The new LGBT Inclusion Strategy has an actionable, three-pronged approach to strengthen Dublin City Council’s inclusivity and acceptance of LGBT personnel

Dublin City Council (DCC) officially launched their LGBT Inclusion Strategy in Mansion House yesterday morning.

Some of the speakers at the event included the Chairperson of DCC’s LGBT Staff Network, Martina Malone, and the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Brendan Carr, who highlighted the incredible distance which has been traversed in the fight for LGBT rights and the need for an LGBT Inclusion Strategy to help support LGBT people in the workplace.

“When I was coming up here this morning, the only image I had in my head was the Pride march from 1993,” Malone said.

“When we got to Dawson St we paused for just a couple of minutes because one of Brendan [Carr]’s predecessors, the then Lord Mayor, Tomas Mac Giolla, with his Lord Mayor’s chain, walked from the front of the Mansion House over to the parade which stopped for a few minutes and he stopped to shake some of our hands.”

“That was the level of pathetic and the level of tragic that it was to be gay in this country. That an elected public representative could make a very bold, brave political statement by shaking hands with a few gay men and a few lesbians,” she said.

“I think if memory serves, with the exception of myself, there wasn’t anybody employed in Dublin City Council who was on the march that day because up until June 1993 gay men were criminals, lesbians didn’t exist, bisexuals didn’t exist and transgender people didn’t exist.

“Here we all are,” Malone said raising her arms and gesturing out to the Mansion House audience.

The new LGBT Inclusion Strategy is comprised of a three pronged approach: facilitating LGBT visibility in DCC, promoting and strengthening LGBT inclusion at all levels in the City Council and providing education and awareness on LGBT-related issues.

As part of the first element, facilitating LGBT visibility, DCC plan to ensure the public can access LGBT literature through a range of channels including the Library. Specifically mentioning GCN, the DCC will ensure that the LGBT publication will be available in all library branches on a monthly basis.

Watch the full video below to hear the launch speeches.