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A brick duct (top) taped with the Irish words for ‘Fairies Out Of Ireland’ thrown through the window of Panti Bar (above), Capel Street, Dublin 1 run by Miss Panti

Fluffy Biscuits writes:

Pride takes place in Dublin this weekend where the LGBT and their allies will descend in Dublin en masse to shake nipple tassels and dance to great cheesy house music but there is a bigger point here.

There is a massive gulf in my opinion of ten years ago and to now. Ten years ago I was never fully comfortable in myself

I was 25 and Pride made me feel insecure. Upon reflection it was an affront to my masculinity, to my sense of self identity. What worried me most was that it was going to reinforce stereotypes that are so prevalent but it was not these people who were reinforcing the stereotypes it was society themselves and this shone a light on my own prejudices.

Pride does conjure up an image of pissed twinks in hot pants downing naggins of Huzzar (indeed I see that myself ) yet these people know they are safe in the knowledge that society is not going to harm them for enjoying life in a way that is not afforded to our LGBT brethern in Russia, China or parts of Africa or the Middle East where consensual sex with a same sex partner carries a death penalty.

Gay pride had its origins in the oppression of LGBT people by establishment forces which culminated in Stonewall on June 28 in 1969 in Greenwich village in New York. Police harassed drag queens and gay men and lined them up against a wall.

Standing up for people of the future, they fought back. Over the next week riots erupted and fights with police. Adopting tactics of other groups at the time like the Black Panthers, the LGBT community laid a keystone for future fights.

Back to 2018. Five minutes before I sit down to write this I see the news that someone put the window in on Panti Bar with the words “Fairies out of Ireland” written in Irish.

My mind harks back to the article during the week of the gay couple beaten up in Portlaoise for being gay. Lest we forget Declan Flynn, murdered for being gay in September 1982 for being gay.

Nine years ago I was kissing a guy outside The George as I was on a date. Walking past a group of lads began to film me and labelled us as “freaks”.

I didn’t take too kindly to the comments and the poor lad suffered the indignity of having a six foot two guy with a shaved head and beer belly round on him to the point that he fell to the ground.

Pride is not without its issues. Nothing is perfect ever in this short existence we live. Pride personally for me is not something I am into as I am quite happy about how I am and I reach out on a personal level to people not out. (The crowds tend to wreck my head as well, but that’s the same for Paddys Day too, I cant be arsed!).

The second issue is the commercialisation of the Pride parade. There are employers on that list of sponsors who I know treat their employees like shit, would they be as quick to engage with a union as they would with employees about gay pride?

However you enjoy Pride. Have a safe one. Big old me will be at the bear night tomorrow seeking out other big chubby hairy men to cuddle up to!

Top pic via Panti Bliss

Panti Bar pic by Ultan Mashup

Earlier: Growing Up Proud

Pride (in The Name Of  Chat)

Did you stay in?

A big rainbow-hued thank you to, clockwise from top left: Emily O’Callaghan, Olga Cronin, Cormac Lally, ‘Preposterous‘, celebrity accountant Vanessa Foran, Neil Curran, Johnny keenan and Brian Finnegan, our panel on last night’s Broadsheet on the Telly.

The show, produced by Neil, can be viewed in its entirety above.

In a special to mark Saturday’s Dublin Gay Pride march  Brian, editor of GCN and Emily, presenter of The Green Rebel podcast, discussed LGBTQ matters post-marriage referendum; Cormac plugged the spoken word tent at “Carlow’s best festival”, Johnny recalled his weekend encounter with Leo and Olga concluded her reports from the Disclosures Tribunal.

Our ‘at a glance’ guide.

3:42 – Brian talks Pride in Dublin
19:10 – Emily and same sex PDA.
23:40 – Gay, GAA and the legals.
37:42 – De Entertainment (see also below)
52:02 – Cormac ‘Bares’ all.
1:02:30 – Johnny: ‘My Body & Soul, My choice’.
1:17:17 – Vanessa on the RTÉ annual report
1:28:59 – Olga’s Disclosures Update
1:45:55 – De Papers

Some unappetising language.

Sorry.

Meanwhile….

Going to the cinema this weekend?

Neil Curran (above) writes:

The sun is still shining, and the nation has a smile on its face as wide as Ronaldo’s penalty against Iran. But what will keep us entertained over the weekend? If you want to stick with the outdoors, you could head down to Carlow for the Bare Festival which runs on 6th and 7th July featuring acts such as Obie Trice and God is an Astronaut. If you’re out and about the capital today, do check out the promotional Scavenger Hunt for Elemental Pictures release of Dublin Oldschool

Movie wise there are a few new releases….

Dublin Oldschool (Broadsheet Movie of the Week!)
(Ireland – 16) Dir: Dave Tynan. Starring Emmet Kirwan, Dave Tynan
Estranged brothers reconnect over a weekend against the backdrop of clubs and drugs in the nation’s capital. Top performances and a realistic depiction of modern Dublin.

Adrift
(USA – 12A) Dir: Baltasar Kormákur. Starring Shailene Woodley, Sam Clafin
Based on the true story of a young couple out on a boat during a hurricane.

“Be prepared to be doing the whole ‘Snakes on a Plane’ thing, its entertainment!” – Vanessa Foran, Broadsheet on the Telly

Sicario 2: Day of the Sicario
(USA – 15A) Dir: Stefano Sollima. Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin
Another Brolin film, feels like he is in everything nowadays! Sequel to the 2015 hit, featuring more Mexico, more drug cartels and more strong performances from its main performers.

Previously: Broadsheet on the Telly on Broadsheet

UPDATE: Closing time extended until Midnight Sunday by popular demand

Fill those shelves!

The underrated, the overlooked, the once-censored and the mould-tweaking,

Can you recommend a book from the Irish non-fiction canon that deserves a place on the Shelf of Non-Fiction Goodness (above).

Choose from any genre: sporting memoir, Irish language classic, investigatory tome, frothy historical polemic…the choice is yours.

Your picks will be included in a Decent Irish Non-Fiction Reading List (for our eight birthday next month) with a copy of the fiction-free Broadsheet Book of Unspecified Thngs That Look Like Ireland to the finest entry.

To enter, complete this sentence.

‘Please place________________by_________________ as an example of great Irish non-fiction owing to its_______________________’

Lines MUST close at 9.45pm Midnight, Sunday!

Pic: ArtBay

The White Hag’s ‘Hagstravaganza’ last year

The White Hags’ Paul Mullin said:

We’re at it again – we’ve unveiled our 2nd International Brewery Festival, Hagstravaganza

We’re holding it on July 28th at our brewery in Ballymote, County Sligo, and the festival is the only International Brewery Festival in Ireland.

Arriving from 4 continents there will be 14 international breweries bringing 3 or more beers each.

Already announced are Magic Rock Brewing (UK), Muskoka (Canada) Malmo Brewing Company (Sweden) and Tipperary based brewers, Canvas Brewery, with 18 more to come!

And as well as getting great beer, you could get a job – the event is sponsored by LiveTiles , an AI software firm who recently opened an office in Sligo town. The firm are highlighting positons open in their growing Sligo workforce…

And as ever, we’d be keen to get someone from the ‘Sheet to come along imbibe, and report back on proceedings, by way of a free pair of tickets.

To win a Pair, just tell us: If you had a beer, what would you call it?

Lines MUST close at 2.15pm extended until closing time tonight (00:30 at very latest)

Hagstravaganza

Staying in?

Broadsheet on the Telly returns at 10pm streaming LIVE (above) and on our YouTube channel.

Join old friends, surprise guests and domestic pets as we discuss the news from home and ‘abroad’.

In a Pride Special, we chat about LGBTQ life In Ireland with some new friends, Vanessa will cast an eye at the RTÉ annual report, Johnny will explain what happened at Body & Soul and Olga will deliver the concluding dispatch from The Disclosures Tribunal.

Expect unwelcome ‘f-bombs’.

Soz.

Previously: Broadsheet on the Telly