Welcome, dear reader, to the December 2025 issue of GCN, 'Positive Light’.
Coinciding with the Christmas holidays, the issue is the final edition of the year, and has provided us with a vital opportunity to look back on 2025’s triumphs and challenges in equal measure. Not only has 2025 been a historic year, but December has been a historic month, as GCN, together with the Poz Vibe Tribe, marked the first-ever World AIDS Day Festival.
On these pages, you will find an in-depth exploration of the festival, as well as interviews with the creatives of Out of Shadows, a ground-breaking short film which premiered on the programme’s final night.
Elsewhere in the issue, we reflect on the queer highlights and milestones that shaped 2025. We also touched base with some of the campaigners who powered Catherine Connolly’s presidential campaign, as they share the vision of the united left for 2026.
Of course, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a little sparkle, and the December 2025 issue has that in droves. We caught up with the dazzling Bonnie Ann Clyde, fresh off her run on Drag Race UK. Meanwhile, one writer shares a sequin-studded account of a recent visit to the New York queer collective Dykes and Dolls, as they gear up for their performance of Rocky Horror.
Our December issue is also home to the final instalment of our look back on the history of LGBTQ+ venues in Dublin. This time around, we’re paying a visit to the city’s disco era, as we revisit The Hirschfeld Centre, Minsky’s and The George’s early days.
And finally, if the darkness of winter is proving tricky to conquer, why not pencil in a visit to sunny Bilbao? In this issue, we explore the fascinating history of the Basque Country and what this little gem has to offer LGBTQ+ explorers. You’ll find all these stories - plus lots, lots more! - in our December 2025 issue 'Positive Light'. Happy reading!
