A GROUNDBREAKING new exhibition examining the relationship between Irish republicanism and the LGBTQ+ community has opened at Áras Uí Chonghaile on the Falls Road, offering visitors a fresh perspective on a little-known aspect of Ireland’s social and political history.
The exhibition – 'Irish Republicanism and the Gays' – opened on Wednesday with a view to shedding light on issue and to put right the avoidance of working-class life and experiences during the latter half of the 20th century.
Developed through a partnership between Áras Uí Chonghaile, the Museum of Free Derry and OUTing the Past, the exhibition draws on oral testimonies, archival material and historical research gathered over several years.
More than three decades on, the role of LGBTQ+ people within republicanism is still understudied and almost entirely unknown within wider society.
The gay community played its own important role in the North’s journey from war to peace and the exhibition opens a window on to this hidden and too often denied aspect of our collective past.
Within the republican community, some gay people took up arms and served time in jail, while others gave tacit and explicit backing to the movement as supporters or members of Sinn Féin or other republican groups.
All this time, a broader struggle for gay rights was taking place.
Among the stories featured are accounts of LGBTQ+ activists who supported campaigns around political prisoners during the 1980s, as well as the contributions of gay and lesbian republicans whose experiences have often been absent from mainstream historical narratives.
The exhibition also showcases rarely-seen documents and photographs that throw new light on the period.
Maeve McLaughlin from the Bloody Sunday Trust: “This is a critically important work that places the story of the struggle for equality in a place within activism and republicanism which flies in the face of the traditional national and international narrative. It reads well and the testimonies are impactful. It is raw and makes me proud of our people and place.”
'Irish Republicanism and The Gays' is currently on display at Áras Uí Chonghaile on the Falls Road.
