Outhouse has opened it’s new house. Click out logo to go to our site.
Outhouse is a community and resource centre for LGBT people, their families and friends.
It is based in central Dublin. Its primary goal is to offer a safe space for people to inform, meet, organise and make things happen.
Outhouse is very often the first point of contact for people into the LGBT world and also the place in which lots of groups and organisations have been established.
Archives for June 2013
ESSAY IN DUBLIN REVIEW OF BOOKS (IN TWO PARTS) by Jeff Dudgeon
‘Casement Wars’ – DRB response to Angus Mitchell in Field Day Review Part II 4 June 2013 ‘Casement’s War’ – DRB response to Angus Mitchell in Field Day Review Part I 25 March 2013 Tralee Casement conference schedule October 2013
Part I, Casement’s War, Issue 31, 25 March 2013 [On Casement in Germany and the Easter Rising]
Part II Casement Wars, Issue 36, 4 June 2013 [On the Black Diaries’ authenticity controversy]
Responding to: FIELD DAY REVIEW 8. 2012
· ‘A Strange Chapter of Irish History’: Sir Roger Casement, Germany and the 1916 Rising by Angus Mitchell.
· Diary of Roger Casement, 1914–16, Part I: ‘My Journey to the German Headquarters at Charleville’, annotated by Angus Mitchell.
· ‘A last Page of My Diary,’ 17 March to 8 April 1916, with an introduction by Angus Mitchell.
· ‘Phases of a Dishonourable Phantasy’ by Angus Mitchell.
Also attached is the programme for the Casement conference in Tralee this October organised by Notre Dame University and Limerick University.
A Casement documentary archive, extensive diaries controversy material and a photograph gallery is at http://jeffdudgeon.com/
A violent thug who attacked a gay man in the toilets of a gay bar has been sent to prison
Although 27-year-old Kenneth McIntyre was ordered to serve a year in custody at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Gordon Kerr QC said that as a dangerous offender who posed a risk of serious harm to the public, he was ordering him to spend a further three years on supervised licence in an effort to protect the public.
Earlier he had heard that on Valentine’s Day 2009, McIntyre and another man not before the court had been drinking in Mynt nightclub in the city centre when they went to the toilet.
Prosecuting lawyer Robin Steer said their victim, Mark Saunders, had been in the cubicle when he overheard them talking about gay men and when he challenged them about it, McIntyre’s friend said “are you another gay b******” before the pair came at him.
Mr Saunders, who is himself homosexual, cannot remember what happened, the lawyer told the court, but as a result of either a blow or a push, two teeth were knocked out, two teeth were fractured and he fell to the ground cutting the back of his head, with the gash needing seven staples.
Having identified the two males to door staff, bouncers told McIntyre and his friend to stay but having tried unsuccessfully to run out the back door, they bolted for the front door – but ran into police.
McIntyre, originally from east Belfast but now with an address at the Rickamore Road Upper in Ballyclare, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Saunders.
In jailing McIntyre, Judge Kerr revealed he had only been released from prison for a previous violent offence just five days before the incident, commenting that he had “an appalling record”.
News Letter
12 June 2013
An openly gay mayor has been appointed to North Down Borough Council for the first time.
Alliance councillor Andrew Muir was elected to the position on Thursday and has chosen the theme of his term of office to be ‘Working as one’.
A graduate of the University of Ulster, the keen athlete holds a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.
He told UTV: “My sexuality hasn’t been an issue for me nor for my electorate nor my constituents since I became a councillor in 2010.
“And it won’t be a defining issue for me as mayor because the challenge as mayor is to reach out and represent everyone across our society – people of different faiths, backgrounds.”
Mayor Muir says that this is how society will move forward.
“I think it’s a proud moment for me – but there’s lots of challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Bringing economic growth to the area, reaching out to people and celebrating the diversity of activity are at the top of his agenda.
“If we work as one we can achieve so much more for everyone across the borough.”
Councillor Jennifer Gilmour was elected as North Down’s new deputy mayor.
The DUP politician is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast.
http://www.u.tv/News/North-Down-elects-gay-mayor/f39ca9c9-c4ff-4911-a0c1-02ff3420ef60
A graduate of the University of Ulster, the keen athlete holds a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.
He told UTV: “My sexuality hasn’t been an issue for me nor for my electorate nor my constituents since I became a councillor in 2010.
“And it won’t be a defining issue for me as mayor because the challenge as mayor is to reach out and represent everyone across our society – people of different faiths, backgrounds.”
Mayor Muir says that this is how society will move forward.
“I think it’s a proud moment for me – but there’s lots of challenges and opportunities ahead.”
Bringing economic growth to the area, reaching out to people and celebrating the diversity of activity are at the top of his agenda.
“If we work as one we can achieve so much more for everyone across the borough.”
Councillor Jennifer Gilmour was elected as North Down’s new deputy mayor.
The DUP politician is a graduate of Queen’s University Belfast.
http://www.u.tv/News/North-Down-elects-gay-mayor/f39ca9c9-c4ff-4911-a0c1-02ff3420ef60
© UTV News
Midnight in the Northern Ireland Assembly and gay marriage
http://www.niassembly.gov.uk/Assembly-Business/Official-Report/Reports-12-13/24-June-2013/#8
This links to the whole day’s Assembly discussions while the attachment is the debate on the Legislative Consent Motion (LCM) only. It is designed to put Northern Ireland into a small part of the equal marriage bill going through Westminster as we speak.
Sammy Wilson MP (DUP Minister of Finance) it appears resisted London on a couple of issues including one on marriages conducted by armed forces’ chaplains.
Steven Agnew makes the telling point that this is the first time the DUP has put forward such legislation – albeit turning English marriages into Ulster civil partnerships. A form of alchemy?
Same sex marriage LCM debate NI Assembly 24 June 2013
NIGRA
NIGRA History
NIGRA was formed 1975. It consisted of the Belfast Gay Liberation Society (in origin a student society in Queen’s University, Belfast) Sappho readers’ groups in Belfast, Coleraine, Craigavon, Derry/Londonderry, and other places, the NI Council on Religion and Homosexuality (NICRH), then run from Portadown, (it later became the Gay Christian Fellowship, and is now Outlook). There was also the 1974 Homosexual Law Reform Committee, and a group for Transvestites and Transsexuals (run from Bangor/Newtownards). This has been superseded by the Belfast Butterfly Club. ‘Gay Rights’ was taken to mean the rights of anyone oppressed on account of their – actual or imputed – sexuality.
The main thrust of NIGRA’s campaigning activities was the demand that those elements of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, decriminalising certain male [homo]sexual activities in England and Wales be extended to Northern Ireland. The government at Westminster was eventually forced to do this by our case at the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR] in Strasbourg. The law effecting decriminalisation in Northern Ireland was passed in October 1982. This meant that gay men were equally oppressed throughout the UK state. This judgement of the ECHR laid down a Europe-wide norm on the matter of the right to privacy of gay men, and by implication, of all gay people (and, indeed, of all citizens, irrespective of their sexuality).
In early 1994, NIGRA spearheaded a campaign to have the relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act extended to Northern Ireland. This reduced the male homosexual age of consent from 21 to 18, the latter being a “compromise” age, stopping short of equality at 16. Two further reductions (to 17and then 16) were later effected.
Over the years we have exposed the hostile attitude of the courts to gay women and men. The refusal of the courts to allow lesbian mothers access to their children is a serious injustice. The use of the ‘Portsmouth Defence’ (also known as the ‘homosexual panic’ defence), has been exposed by us and been the object of prolonged campaigning work with the police and prosecution services.
Equally important has been our work with the police in Northern Ireland. Over the years we have developed relations with them and also provided a training course for police cadets on gay sensibilities. We have also actively challenged the police force when necessary if it was and is felt that they have been heavy handed or back-pedalled in what is obviously a death with a gay overtone.
NIGRA has also helped provide a public space for gay people, by organising entertainments like discos, and social and cultural events. We have published material for gay people and about gay life, for our community in general interest magazines, and appeared on, facilitated, or even made, radio and television programmes aimed at the general public.
Currently we maintain a watching brief on the police and government, challenging and advising where appropriate. We also have a number of ongoing campaigns, one of which is the ‘Access to Material In Libraries for the Gay Community’.
Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association
Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association History
NIGRA was formed 1975. It consisted of the Belfast Gay Liberation Society (in origin a student society in Queen’s University, Belfast) Sappho readers’ groups in Belfast, Coleraine, Craigavon, Derry/Londonderry, and other places, the NI Council on Religion and Homosexuality (NICRH), then run from Portadown, (it later became the Gay Christian Fellowship, and is now Outlook). There was also the 1974 Homosexual Law Reform Committee, and a group for Transvestites and Transsexuals (run from Bangor/Newtownards). This has been superseded by the Belfast Butterfly Club. ‘Gay Rights’ was taken to mean the rights of anyone oppressed on account of their – actual or imputed – sexuality.
The main thrust of NIGRA’s campaigning activities was the demand that those elements of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, decriminalising certain male [homo]sexual activities in England and Wales be extended to Northern Ireland. The government at Westminster was eventually forced to do this by our case at the European Court of Human Rights [ECHR] in Strasbourg. The law effecting decriminalisation in Northern Ireland was passed in October 1982. This meant that gay men were equally oppressed throughout the UK state. This judgement of the ECHR laid down a Europe-wide norm on the matter of the right to privacy of gay men, and by implication, of all gay people (and, indeed, of all citizens, irrespective of their sexuality).
In early 1994, NIGRA spearheaded a campaign to have the relevant provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act extended to Northern Ireland. This reduced the male homosexual age of consent from 21 to 18, the latter being a “compromise” age, stopping short of equality at 16. Two further reductions (to 17and then 16) were later effected.
Over the years we have exposed the hostile attitude of the courts to gay women and men. The refusal of the courts to allow lesbian mothers access to their children is a serious injustice. The use of the ‘Portsmouth Defence’ (also known as the ‘homosexual panic’ defence), has been exposed by us and been the object of prolonged campaigning work with the police and prosecution services.
Equally important has been our work with the police in Northern Ireland. Over the years we have developed relations with them and also provided a training course for police cadets on gay sensibilities. We have also actively challenged the police force when necessary if it was and is felt that they have been heavy handed or back-pedalled in what is obviously a death with a gay overtone.
NIGRA has also helped provide a public space for gay people, by organising entertainments like discos, and social and cultural events. We have published material for gay people and about gay life, for our community in general interest magazines, and appeared on, facilitated, or even made, radio and television programmes aimed at the general public.
Currently we maintain a watching brief on the police and government, challenging and advising where appropriate. We also have a number of ongoing campaigns, one of which is the ‘Access to Material In Libraries for the Gay Community’.