Trans community highlighted at Déise Pride
Pictured at the Pride of the Déise march in Waterford city.
Waterford's seventh Pride Festival kicked off in Cathedral Square on Sunday with some blaas and coffee to fuel everyone up before the block party later.
Then, speeches were made.
Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, addressed the colourful crowd. He said: “We must never lose sight that Pride is protest, Pride came from protest, back in 1969 in Stonewall.”
He continued, “At its core, Pride is a celebration of love in all its forms but Pride is also about courage. It exists because even today there are voices of division and prejudice that seek to silence others."
He added: “I would like to single out members of the trans community who might be here this morning, the trans community have been coming under terrible pressure and we’ve heard terrible comments from some of our own local politicians who jumped on a bandwagon last year. I think their comments were disgraceful then and I still think they’re disgraceful and should not be tolerated.”
Hani, a representative of the LGBTQ Migrants and Refugee group, said, “for many people Pride is a celebration but for many of us Pride also means safety, freedom and a chance to live honestly.
"Behind every refugee or migrant is a real person, someone trying to build a better and safer life.”
Coralie spoke on behalf of the group ‘Mammies for Trans Rights’. She said, “We march every chance we get to show our love and support for our own gorgeous trans kids.
“There are so many of us who are lucky enough to have magnificent trans kids and family members in our lives.
“The vast majority of people in Ireland have nothing but love for our community and we will stand together in solidarity against those who don’t."
She said the group was standing in solidarity in particular with “our trans siblings in the US and UK who have seen their rights torn apart in recent years”.
“Ireland has always had a culture of live and let live and we will not allow these malign foreign influences colonise this country yet again.”
Brooke and Miles spoke on behalf of the Pride of the Déise Youth Committee who were the Grand Marshals of this year's parade.
Brooke said, “No one should be afraid to just be themselves and that’s what we try to teach people.”
Eadaoin Breathnach, chair of Pride of the Déise, spoke about the importance of voting for people who share the same values as you.
She said, “Being an activist doesn’t always have to be a loud thing. There is power in numbers and being informed.
“Participation and engagement are the greatest power that we have in our democracy. We have one of the fairest voting systems, but people are choosing not to use it.”
She noted that the committee of Pride of the Déise reached out to all locally elected representatives and the two people who came back and supported the group were Labour Councillor Séamus Ryan and Social Democrats Councillor Mary Roche.
She finished the speech by saying, “I’m sure there are people here who are unsure of their own sexuality and identity. You might not be out and you might be scared or unsure. This festival is as much for you as it is for the loudest, brightest and gayest of us all.”
Amanda Murphy and Eileen Lonergan stood and watched the parade. They shouted words of encouragement to the various groups. Amanda's son and Eileen's grandson, Noah, is 14 and walked in the parade. He is involved in Chill Out – a youth organisation for LGBTQ+ teenagers.
Amanda told the , “He was 11 or 12 when he came out to me. I was grand with it. As long as he’s happy, I’m happy but it was difficult for him alright. The group really helped.”
She worries about the rise in homophobia. She said: “It did change an awful lot on the plus side but you can see a turn now coming back.”
The women said that a man had just passed them and said, “Oh for god’s sake it will be Free Palestine next.”
Eileen watched a group of trans people dance to music on the quay. She said, “It's lovely to see, I’m really proud of him.”
After the march, musicians performed at the stage on O'Connell Street with a particularly memorable performance from the drag queen, "SexyTadgh".
