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The history oflesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on the island ofIreland.
The first recorded trans individual in Dublin was a 19th-centurytrans man Patrick McCormack, who lived from 1821 to 1871. McCormack was a famine survivor and worked as alabourer, while living inCastleknock.[1] Another 19th-century trans man wasAlbert Cashier (born Jennie Hodgers, 1843–1915) fromCounty Louth, who fought on theUnion side of theAmerican Civil War.[2]
Ireland and Dublin, in particular,[citation needed] have always been regarded[by whom?] as the home of some of the greatest gay and lesbian writers in the English speaking world, some of whom areOscar Wilde,Eva Selina Gore-Booth,Elizabeth Bowen,Kate O'Brien,Ladies of Llangollen,Somerville and Ross andMary Dorcey[citation needed]
Prior to formalIrish independence in 1922, sexuality in Ireland was governed by the UK-wide laws emitted from theParliament of the United Kingdom such as theOffences Against the Person Act 1861. These laws were automatically inherited by the newIrish Free State. The most notable legal event related to Irish natives was thetrial and imprisonment of Oscar Wilde. Some leaders of the Irish Independence struggle of the early 20th century were assumed - at the time or later - to be gay, notablyPadraig Pearse andRoger Casement whose sexuality was an element in his trial and execution.
After independence, Ireland became a very insular society, dominated by the Catholic Church and was conservative,[3] however in the midst of this, there was an acceptance of homosexuality of those within the acting profession such asMicheál MacLiammóir. It was widely accepted that Micheál MacLiammóir was gay and that his longtime life partner wasHilton Edwards. MacLíammóir would even appear on IrishTV in the 1950s and 1960s performing in drag. It is because of this that Irish people were never really surprised to see men dressing up as women on TV and even today, one of Dublin's drag queens,Shirley Temple Bar, presents bingo on prime-time national TV.[4] MacLíammóir, when talking to Irish playwrightMary Manning, claimed to have had a homosexual relationship withGeneral Eoin O'Duffy, formerGarda Síochána commissioner and head of the quasi-fascistBlueshirts in Ireland, during the 1930s.[5] The claim was revealed publicly byRTÉ in a documentary,The Odd Couple, broadcast in 1999. However, MacLíammóir's claims have not been substantiated by any evidence.
Following the killing ofDeclan Flynn, a gay man targeted in a homophobic assault inFairview Park on the evening of September 9, 1982, five individuals were apprehended for his murder, confessing to their intent to "rid the park of homosexuals." Despite their admissions, all five received suspended sentences on March 8, 1983, sparking widespread anger within Dublin's queer community. This injustice led to Dublin's first large-scale LGBTQ+ demonstration on March 19, 1983, where approximately 400 activists marched fromLiberty Hall to Fairview Park to voice their fury and demand accountability. Declan Flynn's murder and the subsequent protest were pivotal in energizing the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the Republic of Ireland, pushing for systemic change and acknowledgment of the discrimination faced by the community.[6][7]
In the 1970s, theCampaign for Homosexual Law Reform in the Republic of Ireland was led byDavid Norris, the firstopenlygay politician to be elected to public office in Ireland[8], who campaigned for then-current criminalization of homosexuality (namely those in force from 1861 and 1885) to be dismantled. In 1980, the case was taken before the Supreme Court of Ireland; losing the case, Norris took the case to the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled in 1988 against the Irish government. The laws were finally reformed in 1993[9] by then-Minister for JusticeMáire Geoghegan-Quinn.
With the emergence of theCeltic Tiger economy from 1995 onwards, Ireland underwent a massive transformation both economically and socially. The individual wealth of the average Irish citizen quadrupled in the space of 15 years along withEU membership helped to liberalise and make this once conservative and religious society into one that is more open and pro-gay rights with a raft of pro-gay legislation.[citation needed] 76% of the Irish population support full gay marriage being extended to same-sex couples[10] while 53% support the idea of same-sex adoption.[citation needed]
In 2011, civil partnership legislation was passed by the Dáil and Seanad and was enacted into law. Also, in 2011,Dominic Hannigan andJohn Lyons, both of the Labour Party, became the first openly gayTDs to be elected to theDail, andKatherine Zappone became the first openly lesbian senator.
In 2015, Ireland became the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage through a referendum, with yes winning by over 62% of the vote. In a total over two million adults voted, and it was found that many younger adults participated in this vote to bring Ireland into a new era.
In 2017,Leo Varadkar was electedTaoiseach (Prime Minister), making him the youngest and first openly gay leader of Ireland.[11]
On 13 January 2020 same sex marriage became legal in Northern Ireland, anyone who married outside of Northern Ireland had their marriages officially recognized that day, and the first ceremonies inside the country started in February 2020.[12]
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