Yesterday was Pride and thousands flocked to the streets of Dublin to stand in solidarity with the LGBT community.
Recent events in Orlando have shone a light on the realities of homophobia still facing LGBT people every day and since the tragic events, hundreds have shared outpouring of love and support. Yesterday’s parade was a testament to how progressive we’ve become as a society. That being said, there are moments of homophobia and voyeurism that can’t be ignored.
Irish woman Meadhbh Flynn was fortunate to be participating in the celebrations yesterday. Taking to Facebook she explains:
“As part of the Halleluia Gospel Choir, we had to wear black so we were the odd ones out amongst a sea of resplendent colour. I got to get a picture with Panti Bliss, a famous drag queen who is a gay rights activist. I had followed her on social media throughout the entire referendum campaign last year.”
After the celebrations, Meadhbh and a friend went to a restaurant and what happened next surprised her.
“Aoibhinn and I went to Wagamammas after singing today, in our blacks with two simple rainbows painted on our faces. At first, we thought it was pretty hilarious that the waitress clearly thought we were gay. She was lovely. However, I couldn’t help but notice that people were staring at me more than usual. Each time I looked around I caught a different person’s eye. It made me feel awkward. It made me feel odd. It made me feel peculiar. It was not a nice feeling.”
Meadhbh continues to explain that the feeling of being gawked at was incredibly unpleasant and invasive.
She writes:
“And then I finally understood how gay people feel. Even after Panti so tenaciously describing it to us, as heterosexuals, we can never truly understand how it feels. So I’m sorry to the LGBT people who I may have spent a split second staring at because they were holding hands. I’m sorry to the LGBT people who I gawked at without realising. I’m sorry for making you all feel awkward, odd and peculiar.”
“Gay pride is a phenomenal day for everyone to celebrate the gay community. But heterosexuals genuinely need to stop being selfish and being “proud” that they accept gays in our community; what we need to be proud of is the people who we make feel awkward, odd and peculiar who still manage to be truly resilient and brave,” she concluded.
Check out Meadhbh’s post in full here.
Watch out Pride video below.
