Charter: 6. Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement. and to item 7: 7. Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC. Nowhere in the charter does it say that any country is exempt from these rules by virtue of their laws embracing institutionalised and legalised inequality and discrimination. It is a denial of human rights to deny teens access to information regarding their gender or sexuality. That denial of rights to any group, especially the more vulnerable teen

sector, would appear to come under the term ‘discrimination’.

Whereas the IOC may not be “a government who (sic) imposes laws and regulations”, the IOC’s own regulations should preclude it from accepting bids from countries which refuse to recognise basic human rights, otherwise how is item no. 6 above supposed to be enforced?

Russia’s anti-gay propaganda laws legalise the denial of access to information for those seeking information on their gender and sexual development and identity, put them in danger from those who would abuse and bully them with impunity, and penalise those who would put forward the essential information which would help them form into healthy adults, both mentally and physically.

Also in the Mission section, this is Item no. 6 on the Mission and Role of the IOC in the Olympic Charter: 6. To act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement It must then be asked: Just what exactly would the IOC recognise as discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement, in view of the fact that this issue is definitely tarnishing the reputation of the IOC, and, more importantly, how would they define it?

MKB/Eile

EILE Magazine 41

News | World

Second ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ Conference a Success “This is actually quite astonishing. A few years ago, police would intimidate and disperse volunteers just for setting up an information booth.”

Those were the words of a former lesbian group organiser from Beijing, commenting on the success of a second annual international LGBT conference in the city, held by the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute.

The conference, titled ‘Being LGBT in Asia‘, was the result of an initiative launched last year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) in order to study and support LGBT rights in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia. The initiative’s office in Beijing has already secured support from several government bodies, according to the South China Morning Post.

The event was held from the 17th to 19th of August, with more than 140 delegates attending from various regions of China – including Tibet and Xinjiang – as well as other delegates from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Britain and the United States.

“The situation [in China] is better but LGBT issues are still sensitive, so we are quite low-key about our public events,” said Wei Xiaogang, director of the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute. “We didn’t invite local and foreign media to cover the conference.”

Wei Wei, a researcher on gender and sexuality at the East China Normal University, praised the speakers at the three-day conference, saying that the delegates had been “touched” by the presentations made. “[It] made us think deeper,” Wei explained, “about how the intersection of sexuality and other social traits such as gender, ethnicity and disability shape our life experience.”

This year, the conference received funding of more than 30,000 yuan (€3,700) from a joint initiative between the US and United Nations, to improve LGBT rights in Asia. It also had the approval of the Chinese government and the China Family Planning Association.

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Journalist Threatens to Out Russian Politicians A Russian journalist has threatened to out several Russian politicians, should they vote in favour of a recently-drafted bill designed to remove parental rights from all LGBT people in Russia. Elena Kostyuchenko, a well-known journalist with Novaya Gazeta, launched her campaign via Twitter for “information, correspondence, photographs… about the deputies of the State Duma concerning LGBT” activities.

The New Civil Rights Movement recently translated a number of Kostyuchenko’s tweets on the matter into English: …in the event of the passage of the law to remove children after the first reading, the information about homosexual deputies of the State Duma will be published… immunity from outing will have only the MPs who voted against the law to remove children.

Others will be disclosed. This is a warning. They want to destroy our lives, and we will destroy them.

The prominent journalist is reacting to draft legislation introduced recently that, if passed, would equate being gay to alcoholism, abuse and drug use in the Russian Family Code, resulting in children being forcibly removed from any and all LGBT parents. It is a proposed extension of the current ‘gay propaganda’ laws, moving the focus from the public domain into the family and private home.

Both the current legislation and proposed new law have created a deadly atmosphere in the country, leading to public acts of violence against LGBT people, as well as incidents of torture involving youths.

For more on the proposed bill, see here.

News | Turkey

TURKEY BANS GRINDR AS ‘PROTECTION MEASURE’ The popular gay dating app, Grindr, has been banned by the Turkish Criminal Courts as a “protection measure”, according to Turkish national LGBT organisation, KAOS GL. According to the KAOS GL website, the İstanbul Anatolia 14th Criminal Court of Peace has blocked Grindr as a “protection measure” since September 10. When the Turkish public attempts to visit grindr.com, they are greeted with the following message in Turkish and English: “The decision no 2013/406 dated 26/08/2013, which is given about this website (grindr. com) within the context of protection measure, of “İstanbul Anadolu 14. Sulh CM” (İstanbul Anatolia 14th Criminal Court of Peace) has been implemented by “Telekomünikasyon İletişim Başkanlığı” (Telecommunications Communication Presidency).

No other information about the Court’s decision has been made public, and Grindr has not released any statement regarding

their app and website being banned across Turkey. Kaos GL Association’s Lawyer Hayriye Kara said, however, that it is very

likely the decision made was related to “general morality”, an ambiguous term used often against trans sex workers.

Meanwhile, Ömer Akpınar, Media Coordinator for KAOS GL has heavily criticised the Turkish government for the censorship of the dating app, stating:

Turkish government, through Ministry of Family and Social Policies, uses the discourse on the ’traditional heterosexual family’ increasingly as a pretext to suppress LGBT rights. This is part of a larger trend of blocking the freedom of information in the wake of the Gezi Park demonstrations.

In its justifications for suppressing freedom of information under the guise of ’responsible reporting’ the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trying to create a division between ’good and bad citizens’, while LGBT people [have] never been considered as equal citizens all through the history of Turkish Republic.”

“Censoring Grindr is the last step in arbitrary limitations of freedom in Turkey. Any lifestyle or identity, which does not fit to the state’s ideology, is being deprived of their rights and freedoms. The EILE Magazine 43

Sport | Limerick 2018

Taoiseach Backs Limerick 2018 Gay Games Bid The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, has officially endorsed Limerick’s bid to host the 2018 Gay Games.

In a letter, Mr Kenny said that he was “delighted” to support the campaign for the Irish city to host the 2018 Gay Games, which is competing against London and Paris. The Taoiseach also praised the sporting facilities and community of the historic Irish city: “Limerick has some of the best sporting infrastructure in the country with the potential to provide a really fantastic backdrop for the Games.

The utilisation of the University of Limerick Arena and Activity Centre, Thomond Park Stadium and the outdoor biking facilities at Ballyhoura, to name just a few, would help to make the 2018 Games an outstanding success.”

Between participants and supporters from home and abroad, Limerick is looking to extend the traditional ‘céad míle fáilte’ – Irish for ‘a 100,000 welcomes’ – to between fifteen and twenty thousand people for the 2018 Games. The games, which would run for 10 days, are estimated to raise up to 60 million euro for the Limerick and Shannon region.

the home of the Munster Rugby team, and with soccer pitches regulated by FIFA and UEFA as well as its title as European City of Culture for 2011. The Irish government have named it Irish City of Sport for 2014-2016, the first time an Irish city has been given such a title.

“Above all else,” the Taoiseach continues, “the competitors and their families will be assured of a world-famous Irish welcome with the passion and dedication of the event organisers combined with the friendly nature of the Irish people certain to make for a very memorable event.”

The Gay Games are being held in Cleveland, OH, this year, where the announcement will be made on October 7 as to which European city will host the 2018 Games.

“Ireland is waiting,” the Taoiseach concludes. “Do come and join us.”

For more information on Limerick’s bid for the 2018 Gay Games, visit limerick2018.com.

Despite its relatively small size, Limerick has played its part for years in Irish and European sport, being

23 Stephen’s Street, Dublin 2 | T: +353-1-4160040 44 EILE Magazine

The Fifth Estate Director: Bill Condon Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, Alicia Vikander, Stanley Tucci, Laura Linney When a film is based on real events, it’s inevitably going to be analysed from every angle. Unless it is a clear fictionalisation (like Titanic, for example) the actors should do justice to the people they are portraying, while the storyline should be loyal to actual events. With The Fifth Estate, we see a believable performance from almost all of the cast, but the story’s allegiance to real life is arguable. Anyone who knows about the actions of Julian Assange could tear this film apart, but for the general public who have only noticed his name pop up in the news headlines, it makes for a well-crafted drama.

That, however, may have been the entire point of this film; to give the uninitiated public a skewed portrayal of both WikiLeaks and its founder.

The story of the film is simple; Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a German techno-whizz, meets Julian Assange at a hacker convention in Berlin, and helps organise a space for Assange to give a sparselyattended talk on WikiLeaks, still in its infancy at that point. It is

Daniel’s enthusiasm and respect for Assange that leads to him being invited to become part of WikiLeaks, which Assange claims has hundreds of volunteers working for him. Excited by Assange’s story, Daniel quickly accepts the invitation and gets to work, but it soon becomes clear that all those people Assange works with around the world don’t exist – they’re aliases of Assange. WikiLeaks is nothing but two hackers against the world, but the duo soon win their first battle against a major Swiss bank, and their confidence builds.

Cumberbatch’s performance is convincing enough, but starts somewhat bumpy, as he appears self-aware of his South African accent. Brühl, on the other hand, is superb; not once do you question his role as you completely forget that he is acting. There is a moment in the film whereby Guardian reporter Nick Davies (played by David Thewlis) hints at the American Government launching a smear campaign against Assange. It may be somewhat ironic, but from that point, one wonders if the film itself is fair on the WikiLeaks founder. Although the American authorities – including the White House – are introduced into the

film as having a ‘bad guy’ role, yet the further the story goes, the more they are portrayed as somewhat misunderstood.

Similarly, the film makes a balance (of sorts) between Assange being a flawed hero and an egotistical and reckless character, so that the audience might not be sure which is the real Julian.

Overall, it is hard to recommend this film. The Fifth Estate might only appeal to newshounds and others who like the new generation of ‘information dramas’ (e.g. The Newsroom, Borgen, etc.). If you don’t know anything about the Assange story, you’ll still be able to follow this film, but the impact of his actions might not be that gripping without some background information. It’s very interesting to note, however, that WikiLeaks has strongly criticised this film, while even Benedict Cumberbatch noted that the script made Assange out to be an “antisocial meglomaniac“.

With that in mind, go and see the film for yourself, but don’t presume that it’s as real as it pretends to be.

EILE Magazine 45

Rights | Ireland

Tánaiste’s Statement on LGBT Situation in Russia The following is a statement made to the Irish Parliament (Dáil Éireann) on September 18, 2013, by An Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore. He was responding to questions from the Irish public regarding Russia’s recent adoption of “the propagandising of non-traditional sexual relations among minors”: “I have been monitoring the situation in the Russian Federation very carefully and share the concerns of the Deputies and indeed of the many citizens who have written to me about the recent Russian legislation.

I am on record in the Dáil and elsewhere confirming Ireland’s firm commitment to combating discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. Ireland’s position is that consensual, same-sex relationships should not be criminalised and we strongly support measures to ensure that the right to freedom of expression and association can be enjoyed effectively by all.

Therefore, we strongly disagree with the recent Russian legislation and have made our position known to senior officials at the Russian Embassy in Ireland. As I have previously stated in the Dáil, such legislation, while purporting to protect young people, is more likely to result in the further stigmatisation and, indeed, criminalisation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) young people.

Legislation of this type is already the subject of discussion in international fora. Last year at the OSCE, for example, Ireland 46 EILE Magazine

and twenty-six other participating States issued a joint statement deploring similar legislation which had been adopted by the St Petersburg legislature.

I have made LGBTI rights a Human Rights priority. Speaking as EU Presidency earlier this year at the Human Rights Council, I reiterated the EU’s grave concern over incidents of discrimination and violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. I said this issue needs to remain on the agenda of the UN.

Presidency of the European Union, the EU adopted Guidelines to Promote and Protect the Enjoyment of all Human Rights by LGBTI Persons. The Guidelines state unambiguously that legislative initiatives that criminalise public discussion and/ or expression of homosexuality (including the prohibition of “pride marches”) violate the human rights of LGBTI persons.

I have asked officials in my Department to engage actively on this issue and explore what avenues can most effectively be pursued in voicing our concerns, The particular matter of possibly together with our EU legislation is also being addressed partners. Discussions are already within the EU. I fully endorse the underway within the EU on how statement made by the EU’s High best to ensure that our concerns Representative for Foreign Affairs are kept firmly on the agenda of and Security Policy, Catherine the Union’s structured dialogue Ashton, on 20 June in which she with Russia. That dialogue expressed concern over the recent includes specific consultations Russian legislation including on Human Rights with Russian in the context of the ongoing officials, the next round of which pressure of civil society in Russia. should take place this autumn.

I strongly support her call on Ireland will continue to participate Russia to uphold its national and actively in the EU’s preparations international commitments to for these and other seniornon-discrimination, freedom of level meetings with Russian expression, freedom of association representatives. and assembly, in particular in the framework of the Council of For my part, I will express Irish Europe, to protect the enjoyment concerns at my next meeting with of these rights by all individuals. a Russian minister.”

Moreover during Ireland’s recent

Obituary | Sean Morrin (1965-2013)

Tributes Paid to Sean Morrin

– LGBT Activist

The LGBT activist and founder of Foyle Pride, Sean Morrin, passed away last month in his home city of Derry, aged 48.

Morrin was a well-known LGBT rights activist in Derry and the northwest region, having worked regularly with the Rainbow Project in the city and appearing in local media as an advocate of gay rights. His legacy was praised earlier this week on the Mark Patterson show on BBC Radio Foyle, where he was described as “one of life’s true good guys”.

Tributes have been paid to Morrin from across Northern Ireland, including the Mayor of Derry, Martin Reilly, who was “deeply shocked and saddened” to hear of the activist’s untimely death: “Sean was a very popular person in Derry who worked tirelessly for the gay community campaigning for equality. His death will have a huge impact on the local community and my sympathies go out to his family and friends at this very sad time.”

Sinn Féin MEP, Martina Anderson, also remembered Morrin with fondness: “I have worked with Sean over many years in regards to his role in the Rainbow Project and hosted events at the [Northern Ireland] Assembly. He was a tireless campaigner for equality, human rights and the most marginalised in our community.”

Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats Chair, John O’Neill said: “Sean Morrin’s untimely death brings to an end too soon a life lived in unstinting commitment to equality and freedom for all the people of Northern Ireland, especially

those of his beloved home city.”

John O’Doherty, Director of The Rainbow Project said: “We are deeply saddened at the loss of our friend and colleague Sean. Sean was an amazing advocate who devoted his life to working and supporting other people and changed the lives of so many. The Rainbow Project, the LGBT community and the Foyle community have suffered a great loss with Sean’s passing and he will never be forgotten”.

The Belfast and Foyle offices of the Rainbow Project have each opened a book of condolences.

EILE Magazine 47

Health | HIV Infection

HIV Infection: Nil By Mouth?

Dr. Shay Keating writes about the risks of oral transmission of HIV One of the most frequently asked questions of a HIV specialist is ‘what is the risk of getting HIV from oral sex’?

This is a very difficult question to answer. There have been few well-designed studies undertaken and most cases of HIV reported to be as a consequence of oral sex, rely on the accurate disclosure of risk i.e., no anal or vaginal sex.

There are several cofactors which may, hypothetically increase or decrease susceptibility to HIV infection through oral sex. These include dry mouth, trauma, sores, inflammation, concurrent sexually transmitted diseases, ejaculation and immunosuppression. It also depends on the probability that the sex partner – either the person performing or receiving oral sex – is HIV positive.

Saliva contains HIV-inhibitory properties; in other words, it does not support the replication of the virus. Therefore, if one has dry mouth (xerostomia) the risk of HIV infection may be theoretically be increased.

Next, it has been speculated that 48 EILE Magazine

poor oral health and hygiene or recent gum or oral surgery may play a role in increasing the risk of acquiring HIV through oral sex due to the damage of the mucosa. Similarly, other sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhoea or syphilis may increase oral transmission of HIV. Smoking cigarettes also predisposes one to oral ulceration and especially for a short period following smoking cessation.

Ejaculation into the mouth would increase susceptibility and scientific evidence suggests that tonsillar tissue is particularly susceptible to infection. Infection is also believed to be higher if the non HIV positive partner is immunocompromised, for example on cancer chemotherapy or high dose steroid medication.

One would need to know the risk that the sexual partner is HIV positive.

Partner infectiousness is also a risk. One would need to know the risk that the sexual partner is HIV positive. If so, the viral load, or level of the virus in the blood would be higher at extremes

or infection, at seroconversion or very early disease and in advanced disease. Reported risk of unprotected oral sex with a HIV positive partner who is not on antiretroviral medication (ART) is 1 in 2500.

When on appropriate and effective ART and when the viral load is undetectable, the risk of acquiring HIV through the oral route must be very low indeed. It could be argued that HIV acquisition following unprotected oral sex in the absence of any oral, penile or vaginal disease is extremely low with a partner who is virally suppressed on ARTs. Reports of such transmission of HIV through oral sex when virally suppressed are awaited and we cannot definitively say that there is no risk.

Dr. James (Shay) N. Keating, BA Mod, MB, PhD. MRCP, Dip GUM, Dip Occ Med., has his clinic at the Harold’s Cross Surgery, Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W, and is an Associate Specialist in Genitourinary Medicine, at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.

Contact stdclinic.ie Phone: 01-497 0022 or +353 87 234 5551

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Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day: Celebrating 25 Years Piotr Gawlik On 11th October the LGBT community will be celebrating National Coming Out Day.

convincing people that gay marriage isn’t in any way a threat to their “traditional” family.

The very first time this day was celebrated in America was in 1988, and with time, more and more countries across the globe started to participate in the event. In 2012, the National Lesbian and Gay Federation hosted the first Irish National Coming Out Day. This year, the NLGF, together with Acting Out drama group, are presenting a play “Short Tales for National Coming Out Day”. The performance is made from nine short stories, submitted by talented and brave writers. Some of them will make you laugh, some are sad, but all are brilliant.

According to a report published in 2009 by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network and Belong To, “Supporting LGBT lives: a study of the mental health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”, over 80% of LGBT people had been verbally insulted, and 24% experienced physical violence. This is in modern Ireland, and things such as these still happen.

It is easy to forget how important and difficult coming out is. Being gay, lesbian, bi or transgender now is much easier than 20, 10, or even 5 years ago.

However, for many of us, it remains a huge step to take. There is still a lot of fear and doubt - how family and friends will react, what would be the impact on our work and career. Society should be making this step as easy as possible. Straight people very often don’t realise how much courage is needed to say “I am gay”, “I am a lesbian”. They don’t have to face the fear of being rejected, not being treated equally, being discriminated against, simply because of sexual orientation.

It is our role, however, to educate people. Irish society is far more open, tolerant and accepting than it was 20 years ago, yet there is still a lot which needs to be done. Starting from very basic things like fighting and bullying at school, making people aware that inappropriate jokes about gay or transgender people might hurt and cause damage, to 50 EILE Magazine

Coming Out Day is for all of Irish society, to make people aware how coming out and being gay, lesbian, bi or transgender is still difficult, to make them more aware and more sensitive to our problems. This day is for all those who have already come out, and can celebrate being fully themselves.

Finally it is also for those who still struggle with telling their family and friends - this day is to give them courage.

Coming Out Day will take place on 11th October in the Outhouse, 105 Capel Street.

12pm - 6pm - presentation of various LGBT groups 7.30 pm - “Short Tales for National Coming Out Day” Piotr Gawlik is a board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Federation.

EILE Magazine Daniel Sobrino by Julia Jack McCabe