Antrim no events posted in last week
The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire
In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire
UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović
US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire
Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović Anti-Empire >>
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.
Julian Assange is finally free ! Tue Jun 25, 2024 21:11 | indy
Stand With Palestine: Workplace Day of Action on Naksa Day Thu May 30, 2024 21:55 | indy
It is Chemtrails Month and Time to Visit this Topic Thu May 30, 2024 00:01 | indy
Hamburg 14.05. "Rote" Flora Reoccupied By Internationalists Wed May 15, 2024 15:49 | Internationalist left
Eddie Hobbs Breaks the Silence Exposing the Hidden Agenda Behind the WHO Treaty Sat May 11, 2024 22:41 | indy Human Rights in Ireland >>
The Threat to Democracy Wed Jul 24, 2024 11:29 | James Alexander 'Populists' like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are a "threat to democracy", chant the mainstream media. In fact, they are just reminding our politicians what they are supposed to be doing, says Prof James Alexander.
The post The Threat to Democracy appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
In the Latest Weekly Sceptic, Nick Dixon and Toby Young Talk About Biden?s Withdrawal, Kamala Harris... Wed Jul 24, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young In the latest Weekly Sceptic, the talking points are whether Biden was the victim of a palace coup, Kamala Harris's staggeringly bad speeches and Kim Cheatle's humiliation.
The post In the Latest Weekly Sceptic, Nick Dixon and Toby Young Talk About Biden?s Withdrawal, Kamala Harris?s Chances and the Kim Cheatle?s Shame appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Wanted: Climate Researcher to Write Extreme Weather Just-So Stories to Serve Up to Credulous Media Wed Jul 24, 2024 07:00 | Chris Morrison If you wondered where the MSM get all their lurid stories attributing 'extreme weather' to climate change, look no further than a new job ad for a "researcher" focused on creating alarmist propaganda, says Chris Morrison.
The post Wanted: Climate Researcher to Write Extreme Weather Just-So Stories to Serve Up to Credulous Media appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
News Round-Up Wed Jul 24, 2024 01:01 | Richard Eldred A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.
Porsche Scraps Electric Car Targets as Demand Slumps Tue Jul 23, 2024 19:43 | Will Jones Porsche has scrapped its sales targets for EVs amid a slump in demand. A previous goal of 80% by 2030 has been watered down and the company now says sales will depend on uptake and how the technology develops.
The post Porsche Scraps Electric Car Targets as Demand Slumps appeared first on The Daily Sceptic. Lockdown Skeptics >>
Voltaire, international edition
Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en
Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en
Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en
Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en
Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en Voltaire Network >>
|
Belfast Gay Pride 2008: What are we Proud of? & who can we rely on?
antrim |
gender and sexuality |
opinion/analysis
Sunday July 27, 2008 20:42 by Belfast WSM
![Report this post to the editors Report this post to the editors](../graphics/report.gif)
“Where pride once mobilised, it now marshals that consensus as our anger and frustration into a range of diversionary shopping opportunities. The battle is no longer about(if it ever has been) equality and acceptance, but liberation and simply survival as human beings against a system galloping towards the abyss.” So what are exactly are we proud of? Is it just that we are attracted to a particular gender or genders? Or, are we proud of our courageous history of struggles as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered/ LGBT/ Queer people for our rights, and against bigotry, oppression and hatred?
The original Pride marches were held to commemorate the Stonewall riots in New York which began on June 28, 1969, and which were led mainly by Black and Puerto Rican butch dykes and drag queens sick of being beaten up and arrested by the police. The following year, in commemoration of the Stonewall Riots, the Gay Liberation Front organized a march from Greenwich Village to Central Park. Almost 10,000 women and men attended the march.
The international wave of Lesbian & Gay Liberation which spread out from Stonewall was closely based on the Black Civil Rights movement and couldn't have happened without the work the women's movement had already done in challenging fixed roles for women and for men.
In Ireland, we won legal protection via equality legislation, in combined struggle with other social struggles, and that is where our true strength still lies in the streets. The current wave of Irish LGBT Liberation started with feminists trade unionists and peace activists marching with us through Dublin, 1983 in outrage at the killing of a gay man cruising Phoenix Park.
We're celebrating Queer Pride in Belfast 2008, We've won a lot of battles and these days it seems we're feeling smug and respectable enough to ally ourselves with the forces of bigotry and intolerance, thinking it will strengthen our grip on our own rights. Some of our 'community leaders' seem to think that cosying up with bigots from the DUP or politicians in general is the best way of securing our future. The DUP in particular is famous for trampling on the rights of LGBT, not to mention the recent disgusting comments by Iris Robinson and inciting violence which is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s time we organise and fight back.
What about organising a militant march to her house and let her know what we really think of Iris Robinson and others?
The prejudice that politicians whip up, whether it’s against single mums, Travellers or immigrants is a way of distracting attention from the greed, incompetence and megalomania of those same politicians, -and it can soon be turned back on us if it becomes useful again. The forces of power and big money won't hesitate to take away our rights or help whip up hatred against us again next time it suits their interests.
Since medieval times Queer communities have been making progress in economic good times, only to get stomped on again as soon as the going gets tough. In Western Europe there have always been periodic economic crises which were accompanied by moral panics and waves of persecution of queer communities. Late medieval transvestite subcultures were driven deep underground by persecutions that were part of the general 14th to 17th C witch hunts. More recently the long depression of the last quarter of the 19th C saw persecutions that included the trial of Oscar Wilde. The powerful homosexual, feminist and sex reform movements of the early 20thC were mostly crushed by fascism, Stalinism and the conservative climate of the Fifties. During the depression in Britain in the Eighties Thatcher introduced anti-gay laws.
So do we rely on the rich and powerful continuing to be nice to us and openly welcome the PSNI? While we say nothing about how the status-quo treat immigrants, Travellers and people with disabilities?
Or do we strengthen our alliances with working people based on common class interests and fight for a just and peaceful world for everyone in the revolutionary spirit of Stonewall 1969 …………Then we could really hold our heads up in Pride
|
View Full Comment Text
save preference
Comments (3 of 3)